Blue Bobble Hat

So... I guess I'm posting my first make! And it's a knitting project. Since I have rediscovered knitting, I have completed a number of smaller projects from one of the two knitting books I have been learning from, Knitty Gritty by Aneeta Patel. However, these will remain largely unposted, as I doubt anyone is interested in baby booties or scarves! Up until now I've been knitting on straight needles, so not only is this my first make ever posted, it was also the first project I have knitted using circular needles. A double whammy!

So, the hat pattern comes from my second knitting book, Learn to Knit, Love to Knit by Anna Wilkinson. I was drawn to thee pattern when I first bought the book, but wasn't sure if I would be able to knit it as it looked so complicated. 

Bobble hat by Anna Wilkinson

After having developed my knitting over the last couple of months, when my husband asked me to knit him a hat I decided I was ready to give it a go. So, ... here it is!

The pattern calls for a bulky yarn, but checking the tension required a super bulky yarn seemed my appropriate. I used Wendy Pampas Mega Chunky in Nightsky for the main and Toffee for the contrast section. It was really soft and easy to work with and since this was made with such bulky yarn it knitted up really quickly. It literally only took me a few evenings, so this was a nice quick project. It was also the first time had knitted using the 2x2 rib stitch, which I found strangely satisfying to watch it grow. So another first for this project too!

I brought a set of Knit Pro Symphonie interchangeable needles, which were brilliant to knit with. For my first attempt at knitting in the round, I managed to figure it out pretty easily and wondered why I was so worried about it. I'm glad I got the interchangeable needles as I am predicting some more circular knitting in the very near future.

The only real issue I had was near the end of the knit, as I was reducing for the top of the hat, it was quite hard to knit with so few stitches on a circular needle. Not impossible, but it didn't feel all that comfortable at points.

Overall, I'm dead chuffed with this hat. I'm even thinking of knitting one for my Dad for his birthday in March. My husband was pleased and has even worn it out of the house on several occasions, so I guess that gives it the real seal of approval.