Less Talk, More Action

Contrary to all the whispered rumors flying around the men's locker room, I am in fact still knitting. True, there's been little photographic evidence lately. Christmas surprises are taking up most of my time, but by way of introducing variety I also decided to work up a bit of whimsy for my Exceptional Niece Abigail's® first winter.

I'm not a veteran knitter of baby hats, and I don't have Abigail here to try things on, so for sizing I cross-checked seven or eight books and two online sources. I am sure they must all be cahoots to mess with my mind. Abigail's head cannot possibly be as big as they suggest. The bottom of half of her is so tiny and cuddly, but apparently she has a head like a bowling ball.

I know, I know. Babies have big heads. But as big as all that? I'm amazed Susan and Phil don't have to prop her up with two sticks or something.

Anyhow, I made this for my niece's apparently gigantic head.



I'm not the first (hell, I'm not even the twentieth) person to make up a snowman baby hat, but I did try to put some little personal touches into mine.



It's too cold in Maine for even a snowman to cavort in the raw, so I started the fellow off with a handsome red scarf. About halfway up the face, I realized the scarf ought to have a hat, so I knit a hat onto the hat.



A hat on a hat. If you ask me, every well-dressed baby ought to have a touch of the surreal in her wardrobe. If you ask others, it's probably a good thing I have no children of my own.

Around the back, to help keep the neck warm, are the "ends" of the scarf.



All the yarn came out of my stash, thus:

• The red and white are Berroco Ultra Alpaca left over from the Littlest Democrat Sweater.
• The black is the end of a ball of some mystery worsted.
• The mouth* is a scrap of Cleckheaton merino.
• The carrot nose is Lamb's Pride worsted that must have spontaneously generated in my stash cupboard. I cannot for the life of me imagine what I would ever purchase bright orange Lamb's Pride in aid of. I'm quite certain it wasn't a gift. And yet, I have two full skeins of it.

The hat is for Abigail, but it's dedicated to her Grandma Ann. Grandma Ann has enough snowmen in her collection to repopulate a small town, and it was one of these that I saw on my last visit home that inspired the hat.

Alrighty, then. Back to work on the _____ and the _____ for _____ and _____. How's your holiday knitting coming along?

*The mouth was going to be made of coal, too, until I worked the eyes and discovered first-hand what a pain in the gazoo it is to knit bobbles.