Joseph's Hat and Gratification

Our neighbour, Joseph, helps us out by looking after our cat and house while we're away. The other day he asked me if I could knit him a hat with his Twitter name on it. He had a colour scheme in mind which made it very easy for me to design the hat and select the yarn. I used Cascade 220 Superwash and only needed a few metres for the lettering so used some red acrylic yarn that was a wee bit thicker than the Cascade 220. The hat is completely washable.

I used Heather Kinne's Lined Beanie pattern and my knitting software to design the lettering. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.
It has a knitted lining that gives the ears a double thickness of warmth. Basically I knit 1" of K2, P2 ribbing, then stocking stitch for about 6.5". Then a purl row which is the folding line to tuck the lining inside. Then 4 rows of stocking stitch, two rows of red, three rows of black then the lettering, three more rows of black, two rows of red and then more stocking stitch to the crown (approx. 7.5"). I then did the decreases and was left with 14 sts which I could have either pulled together to close the hole on the top. Instead, to achieve a flatter top, I grafted the sts closed.
On Joseph's request, I did tack the lining down inside. This also covers the stranding of the lettering so there really is no need to weave in the strands. It should be warm and toasty for the winter.

I think he really likes it.
I also welcomed the break from knitting the wedding socks, although I've just turned the heel on the 2nd sock and could be finished it tonight.

Joseph posted a photo of the hat on Facebook and almost instantly had a friend request if I would do one for him. I contacted the friend and we're negotiating.

I love knitting for people who appreciate it. :-)