Graham by Jennifer Adams
Project Specs: knit using Cascade Eco-Alpaca on size US 6 and 8 circulars.
Ben has been requesting a new hat for the last month, and he pretty much gave me the exact specs for what he wanted. I think when knitting for a guy this makes life so much easier. Especially a finicky 13 year old. Guys may not always know exactly what they want when it comes to a wearable knit, but they can give you enough descriptive words that you get the picture. Ben used words like "rasta, slouchy, and soft." When I showed him a photo of a true rasta he said, "umm... no, not what I meant." When I showed him some celebrity photos of guys in slouch hats we hit paydirt.
After that it was smooth sailing, and we had a hat 2 days later. I knit Graham in baby alpaca which a great choice for a slouch hat. It drapes so well but also shows good stitch definition. I've knit another in Cascade 220 heathers and it's turned out great as well, it does need a good soak though for it to soften up and drape like alpaca. Another great option is Ultra Alpaca.
Knit using a Reverse Broken Rib stitch this hat is completely reversible. And you can knit it inside out if you prefer knitting every other round to purling them. You just need to reverse the pattern's knit stitches to purl and purl to knit everywhere they are used. It's really a super easy pattern that is quick to knit up for Christmas gifts!
After publishing the pattern I realized I hadn't given the crown decrease numbers for the Adult Large and published an update for the pattern that same day. If you have already downloaded the pattern and your PDF doesn't say GRAHAMrev or GRAHAMv3 you will need to go to your Ravelry library and update your version. It will say "update available" and all you need do is click on this link for it to update automatically. You can then print it.
This is Andy's version knit in Cascade 220 heathers. The stitch definition is a bit more visible because of the color and wool, but it softens nicely when blocked. They love both versions!
Happy Knitting!
