Golden Honey Hat Finished

The ladies at Knitting for Breakfast who created the pattern wanted it to be an autumn hat and were inspired by honeycombs. I just love that so!

This hat was such fun to knit. For the first time ever I knit a hat for myself before making any for other people. Typically I find a good pattern and make the project to give away. Although if we can be a little bit honest here, I did at first sight think that this Honey Hat would be perfect for my oldest daughter, Leah. She loves yellow and this simple elegance of the pattern would suit her quite well.

Then I began to realize that I did not have a good winter hat of my own. I made a few last year that were fine but they just were not right for me. Possibly the color, because really, there is far more to color than we all like to admit when it comes to things we wear. I like many colors but not all the colors I like look flattering on me. So I tabbed this pattern as one to knit as a Christmas gift for the daughter then I simply got busy as mothers are. One night I cast on for the hat in a moment of desire. That pattern has been calling to me for weeks! I began the hat making it to the beginning of the cable repeats before setting it aside to work on more gift projects. I picked it up every once in a while but never worked more than 1-2 rounds at a time.

As Christmas was approaching I was pondering what to make or if to make something for the girls. I discovered some other knits for the older girls that looked lovely. In our conversations about knit gifts they let me down easy by saying that they had enough knits for the season. I pressed on with the holiday preparations setting aside those gift ideas. I didn't have time to work on the hat although I desperately wanted to get it done. About a week ago I decided that this hat needed to be done. The deep cold weather in our area had been more than enough motivation to get me started. I needed a hat to wear. Now that it is done I have been wearing it frequently. The deep cold has passed but there have been some days where the hat has been needed.

About the project:
I used 16" circular needles in US 7 (4.5mm)

The yarn the authors used Morbidone Merinos Extra Superwash. This Italian yarn is more tightly spun giving a denser yarn. The color is a gorgeous butter yellow. I debated on the color of the hat. I think what drew me to this pattern is the cheerful golden yellow. I think a nice natural color yarn would perfectly suit this pattern too. I decided to only knit this project with stash yarn because I had plenty of worsted weight yarn to use. But that YELLOW! Oh that yellow is so warm and inviting. After sifting through the stash I remembered I had some of Barrett Wool Co.'s Home Worsted weight yarn in Humble Gold in my stash. This turned out to be the perfect yarn for this hat. The color! The weight! Yes! This yarn was a perfect partner in the project.

I followed the pattern as written but made notes along the way. I did try on the hat a few times to make sure the size was correct. If I make this hat again with this yarn or any squishy worsted yarn I would not repeat the cable pattern 4 times. I think based on my head size and this yarn that 3 full repeats would have been plenty before beginning the decrease rounds. The hat fits very well, a bit longer than I typically like, covering my ears fully with little extra. I could fold up the brim but I prefer not to do that when wearing hats. The length can be tricky to personalize especially on the first try. Too long or too short is often the case with pattern repeats. Overall it is an excellent pattern. Well worth the time to make and is just lovely to wear. The fit is perfectly comfortable. I highly suggest this hat as a great gift project, even if that means the gift is for you!