sittin’ on the swing wearin’ a spankin’ new BUP on a face only a mother could love – wait a minute – my mom took this picture!!!
What I did on My Summer Spring Vacation…
Vacation means that I have a little time in the middle of the normal *working* day to fiddle with some fun stuff…
This is a BUP that I made from some Lion Brand Cotton Ease in Traffic Cone Orange. I figure I can wear it to work and it might protect me from oncoming cars since they WON’T BE ABLE TO MISS ME!
I haven’t had time to experiment with very many cotton yarns using this pattern but here’s some stuff I’ve learned while rockin’ in the misty pines…
1. Not all cotton yarns are created equal – it’s good to read the yarn band to see what the manufacturer’s recommended gauge is. Remember this pattern is for a worsted weight, not Aran weight (the original Bucket-O-Chic works well for that) and choose accordingly. The gauge you are looking for is 20 sts / 28 rows over 4″.
Sugar’n’Cream is too heavy for this pattern and will hurt your hands and make a larger hat than you wish. Cotton Ease is more lightweight and can be knitted up at the smaller gauge. The only way to tell????
2. Swatch, baby. I used Cotton Ease and #6 needles for this BUP. I love it! I have some aqua, navy and yellow to try out as well. I traded a co-worker a bup for a cool shirt and needed to try this out before I made a yellow one for her.
3. For a brim that really stands away from the body of the hat (and it seems that cotton/blends can be kindof floppinzee), slip stitch the last two purl rounds together – this is the round that is closest to the body of the hat and made with a single strand of yarn and the last round that is made with doubled yarn.
4. The hat I made and wore at the MDS&W is out of off-white perl cotton – it really stretched out so I made a chain-stitch crocheted tie and wove it in every other stitch close to the brim, then tied it. It makes a nice decorative accent…
5. Be sure to try on your hat to make sure it is tall enough for you before you start the crown shaping – I ended up making my cotton bup a little higher than my wool version – this one measures 3.5″ high.
…all photos & graphics
Two things:
1. Could you explain #3? What do you mean by slip stitching the rows together. It’s very early out here on the west coast and I am not getting it.
2. I will be in Chi-town for a conference next week and will try to join you at Thursday night KIP. I am staying downtown so it should be do-able.
Could you explain it here? (No fair waitin’ till you see Ellen.)I can think of a few versions of what you are suggesting, but I bet your vacationing brain is much much better rested than mine.
Swatch, did you say? Um, yeah. I just finished a Very Red bucket in Sugar ‘n’ Cream – I’d never used the stuff before & wanted to try it out. And yes, the hat’s a bit looser than I usually wear ’em and knitting the brim was HELL on my hands, but it holds its shape very nicely, with no blocking. Overall, I’m very pleased with it, but the second one will definitely be Cotton-Ease or TLC.
And please share the secret of slip-stitching rounds!
To slip stitch: After the hat is finished and all ends are woven in, thread a large-eyed needle with yarn. Knot the yarn strand to the wrong side and poke through the finished work to bring it up to the right side near a top round loop. Put needle under one top loop of the top round, then under the corresponding loop of the bottom round. Pull tight. Repeat across until all loops are stitched together.
Hey, I have that yarn! Now I need to get my PayPal account going again and get the pattern. Love the hat, and I want to duplicate it! (I really like orange.)
Did you know that you’re quoted in the Spring/Summer 2004 Rowan newsletter? Go see!
WOOT! Is that Rowan Newsletter online anywhere?
Wow, that looks swell. Maybe I’ll have enough leftovers to make a BUP to match my Sitcom Chic that I finally started on the weekend. then again, I was planning to use leftovers in a striped ChicKami so I’d have a ChicKnits twinset!
Thanks for posting this yarn. I am new to reading your blog and bought this pattern and I tried the Manos new cotton stria and it is the floppiest Bucket ever but so soft.
Hmmm, you are right about it being tough on your hands, but I am on my third sugar’n cream hat in the past two weeks. I like the way they turn out. If you can get past the whole hand thing it’s not bad.
Wonderful hat (such a cute face you have) and great tips. Thanks for sharing. I used Sugar Babies for my first BUP and am really happy with how the hat came out. I’m using Plassard Grand Large (variegated) for the next one. I have a whole mini stash set aside for a bunch of warm warmer buckets!
Thanks for the tips, as a newbie I was lost on that slip stitch thing. I am on my 2nd BUP with Aunt Lydia’s Denim yarn..I will try the cotton ease though. I thought about starching the brim a bit to make it stiff–is that too crazy?
I just finished my second BUP (for the fluffa! knitalong) and did mine in Sugar’n’Cream as well. I had no trouble with the sizing (but then, I was looking for something a bit looser anyway) though it was pretty hard on my hands doing the brim. Also, as someone else mentioned, it has kept its shape really well. Just wanted to cast my vote for it. -_^