A frigid weather hat - and random dog pictures

 With no snow. Very weird for Michigan this time of year. It was in the low 40s today again and still no snow. We had a bit of the white stuff right after Christmas but it has long since melted.

 But the mild weather is supposed to change starting tonight - tomorrow is supposed to bring temps in the teens and twenties and lake effect snow. By Tuesday we're supposed to have highs in the low teens - Brrrr!

 In light of the weather forecast, I decided to begin a new hat last week. A WARM hat. I wanted one that would quite snug around my ears much like my headbands. So I started out with a cable strip. Using a provisional cast on, I CO 32 sts and worked the cable pattern over the center 24. It was about 4.5" wide and I worked it until 22" long. I then picked up the sts from the beginning and sewed the together using the kitchener stitch. At this stage I essentially had an headband. I then picked up 84 sts around the top of the band and worked a k3, p1 rib for about 4" I then decreased over the course of 6 rnds and ran the ends in. 

With a normal hat, it would be all set to go at this point. But I wanted super warm frigid weather hat! So the next step was to cut a piece of polar fleece to line the inside. I sized it the same as the cable band and sewed the end together to form a band. I then folded the edge of the hat brim around the the fleece band and sewed it in place. It gave me a nice finished edge. I got a little lazy with the top and just whip stitched it in place.

 I wore the hat this afternoon and I think it's just what I was looking for! The cable band backed with fleece is thick and cushy. It also fits snug to my head and comes a little lower on my head than most hats, fully covering my ears.  It ended up being too warm for the 40 degree afternoon, but that's fine because I want it to be warm and snug for a gusty 10 degree day!

And because the morning was so gorgeous, I took the camera along when I took the dogs out to play frisbee

"Would you just throw it already?"

"I have both of them - HA!"

"If I stare long enough..."

"So glad this toy comes with such a handy window"

Happy dogs :-)