Hattitude: Knits for Every Mood [Paperback]

 

 

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Wow at first sight.
First, it's for hat lovers, or those who knit a lot of hats for hat lovers.
And, if you're new to knitting (or hat knitting), it may overwhelm...
Not saying these are difficult, as they're not - but I wouldn't knit my first hat from this book. (Although, it could provide inspiration to get you knitting a couple of basic hats, and motivate you to try cables, and a few stitch patterns (scarves are wonderful for that - for learning new stitches and stitch patterns - forgiving and no gauge issues) before you tackle some of these.)

OK, the cover says it all - every hat on the cover is in the book - 40 in all (the cover shows 42 photos, but 2 are repeats).
2 of these are very wide headbands that don't quite cover the crown, but fun and interesting and worthwhile, and on my list.
And there is 1 that is more of a triangular scarf that's tied in back (kerchief), but the rest are hats (cap, beret, cloche, bonnet, earmuff, beanie, toque, pillbox, helmet, tam).

Lots of eye-candy and even more inspiration.
For instance, "haughty" has you knitting a tube at the crown (rather than binding off), and then it's threaded thru a buckle and sewn to the hat - wear it with that detail on either side, or front or back - that's up to you.
"theatrical" is an asymmetrical beret that uses size 9 needles - and "aloof" is another beret, but a different pattern, that uses size 2 needles to achieve a softer, floppier look which is less structured than "theatrical".
2 of the patterns are felted (fulled) - "idealistic" and "joyful" - but otherwise completely different from each other.
"SKEPTICAL" is a cap with a visor, and an interesting stitch pattern...
Well, most of these hats are knitted with interesting stitch patterns and/or interesting yarns (meaning weight and texture and colors) to achieve the various looks.
"flirtatious" uses "paillettes with large holes", but it could be altered for beads or buttons.
"high-spirited" is an interesting cap knitted in seed stitch, with an opening in the back for a ponytail.
Yes, I love those hats and more.

No, not every hat in this book is for me (or anyone I currently knit for - like "rebellious" and "austere" - altho it's possible that one of my nieces may feel differently...).
But, those that I don't plan on knitting are, maybe... 8 to 10, at most...
Well, that still leaves 30 that I plan to have fun with !

One thing that you may find relevant - I am not a knitter who has to have the yarn that is given in the pattern... nope, not me. I use yarns that I choose... so, it may change the appearance, but that's my choice... I pick a hat that I like and then adjust gauge/pattern accordingly.
But, the yarns and their details and gauges are given (classic elite, plymouth, patons, tahki-stacey charles, blue sky, berroco, rowan, lion brand, etc) - fairly standard, and therefore should be easily obtainable (in my opinion - of course we know that yarns and colors etc are always changing).

I have several hat books, but this is the first one to really excite me - the first one to have so many choices and so much inspiration !
I hope my take on this book helps you make your decision (frankly, if you're a hat person, and don't like this book, I look forward to hearing why...).
I have no affiliation with this, or any other book - just my opinions.

Yes the hats on this book are all photographed on the cover page. And the other reviewer does a very good job of describing them.

I will simply add my opinion to say that there are a few reprints in this book, I can remember at least two patterns that have graced the pages of Vogue Knitting in the couple past years. The angora hat and the fedora hat come to mind. (I think they might even have been in the same issue, or at least very close to one another). The turquoise slouch hat was also published before, but I can't remember where exactly. Just make sure you're not buying this book for a pattern you already own.

There is a good selection of different yarns in this book, and also a different sampling of techniques. This should keep knitters of different persuasions happy, as there isn't one type of technique that overwhelms the others in my opinion.

As to whether the hats are well designed and good looking, I think there's a bunch of really good looking hats. There's a few patterns way too vintage or oddball for them to be wearable for all but the most eccentric people. But again, it is hard to complain because the patterns are numerous, the variety of styles almost guarantees any knitter will find an original idea they can live with. Also, seeing all of the variations helps spark ideas as well for concocting your own creation.

Lots of variety but I guess I'm not "out there" enough to actually wear some of these hats.

I was hoping for some hats that would be good for Canadian winters... but very disappointed.

Plan to donate this book to a library.

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