I Couldn't Stop at One

Starry, Starry Night Chullo

I have to say that I love this pattern. Not only is the Southern Lights pattern one of the cutest hats I have ever seen; it is one of the easiest that I have ever knit. Add to that the wonderful colors of Noro Hitsuji and it is hard to knit just one.

My beautiful daughter, Jacklyn, who is home for a visit from college, took one look at my South Bound Chullo II and requested that I make her one, too! She picked the yarn on a quick trip to my LYS, Wool and Co. Of course, I told her to pick one of the available colors in Noro's Hitsuji variety. So here is my third version of this hat -- Starry, Starry Night Chullo.

Urban Hunter

I did a couple of modifications to the pattern at Jacklyn's request. She wanted it to come lower on the back of her neck. I could have knitted something more like the Urban Hunter -- also a cool looking hat -- but I did not what to loose the ear-flap look and she loved the "braids", so I knitted the ear flaps only to the point where each had 20 stitches. I then connected them with the pattern directed 8 backward loop cast on stitches and knitted for about an inch back and forth before finally connecting the front of the ear flaps and knitting in the round.

As for the braids she wanted them longer so I knitted the i-cord a total of 20 inches before starting the ear flaps. For what ever reason, she did not want the pom pom on the top of the hat either. But that really was good, as I had only a few inches of yarn left.

Fun with Chullos?

LESSON LEARNED: When completed, her hat does not come down quite as long as she would have liked. I think that when I make the next one, I will want to buy two skeins of yarn. My gauge was good on the stitches, but somewhat shorter on the rows, I didn't worry too much as I knitted up the required number of inches before starting the decreases. HOWEVER, the error in my calculations did not consider that my smaller gauge would make a smaller "circle" in the crown, thereby bringing the sides up higher to the tune of about an inch. What I should have done was to knit an extra inch or so to make up for that loss in the center. Like I said -- lesson learned.

South Bound Chullo II

By the way, South Bound Chullo was lost only two weeks after I finished it and I recreated it with South Bound Chullo II. All in all, this is a pattern I will do again and again -- especially if I keep loosing them!

Happy knitting!