The last word on Lidsville

I just saw a young woman at my workplace wearing a very cute newsboy cap -- the same style of cap as Lidsville. I studied her cap as I walked by, and that's when it hit me.

Was the "inner band" actually supposed to go on the bottom rather than the inside? That probably would have helped with fit and making the cap "longer" like my dad wanted.

Then again, I found a comment on Ravelry from the designer saying no, the inner band was supposed to go on the inside. But I still don't understand the brim construction.

Maybe I'll figure it all out once I make a Lidsville for myself... but with so many new projects on my plate, I think it'll be a while before I'll come back to one I've already done.

It is kind of hilarious that I'm sitting here still obsessing over this hat weeks after it's been finished and gifted, though. Clearly I need more new projects to take my mind off this.

Lidsville, Completed.

I finally have a picture of Lidsville, so I might as well explain the last few snags in its making.

I arrived at my ancestral home to discover that in my hurry, I had left the plastic canvas brim behind. Swearing ensued. My mother helped me improvise with a piece of cardboard. Then came yet more problems with figuring out exactly where I was supposed to sew stuff together. I asked my mom for advice; she said she had no clue. (It seems for a lot of us stitchery skipped a generation, huh?) I finally got the hat slapped together about two minutes before giving it to my father. He put it on... and immediately wanted me to make the back longer.

He may be getting a Chia Pet next year.

I added a few rows to the back and some decreases to make the hat tighter. Then, in what I would call a true stroke of irony, I found plastic canvas in my late grandmother's stash and had to figure out how to swap out the cardboard for it. Finally I handed it to my father, who put it on and said "that's good." I replied "it better be. I'm out of yarn."

I would say I'm... content with the final product, and might even try making myself one someday. However, I had an issue with the pattern, and based on the comments I've seen on Ravelry and some of the Google search strings this blog has gotten, I suspect some of you had the same problem: The crochet instructions are just fine, but there is very little direction on how to do the sewing. I'm a crocheter, not a seamstress, and I didn't really know what to do with directions like "sew the brim to the hat." Where, exactly? I realize that I sound like a dolt, but, well, when it comes to sewing I am a dolt.

I'm not saying this is a bad pattern, because I don't think it is. I think it's a good pattern. But with clearer sewing instructions, it could have been a great pattern.

As promised, the incoherent (though sober) update.

Have reached the point where hat construction no longer makes sense (and neither does using pronouns). Have nagging fear hat may be too small. Cannot figure out how top of hat is supposed to go on. Too sleepy to care. Will try again in the morning. Praying cat does not eat hat in the meantime.

Procrastinators unite!... some other time.

Tomorrow I'm going to visit my family.

That means that tonight, I have to finish Lidsville.

I know, I know. I've been working on this damn hat forever... well, a month according to Ravelry, but it sure feels like forever. Oh look, and two weeks ago I posted that I was nearly done. Well don't I feel silly? I would, if I had time to. Of course, instead of actually finishing it here I am blogging and puttering around on Ravelry.

Don't ask me what happened with this one, because I'm not sure myself. I suspect it was a combination of "oh yay! I'm nearly finished! And I've got plenty of time! I can goof around!" and my utter intimidation over the construction of the hat. I've spent more time fretting over putting this stupid hat together than I have actually working on it. And what am I doing now, instead of working on it? Fretting on teh intarwubz. There's a lesson in this, but I don't have time to contemplate that even though it is totally obvious.

At least the Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk DK for the inner band was at the top of the yarn bin, so I didn't have to stumble around searching for it and waking up the Mad Husband.

...And then, as if on cue, my computer went down, forcing me to get to work. Computer has recovered, back to work now, cat is trying to eat the plastic canvas that's supposed to be the hat brim, expect an incoherent and possibly drunken post announcing success/failure around three in the morning.

Oh happy day! The end is in sight!

I don't really have time to post this, but I'm doing it anyway because I'm so excited.

I'm nearly done with Lidsville! Thanks to two of the entities I rave about here the most. First, StringTheory2 helped my not-so-spatially-oriented mind see how the pieces are supposed to go together by basting them together in a contrasting yarn:

See, now it looks (kinda) like a hat! And she didn't even laugh at me when I asked for a definition of basting. Without her as my yarn mentor, I'd still be making nothing but really big afghans out of acrylic.

