Fix it Friday!

So I had this hat -->
You might remember it. I knit it to match my Whistler sweater.

The problem was I wanted it to be for very cold days. Blustery days. Those bad winter days when, if I'm outside, I need to feel that I am prepared and well-protected.

But this hat, despite being stranded and therefore twice as thick, didn't stop the wind. It did a lot, but not enough.

Before our trip to the Great White North, I wanted a hat to withstand it all.

Fortunately, since I knit this hat I had learned some new skills. Because at the time, my solution would have been to knit a liner--a second layer that would nest inside the one that's already there. I had a lovely gold alpaca silk blend that I thought would do nicely. But I doubted it could really stop the wind.

And then I made a Subway hat. And then made two versions for Troy, and let me tell you, felted cashmere takes no guff from winter winds. So the solution presented itself and a deadline was fast approaching.

First thing--take off the tassle by removing the safety pin holding it on:

(I was never really sold on the tassle, so I didn't want to permanently attach it. A nice time saver here!)

Then cut a piece out of a felted sweater to fit:

Note that the fabric is doubled (folded on the left side).

In my other linings I did a double seam on the top (an X shape) to more closely approximate a sphere. But this stuff stretches, so this time I just did one rounded seam. Easy.

Previously, I sewed the side and top seam first and inserted the lining so that the seam wouldn't show. (It was between the layers.) but I had been having trouble getting it the right size...usually too big, and then it would be too much trouble to undo it all to fix it. So this time I didn't worry about the seam, and you can see it from the inside of the hat. Too bad; so sad.

So, in this case, I sewed it to the hat along the bottom first:

Don't pull very tight or it won't stretch over your head (but you knew that).

Then I did a very basic whip stitch up the side and over the top to hold the two pieces together:

Not the prettiest, but it will work! (I lucked out and the seam on the lining lined up with the back of the hat! I hadn't paid any attention to it, but it worked out anyway.)

And presto! a lined hat:

And of course for the final touch, pin the tassels back on:

And the last final touch, take a picture in front of a mountain:

Guess what. That was a very, very cold day, and my head wasn't. Where's the "like" button?