Stirrup Socks! DONE!

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CAMO EAR FLAP HAT:

Many moons ago, (aka last year?), I would work on the Camo Earflap hat pattern from diy network. But did I ever once stop to check my gauge? NO!! Of course not!!! Somehow it worked out, the hats went to their intended victims without incident. Now as I am a wiser knitter - (aka anal? obsessive?) - I check the gauge and as a result, the yarn that I had been using in the past actually needs to be held double stranded in order to legitimately meet the gauge of 3 st. per inch!

As I work with my size 10 circulars, this puppy is looking like a hat of steel! geeesh! There's a lot to be said to just cranking out the pattern without any concern to gauge. Just flow with the process and relax. If it fits, great! If not, oh well! "It's the process".... I miss those days!

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Although I must admit, last night I did throw all cautious knitting to the wayside and cranked out one of these hats in MODA DEA tweedle ... but the darn colorway shocked me---in a NOT SO friendly way. The supposed RED color had lent itself to a subtle PINK and brown colorway! wtfudge? NOT RIGHT! I thought I was making a RED hat! Boy was my hubby sorely disappointed when he learned that everyone else in the family disagreed with his visual understandings of what distinguishes the colors PINK and ORANGE. Gosh! I was just glad to be able to knit up the pattern at a rather quick rate! Someone will wear the hat! Right? Now THAT"S what I call KNITTING! Just sticking it to the yarn - no matter if it will have a purpose or NOT! Just working the stitches for the point of working them!

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CAN YOU SEE THE IRONY IN ALL OF THIS?-UPDATE-

Ds tried on the "on-gauge" hat.... and much to my dismay, he was NOT thrilled with the finished product. He just wants a hat like the thin hats of last season. The ones that are actually 4 sts per inch (just measured them)... as opposed to the precise 3/" gem that I whipped out. WELL do you know what I did to resolve this matter? Go ahead take a guess....it takes big balls to do what I did! take a leap of faith and guess! .... ribbit ribbit... rippit rippit... yeps, I surely did... I frogged that durn thing back into two balls..... hmmm... maybe two hats out of the deal? who knows! But whatever the case, I certainly didnt see a high demand for a bullet proof-ish hat! ahhaha... It was toooo small... and thicker than thick...

Wonder what needle I used last year? 10 or 10 1/2? I will toy with a swatcheroo tomorrow.... It's too late to start up on another hat fest! The quest will continue ... to gauge or not to gauge - that's the question. Look where it got me? Should have just went with it! just rolled along with my natural hunch skills!

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