I finished a new knit last week all in the name of good, old-fashioned swapping. This squishy goodness was knit for my knitting-group friend Joanna. She is the knitting group's resident needle crafter, hand-stitching designs on paper to create some really awesome greeting and holiday cards. So of course when she asked if anyone in the group would be willing to exchange some hand knits for cards, I jumped at the chance. Literally. I shouted, "ME!" Her request was a nice slouchy hat to go with her black leather jacket (she's so cool). I was a little worried because Joanna has a smaller head circumference than I do so I was going to have to pray to the knitting gauge gods and hope things turned out alright. Thanks to all the garter stitch in this pattern, the brim is super stretchy and not only does it fit her little noggin well, it actually fits mine pretty good too (because you know I tried it on before I gave it away). Since the pattern calls for a DK weight yarn and we had decided on the Polar Morn colorway of Malabrigo worsted, I cast on fewer stitches on a slightly larger needle than called for. After the brim, I knit the hat the length called for (9") before starting decreases. I had more than enough yarn, with a tiny ball leftover. Because of the in-the-round garter stitch, there is a jog where you switch from knit to purl but I actually don't mind it. It looks more like a seam to me than a messy switch so I didn't freak out about it. I gave the hat to Joanna at knitting last night and was happy to get a couple quick photos of her wearing it. I know I say this a lot but I definitely need one for myself! I have a couple great skeins of DK in my stash that I think would make an awesome hat. Or I might have to break down and buy a skein of Malabrigo. How terrible would that be? You can check out Joanna on her Christmas TV blog or in her Etsy store (if you do, get a look at that squirrel greeting card! So cute!). Pattern: Rikke Hat by Sarah Young Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted in Polar Morn (less than a full skein) Needles: US 5 for brim, US 9 for hat Began: October 27 Completed: October 29 Ravelry Link Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links.