My friend T and I had been going for walks with her pup but it's gotten cooler (and is now down right cold) at night. She made a comment that she'd like a hat with ear-flaps (and she "doesn't care if she looks silly). Enter Simpatico. It's a more interesting pattern than a standard ear-flap had, knit with worsted weight yarn, and would give me a chance to attempt the magic loop. I'm not sure I did that quite right, but it came out okay.
I prefer it with the ties, which I braided instead of using i-cord. They are more for show as the ear-flaps are plenty long to stay down on their own.
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| Please ignore our messy living room - moving and all that jazz |
T wanted pink, and pink she will get. I think if I were to do it again I'd use different yarn. The Plymouth Europa Tweed is pretty but splits a bit too easily and is a little thicker than is called for in the pattern. I went down a needle size and that made it work, but knitting bulky yarn (I wouldn't call this super bulky at all, despite the description) on size 5 needles was a bit of a pain.
End thoughts: while I like the end look, the pattern was sort of a pain. The decreases aren't predictable and there are only two size options - Child or Adult. My adult head is a bit too small and M's head is a bit too big. Hopefully T's head is just right. I don't think I'll be making it again unless someone requests it specifically.