And then, the amazing folks at Knitch even dug up some plastic canvas for me! I am so excited to have this nearly done, and I can already tell my dad's going to love it. Now to get to Knitch before they close.

What's my motivation? Never mind that, WHERE'S my motivation?

You know, when I got the idea to crochet my family's Christmas presents this year, I thought it was a great idea. And I still do. However, thinking it's a great idea doesn't necessarily translate to wanting to work on said presents. Not when I'm finding awesome patterns on Ravelry and sketching out my next project in my crochet notebook (I was so proud of myself, I'm tempted to scan it and post it here to bore the rest of you with it). At least my mother's scarf (to your left) is finished, aside from the pesky business of weaving in ends. (My secret to weaving in ends? Whenever I can, I try and grab the tail and crochet over it as I'm working. Helps a lot, but isn't always possible.) It was probably the longest of the projects so I guess it's good that it's finished already, except for the part about I learned how to make crochet cables doing it and now I'd rather be playing with cables.

Lidsville has me nervous. I'm pretty close to done with the crocheting, as seen at right. I just have the brim and inner band to go, I think (which means it's time to find that Alpaca Silk navy for the inner band). The crocheting has been very easy, but it's the construction that has me worried. At least my pictures match up with the wip pics that other people have posted at Ravelry, so I know I'm on the right track for now. I need to hurry up and get this one finished so I'll have a little time in case of emergency -- i.e. finished hat being too small for my dad.

Speaking of too small, I completely frogged my brother's Flyflap Cap at knitting group the other night -- the entire thing, there was yarn everywhere. I learned that apparently it's easier to frog in crochet than knit, which is another good reason for me to stick with crochet because the frog is my friend that I have to visit quite often. I've moved up to a K hook from the recommended I for my second try, and now at least I can get it on my head. Does that mean it will fit my 6'4 brother? Here's hoping. Laura Killoran hasn't steered me wrong yet.

Can you tell my family really likes blue? I'm so sick of blue. I need to do something in some really loud non-blue colors after I'm finished. Maybe something to take along while I'm visiting for the holidays. That way if a family disagreement breaks out, I can just put my head down and pretend I'm at a really difficult part in the pattern.

The photos aren't much, but now at least I have some pictures to go with my Ravelry project listings. I'm telling you, I got those first two hearts way too easy and now I'm constantly hitting reload to see if anyone else has favorited my stuff.

Lidsville

For all my whining about the lack of crochet in Son of Stitch 'n Bitch, I'm certainly getting my money's worth from what is there. I've started Lidsville, the cute golf-style cap, as a Christmas present for my dad. Hi Dad! I can spoil the surprise because you never get on the internet and if you did, you'd google rifles and fishing lures instead of crochet. I don't know how to crochet a fishing lure yet, so you're getting a hat this year. Merry Christmas.

So anyway, Lidsville. I have to say, it kinda cracks me up when I look at the book's picture of Cute Hipster Boy wearing this and I try to imagine how it'll look on fiftysomething redneck Dad. I have deviated from the suggested yarn, Tahki Donegal Tweed, largely because I was in a hurry to get started. I'm using Rowan Scottish Tweed DK in Indigo -- I think the Celtic Mix would have looked better, myself, but my dad hates the color green (which is hilarious because he's a Celtics fan). The Scottish Tweed is growing on me. I generally like my yarn softer, but it's very handsome, and I remembered I have some discontinued navy Debbie Bliss Alpaca Silk DK that I can do the inner band in for a bit more comfort.

I'm nearly done with crocheting the pieces, but it's the construction that has me nervous. I'm a crocheter, not a seamstress. I think sewing would be an excellent and incredibly useful thing to know how to do, but I crochet to relax, and struggling to keep seams straight doesn't sound relaxing to me. The construction's more involved than what I'm used to. If it goes well, I'll post pictures of the hat. If it doesn't, I'll post pictures of the mangled yarn and lots of cursing.