The Genghis Kahn hat

That's not the name given to the pattern in Hip Knit Hats, Cathy Carron's book of forty hats. It's actually Ella but I think the pointed top and the fuzzy, soft multi-color yarn gives the hat an exotic but still rustic look. Well, that's what I kept thinking while I was working on this hat.

It's my first project using entrelac. I've taught entrelac but have never actually made anything with it. In the book all the photos show the hat in a solid color. I wanted to use that skein of Noro Big Kureyon and I thought the entrelac would be more obvious. Too bad the colors look so washed out. They are soft but they're a bit more intense that what you see here.

There are a couple of things I would change if I were to knit this pattern again. The wrapped cast-on is too bulky so the hat is more pointed than I wanted. If you like the exotic look it's fine though. And there are only six increases per round (the hat is knit top down as are most of the hats in this book) and I think that makes for too much of a cone shape. Maybe you like the cone shape. So I'd probably recalculate and have increases at eight points which I think would make more of a dome shape.

Anyway, the specs:

1 skein Big Kureyon color number 5, 120 meters/130 yards (I had about 3 yards left.)
1 set size 7mm/10.5US dpns and 1 24" circ in the same size.
Started and finished February 6, 2008.

I still need to weave in the ends but I'm waiting for Lisa to try it on and to see if she thinks she would ever wear it. If it doesn't fit or if she can't see herself wearing it, I will recycle the yarn into a different hat.