Tuesday, March 13, 2012

My second hat, and knitting gets expensive

The pattern for my second hat came from the same magazine as my first and can be seen here on Phildar.fr.

I love the hat, it's so thick and soft, and it kept me warm through the bitter Strasbourg winter. Also, receiving compliments on something you've made yourself feels so much nicer than for something you just picked out in a shop.


I'm only knitting hats, but already I'm finding knitting expensive. I had to buy two pairs of needles for each of the hats (one for the ribbing and another for the rest). Also, as the magazine is produced by Phildar, the patterns call for particular yarns from the shop, which is one of the more expensive yarn stores around.

I know that I only have to buy needles once, but I'm not looking forward to paying €70 for wool once I start knitting bigger projects like jumpers and cardigans!

7 comments:

  1. That hat looks quite cozy and lovely. You did a great job!

    And I figure that if you are spending lots of time on knitting a sweater, buying nice yarn is worth it. Plus it takes a long time to make a sweater, so you don't have to buy yarn for awhile.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the comment, you're definitely right about nice yarn being worth it, I'm just hoping that in time I find a very good value online yarn shop... I checked out your blog, I'd love to make my own patterns like you! and maybe eventually spin my own yarn too :)

      Delete
  2. This hat is SO SO SO cute! Did you write the pattern yourself? I've never seen anything like it before.

    I look at buying needles as an investment :) I buy the KnitPicks interchangeable circulars... then you can just change the cord on them. I use circs for everything.

    Lesley
    http://byporchlight.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! The pattern's from a French knitting magazine by Phildar, and it's not hard at all :) The long stitches are done like a drop stitch, and you knit them every 4 rows.

      I don't own any circular needles yet, I'll make that investment when I start a pattern that calls for them!

      Delete
  3. I love that hat !

    Even if the pattern calls for a specific yarn, you'll see it's possible to find another yarn that has the same gauge. I do that often.
    And it can be cheaper that way.

    I see you only work with Phildar, have you discovered yet Bergère de France? It has lovely yarns too, and personnaly, I prefer them :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I've been to Bergere de France and I prefer their colorful needles (which are cheaper than the Phildar ones too). I picked up a few balls of their Alaska yarn from the bargain bin and didn't like knitting with it as much as Phildar yarns so it's gone back into my stash. I might use it next time I'm starting a project though!

      Delete