The fall 2009 issue of Vogue Knitting has a section of hat patterns. They're "nice" designer hats, fashion headgear, complicated looking women's hats. Not the usual, simple, unisex hats I've mindlessly knitted before during meetings.

Of the eleven hats my daughter picked four that she liked. (I'd previously volunteered to make her some hats so she wouldn't freeze in the Windy City.)

Suvi Simola's cabled cap project from Vogue Knitting magazine

The chosen design is by Suvi Simola. I was gunho about starting the project and then realized that (as usual) I didn't have the right sized needles. I was doubly disappoined this time because about two years ago I purchased a $60 set of interchangeable knitting needles.

Anyway, I emailed company I brought the interchangeable knitting needles from and asked if there was a 16" cable. They said, No.They gave a brief explanation - too short, needle too long - whatever.

40" circular knitting needles can replace 16" ones!!

Luckily, I'd recently purchased additional cables (40") to go with my set to allow me to knit two socks at the same time. *That's a story and a project for another time. After a bit of thinking I figured out that I could use the 40" needles and the "magic loop" method to knit Suri Simola's cabled cap.

So. Having solved the needle issue I confronted the what-yarn-do-I-have issue. The yarn used in the knitting patter is $11 a ball and I needed two. My last trip to the local knit shop (where I'd purchased the Vogue Knitting magazine) had cost me quiet a bit of money. It was mostly for yarn for a Christmas gift for my mother so it was okay but still I wasn't trying to spend any additional funds. 

I lamented the fact that my last order from KnitPicks didn't include a wraps-per-inch tool. I thought about ordering one, then considered making one - ended up purchasing inexpensive ($6.95) software to recalculate a pattern based on my gauge swatch. Finally, I discovered Yarndex.com. It allowed me to enter the name of the yarn specificed in the knitting pattern. Learned that it's worsted weight. Then I entered the names of the yarns I was thinking about using and discovered which one was the same weight. Finally, I started knitting!

win the free knitting hats project

Knitting makes a lot of room for thinking. When I was almost finished with the hat I decided that it was such a great pattern that I'd like to make it again and again.

Here's the plan I came up with ... I'll make a total of five hats, exactly the same, and gift them to people I know in different parts of the country. #1 to my daughter in Illinois, #2 to my friend here in Kentucky, #3 to my friend in New York, #4 to my sister in Virginia and #5 to a stranger who lives in Minnesota, North Dakota, Colorado, Wisconsin, or Colorado.

If you're interested in being that stranger be a registered MPW user and be the first to email me your name and snail mail address. It might be a while but eventually you'll get a nice toasty cabled cap and you'll be connected by a thread to at least five other MultiPurposeWomen.

Other knitters who've knitted Suvi Simola's cabled cap ...

Chris @ doodles in string

Trine @ Floderten!strik

Suvi's website is in finnish (I think) @ http://50villapeikkoa.blogspot.com/ - the google translation isn't very good.

note to artist self: this type of gift-to-a-stranger project may be the connecting piece for the SHELTER art body-of-work.