Blimmin Cool Bucket Hat

Clearly I am in denial that summer is over. I have left it to the last minute to make myself a sunhat.



Pattern: A Better Bucket by Amy Swenson
From: Make One Yarn Studio
Yarn: Flair Ombre Peaches and Creme 100% Cotton 1.75 skeins
Needles: 4mm 30cm Addi Turbo and DPNs
See it on Ravelry


Love this pattern. Quick and easy and it's a nice shape.



The pattern is for worsted weight yarn and 4.5mm needles. Since I was making this with cotton which has, in my experience, the awful tendency to stretch to high heaven, I used 4mm needles. Initially I was worried it come out too small but actually the FO is not too small at all, even a little big. 4.5mm would have made a huge hat for me.

My only modification was to avoid the provisional cast on and I cast on normally. Instead of following the pattern suggestion to sew up the brim I picked up the CO stitches and K2tog as I went. Big mistake. Somehow I didn't pick up evenly round and was left with too many CO stitches. So there is a small overlapping bit on the underside of the brim. Which isn't that noticeable I guess but I am disappointed in myself for not following the pattern (when will I learn??!!) and for being in an impatient mood to finish and not frogging that row (when will I learn??!!) and redoing.

My only disappointment....love love love it otherwise. If I was to do over I would do 6 inches (not 6.5) from the brim and either do the PCO or sew up the brim at the end.

The cotton I used is from the US. A friend ran a mini co-op and I couldn't resist getting a few balls. The colour selection is amazing. Despite the claim on the label to be 'the softest 100% cotton' it is NOT easy on the hands and was akin to knitting rope. Its aran weight so quite thick and sturdy. It would make excellent dishcloths which is what I will probably do with the rest of the balls I got, or maybe a string bag. I think in the US it's pretty cheap and available from Wal-Mart and the like. There is nothing like this in NZ and at my local less than adequate yarn store there is only one cotton and it is $7/ball!! I wish I had got some more colours now. Maybe next time .



This colourway is the "Flair" ombre. I am a sucker for purple and green together.

I read somewhere (can't remember if it was on a blog, or Ravelry or somewhere...) that putting stretched out cotton in the clothes dryer can make it shrink back. I tried this yesterday on Baby M's cotton sunhat and Katja which had both stretched horrendously. And....I am pleased to report this works fabulously. They have both just gone back to their original off the needles size, no smaller. Just thought I would share just in case you have a cotton something suffering from stretch-itis too.