Hat in a Weekend The Shinybees Knitting and Yarn Podcast

This week’s episode is inspired by a recent decision I made to try and knit a hat in a weekend. This was partly prompted by a sudden ten degree drop in temperature here (doesn’t a chill in the air make you want to cast on all the things?) and inspired me to look for a nice, easy pattern. The hat is complete, and I’ve also picked out another four potential hat in a weekend patterns for you to take a look at, in case you feel the need to cast on this weekend.
First up is a bit of news, and I’d like to shout out all the people who have emailed or messaged me since episode 134 was released, expressing their delight at me being back behind the mic. It is truly appreciated, so I hope you won’t mind indulging me in saying thanks to them. It is easy to forget that it isn’t just me, sat in a bedroom, talking to no-one; there are literally thousands and thousands of listeners worldwide. I’m very grateful to each and every one of you, even if you only listen to one episode ever. Thank you!
In other news, I was contacted by a listener of the show, @Zencrafter2 on Twitter is undertaking a challenge leading up to her 50th birthday on 7th December 2020. After hearing about the Knit A Square project, she has decided to try and make 500 squares to donate to the project. That’s over 1 a day – amazing! Let’s all encourage her along (or join in if you wish over on Twitter – her handle is @Zencrafter2.
In other news, I’ve had several requests for some stories from here and a bit of armchair travel. As such, in this episode I share my endeavours to learn Mandarin. I’ve always (up until now) been quite good at languages – or Germanic languages, anyway. Chinese is proving to be a bit more challenging than either of those. I struggle to hear the tones of the language, which is a pretty fundamental part of being able to understand and speak it. There are four tones and two of them sound the same to me, which makes me worry about saying a word and getting the tone wrong and actually saying something rude by mistake! I’ve learned how to say ‘steamed bun’ and can order beer and soda water, but otherwise my vocabulary is limited to words associated with yoga (more on that in another episode) and some very specific work-related words that will be of no use to me in everyday conversations. I am really keen to be able to talk to people here (who are extremely friendly) as well as generally understand what is going on. I would imagine this is what illiteracy is like, as I can’t read Chinese either. It’s hard, but I am determined to be better and not just do the lazy English speaker thing.
I’ve picked out 5 pattern suggestions for knitting a hat in a weekend. These are in thicker yarns with straightforward patterns for maximum speed and satisfaction. Tag me with your projects if you decide to get involved with this or hashtag it up with #hatinaweekend. The first pattern is the one I have knitted, Classic Beanie by Woolly Wormhead. I interviewed Woolly in Episode 61 and encourage you to listen to it. I chose this pattern as I really liked the way the ribs herringboned together as they reached the crown. It’s a free pattern for worsted weight yarn on 4.5mm needles, with multiple sizes. I’m knitting it in Morris & Co Empire 10 ply in the colourway Absinthe. You can download it from Ravelry here. The next suggestion is the Classic Cuffed Hat by Purl Soho. Again, this is a free pattern for a basic worsted weight beanie, the classic design with a bobble on top. It’s really straightforward no-thinking-required knitting and the simple pattern allows for lots of playing around with yarns. Most dye styles will work with this pattern. You can find the pattern here. Swirlwind by Nicole Vanderlee is a worsted weight toque with a ribbed brim and a swirling slipped stitch pattern on the body. It’s a padi pattern at CAN $6.00 and is available from Ravelry. This pattern affords some experimentation room in terms of yarns; i