Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Vivat Victoria Regina Imperatrix Cuniculorum


Imperialist Bunny Hat, Completed.
Originally uploaded by panopticon.

The Imperialist Bunny Hat is finished.

I somehow feel as though Elgar should be playing under this photo, don't you?

Embroidering the face was fun, once I came to understand that yarn does not behave exactly like floss.

It took me two tries to get the left eye to lie properly flat, and two tries to make a second eye that matched the first to my satisfaction.

The yearning, goggle-eyed expression is jarringly similar to that which appears on my face when I'm standing in front of the Leica display cabinet at Calumet Camera.

Pattern Erratum

The pattern for this hat, to be found in Stitch 'n' Bitch Nation, is delicious to knit and I recommend it. However it does contain one small error.

See how the headband bulges out in front? The pattern directs one to purl all those stitches. The idea (judging from the photographs) is to create a flat garter stitch border that grows seamlessly from the garter stitch flaps on the back of the hat. To this end, the pattern instructs one to purl all these stitches.

I was four rows into the headband before it occurred to me that when knitting in the round, purling all stitches doesn't give one garter stitch, it gives one reverse stockinette, which curls inward.

Oh, fudge.

I was feeling very stupid about this until I remembered St. Elizabeth Zimmerman's dictum, "It's not a mistake if you know how you did it."

And ultimately I've decided I liked the curled headband so much better than the flat that I'm doing the matching Little White Bear Hat the same way.

I have to cut this short, but do drop in later if you want to find out why it looks like Cher has been hanging around on my sofa.

13 comments:

Unknown said...

I would have enjoyed seeing the hat on Keith Richards. With his little voodoo hair charms hanging out. Yes indeedy. He's MY main man. But the hat is brilliant. I mean, there's whimsy and then there's whimsy. Mama like.

To answer your Middlemarch question, I never read Romola. Can't quite see Eliot doing Italian. And Elgar is one of my favorite composers.

goblinbox said...

I think the hat is adorable. And it is true that thing about mistakes.

Cher? Sofa? What! *goes away sputtering at the cliffhanger...*

Anonymous said...

Intriguing (about Cher)...

As for mistakes, you could also call it a 'design innovation'.

Anonymous said...

I'm no fan of either the Stitch'n'Bitch (partly because of the 'n' affectation) or of Debbie Stoller, but your photo of your hat on Victoria Regina just charms me.
I am pleased I'll be meeting you at Rhinebeck (and maybe next year Jon).

Rabbitch said...

Man, that hat is tempting. Three of them; we can go out as a family ...

They're going to take my child away from me one day, aren't they?

goblinbox said...

It's 3:30. Where's that Cher/couch update? It's 3:31!

dragon knitter said...

(chants) cher on the couch, cher on the couch! ok, the hat is cute, but it looks sad. you made a sad bunny. awwwwwwwww.

birdfarm said...

"The yearning, goggle-eyed expression is jarringly similar to that which appears on my face when I'm standing in front of the Leica display cabinet at Calumet Camera."

This had me laughing out loud--very loud, actually, garnering a query from Loopy.

In re Rabbitch... "We can go out as a family." This is sick, but I took "go out" as in "go out with a bang," i.e., go out of existence. I inadvertently imagined three suicide bombers in bunny hats. OK, I said it was sick, so shoot me.

Good thing I don't have any kids to be taken away from me!

Anonymous said...

I designed that hat, and was frustrated by the pattern editing they did -- my instructions were verbose indeed, but I think clearer in the end. Your hat looks fab!!! Congrats!

Anonymous said...

Thank you admin
Film İzle
Dantel Dünyası
El Becerileri
Dantel

Gejala Penyakit said...

As for mistakes, you could also call it a 'design innovation'.

Download Aplikasi Facebook | Paket Internet Axis | Harga Galaxy Infinite | Gejala Asam Urat | Gejala Diabetes Melitus | Gejala Usus Buntu | Gejala Penyakit Tipes | Gejala Penyakit Sinusitis | 12 Kerusakan Hardware Laptop | Cara Memperbaiki Lampu BackLight Laptop | Cara Memperbaiki WMP Windows | Cara Memperbaiki Hardisk Bad Sector | Cara Memperbaiki Blue Screen Windows Errors

blog remaja indonesia said...

andalangue menyediakan macam kata kata diantaranya , kata kata cinta , kata kata galau , status fb romantis , gambar dp bbm cinta , jasa fotocopy murah , dugem house musik nonstop remix yang sengaja dihadirkan untuk para pembaca setia Blog Remaja Indonesia.

kata kata mutiara said...

Nice knittin', mister!