Winter Sunrise Hat

I did it~  I finally learned to knit fair isle (or stranded, color work, which ever you prefer).  I'm in love!  This brings knitting into a whole new light!  Being able to work with two colors at once, holding one in each had, is so much fun.  Watching a pattern form row upon row is so exciting and I just kept wanting to complete one more row to see how it would look, which makes for a very hard project to put down.

I signed up to take a class at a yarn store (Cozy)  in Durham to learn how to do this type of knitting.  Even though I had watched several videos, read lots of books and articles on it, I wasn't confident in my skills to try it on my own.  Plus, I had never taken a knitting class and figured this was as good of time as any to scratch that off my bucket list.
For the lining, I knit approximately 2" in the green, or until I was out of yarn.  Completing the decreases for the top was a slight challenge for me, but I think it stemmed from incorrectly reading the pattern.  Once I worked that out, it went along without any more problems.  
So, although it is far from perfect, I learned so much from this project... like how to read a pattern, how to knit a lining, how to make a provisional cast on, how to hold the yarn in my right hand, and most importantly how to knit a fair isle project.  In the end.... I'm officially addicted!

Raverly Link
Pattern - Winter Sunrise Hat by Elinor Brown, found here for free.
Needles - Knitpicks, nickle plated, 16" circulars, size 5
Yarn - Cascade 220 Sport Superwash, in Gray and Lake Chalean Heather
Date Started - November 9, 2010
Date Finished - November 22, 2010

Comments - It ended up being slightly on the small side.  It still fits okay though, but if I were to make this again, I might do a few extra rows at the first to add a little length to cover my ears better. I also changed the crosses so that every row had a gray stitch in the center.