Read other entries in this series here as they are available.

Pattern name: #10 Helmet Hat from Vogue Knitting Holiday 2011 (Ravelry link)

Designer: Deborah Newton

Yarn: gray fingering weight alpaca spun at a farm in the Adirondacks that I purchased from a now closed yarn shop in Lake Placid, NY

My Favorite Thing about This Hat: This was my favorite hat for a good five years. I was still a subscriber to Vogue Knitting in 2011, and I instantly fell in love with the earflap design and the very 1930s look of the original pattern, but didn’t have the yarn for it until our vacation to Lake Placid in 2015, where I stumbled upon the local yarn shop (unfortunately now long closed) and discovered the amazing handspun alpaca yarn the owner had purchased from a local farm. 

The alpaca is so soft and cozy and also changes this hat from the “Helmet Hat” of the name into something a little softer. And the unusual shape of the hat happens to fit my head exactly – I did modify it by increasing the bottom band an inch in both front and back, and made the center portion about an inch and a half wider, but the nature of the textured stitches in those sections made that easy to do.

What I’d Change about This Hat: As cozy as the alpaca made the hat, it also meant that as time wore on, the definition of those textured stitches and cables became fuzzier and fuzzier – by the time I stopped wearing it, the hat almost looked felted.

Would I Knit it Again? Yes, although maybe in something that will hold the stitch definition a bit better next time.

This Week’s Charity:

Since its founding in 1980, the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless has been an advocate for people experiencing homelessness in Chicago, providing both direct outreach and support services as well as advocating for legislative and policy solutions.  The Coalition produces an annual estimate on homelessness in Chicago (PDF link) that attempts to identify all forms of homelessness someone may be experiencing – for example, identifying people who may be staying with others rather than sleeping on the street.

Each month, organizers offer outreach at 30 facilities serving families, youth, and adults across Chicago, including programs serving adults in reentry and Spanish-speaking families, youth, and adults. Organizers also outreach to people living on the street in unsheltered communities.  During outreach sessions, CCH staff offer practical information. This includes telling parents about a homeless child’s right to free transportation to school, or informing low-income older youth and adults of eligibility to apply for health care through Medicaid.

Through outreach, CCH involves youth, parents, and single adults in advocacy campaigns that create access and economic opportunities for people living in extreme poverty.

You can support the Chicago Coalition for the Homeless through this link.