The Ruffled Cloche

When I received “60 Quick Baby Knits” for my birthday, I knew what I wanted to knit almost immediately.  As I’ve said, there are a ton of great projects in this book.  One that caught my eye was the Ruffled Cloche.

What a sweet, pretty hat for a little girl.  Too bad I didn’t have anyone to knit it for. And for the time being, not having an intended recipient or reason to knit this adorable little thing meant I would only be admiring it from the pages of my book.

Awhile later, when tryin to decide what to knit for a friend’s little girl, I happened across the pattern again.  :)  So I dug around in my stash for some girl-ish colors so I could get to work….  Problem….

….I have a little boy, so many of my choices were greens and blue, with occasional reds and purples squeaking through.  No girly colors, it seemed, that were both right in color and in weight. 

….also, I love blues…so of course it would overwhelm my stash!  Not really being a fan of pinks and yellows and oranges, I had to be creative. 

I chose to knit the majority of the hat, including the ruffle, in Winter White from Cascade 220 Superwash.  Then I found a beautiful fuchsia/purple color in Sangria, Knit Picks Andean Silk.  Okay, we’re on a roll, right?  Not exactly.  Eventually I decided upon some Berroco Vintage in Dark Denim that seemed to do the trick.  The fuchsia and white kept it feminine, while the blue gave it that “oomph.”

After I was 90% complete, I started doubting my color choices.  They seemed off.  Maybe the “oomph” was actually an “oops!” 

But once I attached the bow and carried the hat around the house with me, the happier I became.  I like the colors and by the time this little girl is old enough to wear the hat, she’ll have grown into the colors a bit.  I hope her mommy likes it just as much as I do! :)

My only real complaint about this pattern is the sizing.  Stitch counts were only give for 6-12 month hats.  After making the hat once, I think I could modify it for other sizes, but that bummed me out.  And although my gauge was good, the hat seems much larger than 6-12 months.  But overall, big is better than too small!

(Please pardon my hat stand!  I really need to find something baby-size for these little hats!)

My biggest success here is the colorwork.  Maybe some of you have figured it out by now, but I didn’t realize what it was until I started knitting.  This is my first time with intarsia and I think it went fairly well.  It’s hard to see because the  color change happens behind the bow (sewn on afterwards), but I didn’t think there were any noticeable gaps or holes in the knitting.  This has given me more confidence in my skills. Now maybe I can try my hand at fair isle! :)

Overall, I would recommend this pattern.  It’s a fun hat for a little girl and has enough challenges to make you feel like you’ve learned something in the end.  :)