Monday, November 07, 2011

Horatio Hornbobber

Horatio by Knitting Kninja in Malabrigo Vaa
Of one of the pure joys of fall is being able to fire up the hat assembly line and crank out hats in pure Fordist fashion. Nothing is more exciting to this knitter than making hats. Sweaters are fine and dandy but oh when you have a lot of real estate to cover they're decidedly less exciting--can I get an amen from the XLs among you? Scarves start with a bang and invariably lost their luster when it's clear you're in it for the long haul. Mittens and socks are fun and games until you have to replicate the whole thing--suddenly not so fun! But the hat is a perfect project, from start to finish. No time to fizzle out, you are just going great guns from start to finish.
Horatio by Knitting Kninja in Malabrigo Vaa
The Specs
Pattern: Horatio by Knitting Kninja (Kristen Hanley Cardozo)
Size: Adult M/L
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted Merino in "Vaa", .85 of a skein
Needles: size 7
Modifications: None except accidentally doing slightly more on the brim that was called for in the pattern. Oops!
Horatio by Knitting Kninja in Malabrigo Vaa
I have pure, unbridled enthusiasm for this pattern. Is saw Kristen post it on Flickr and was immediately hot to trot for it. I shamelessly asked when the pattern would be ready because I was dying to make it and luck would have it, it was ready earlier than expected. I am leading such a charmed life.
Horatio by Knitting Kninja in Malabrigo Vaa
The pattern is loads of fun because it's composed of the semaphore stitch which keeps a potential stockinette snoozefest interesting and visually appealing. The Malabrigo knit-up on a 7 gives such a nice, tight gauge. This hat is going to be a warm one, folks.
Horatio by Knitting Kninja in Malabrigo Vaa
I have dubbed my particular version of this hat Horatio Hornbobber to fit the individual you see pictured here. Similar to the Little Girl with a Curl, when he is good he is very, very good but when he is bad, he is...a hornbobber! This is term that we have invented amongst ourselves and are trying to have gain traction and become a term for general usage. To hornbob is to ceaselessly complain, belly ache and generally grouse about insignificant details that one has inevitably blown out of proportion. It is a behavior that does not endear the hornbobber to those around him. The individual you see pictured here is the person most likely to hornbob in our household, hence the masculine pronoun in the previous sentence. This photo shoot was done post-hornbobbing fit, the topic of which I honestly can't recall, but it is likely that the complaints involved the number of lip balms owned by your truly, the mounting number of yogurts in the fridge and their impending expiration dates of doom, or some other matter of great import. I'm sure you might know a few hornbobbers, please do not hesitate to categorize them as such and let them know of their horrid hornbobbing ways. Hornbobbing will only be tolerated in small amounts!

16 comments:

Bonnie said...

Gorgeous! The pattern is lovely, and the yarn color is really, really stunning.

mooncalf said...

AMEN TO THAT!

Hats are the perfect knitting project. Everything you say about them is totally true. They're the pinnacle of knitting fun.

Three cheers for hats!!!

kmkat said...

Happily there are virtually no hornbobbers in my life, but I shall remember that term and use it if necessary. Great hat!

lauren said...

I so hear you on the thrill factor of hats. I was just thinking about Christmas last night and hats seem like a really great option. Also - I totally LOLed at your "real estate" crack.

Jodi said...

Terrific hat in a gorgeous colorway!

Oh, hornbobbing... I'm a hornbobber myself, though I try to squelch it.

I hear you on the XL sweaters. Such a long slog...

Audry said...

I'm am all for hats. It's all about the instant gratification. I love making hats so much that I had to start finding recipients for them. It wasn't any good to have a pile of hats sitting around, unused.

Of course now there is another pattern to try out. Your hat looks great with your yarn choice.

Anonymous said...

AMEN!

kate said...

I'm not quite ALL THE HATS as you, but my needles have been churning out non-stop accessories lately. Hats! Cowls! Shawls! It's not a want. It's a need.

Sarah said...

Heh. Hornbobber.

Also, that is quite the handsome hat.

Sarah said...

Great combination of yarn and pattern! And thanks for the new vocabulary word! I think it could be used to describe a certain toddler in my house.

Brendaknits said...

I love knitting hats too. But this year for some reason I am onto scarves.

GinkgoKnits said...

As a fellow hat addict, I love finding out what fun, new pattern you've knit up. I have more hats than I could ever use .(I live in California and never wore them before I started knitting.) Hats are also my solution to when I just can't resist one skein of yarn in a luxurious but expensive fiber blend or a stunning color that I'd normally never wear. Hats are one thing I never hornbob about!

nicole said...

BAHAHAHHA Hornbobber! YES, amen to THAT! It's definitely going in my glossary of useful expressions. I can I just say that a girl can never have too many lip balms?

Great hat. Hope it buttoned Horatio up at least for a little bit.

maria said...

oh heavens..this post has my bellyaching laughing...thanks for the knitting inspiration and the wonderful words(as always!)..
ps; i am married to the king hornbobber!

earthchick said...

#1 - I wish I had read this on Monday, when you posted it, because it would've been a great way to start my week. I LOVE READING ADDKNITTER POSTS. They never fail to brighten my mood.

#2 - I read it on Friday, so it was a great way to end my week instead!

#3 - That is a very handsome hat and I just might need to whip one up for My Old Man. Though he might fall over dead if he received two handknits from me in one year. Must pace myself, and also not raise his expectations too much.

#4 - You know I have a deep love of your awesome made-up word Hornbobber.

#5 - I will confess that I am probably the biggest Hornbobber in my house. Sadly for the rest of my crew, they must tolerate it in whatever amounts I choose to dole out. Because I am also the Queen Bee! Queen Bee Hornbobber, that's me!*


*please to note, I do not hornbob about such trivial matters as someone owning too many lip balms (IMPOSSIBLE, I tell you!) or the number of yogurts in the fridge. I save my rage for things that matter! Like Plymouth Tweed being discontinued, people leaving their shoes in the middle of the floor, duplicate items being brought to school parties, men not trimming their eyebrows, etc.

Unknown said...

I absolutely loved reading this post! You are such a talented writer and thank you for the 'laugh-out-loud' moment!! The Hornbobber hat is lovely, as is the new term I will employ. Thank you!