Nuts to You -- A Squirrelly Lesson in Design

I started playing with this design about a month ago and have blogged about the process here. There are things that I don't like about the hat, but I really learned a lot in the process and this hat will make me a better designer in the long run.

Things that turned out well:

I am really happy with the colors. The graduation in the three light colors from pale yellow to a golden tan works nicely in the corrugated ribbed band.

I love the way the circle of acorns turned out at the top of the hat.

The triangular motif that I pulled out of Alice Starmore's book sets off both the ribbing and circle of acorns. I am so glad that I did them as mirror images to each other.

Things that I could have done better:

Although I do like the squirrels -- the design is way too big for the hat. I am not sure I could make this any smaller for this style. Believe me I cut a lot out of the design. This is something that should go on a sweater.

The ribbing would have been better if it was narrower and done with a smaller needle. In fact the entire hat could have been done with a smaller needle.

Back to the drawing board.

Happy designing.