Caroline....The Amazing Amanda Hat Knitter!

If you can believe it, my wonderful friend Caroline has knit...count'em....8 AMANDA HATS!!

Every time we'd get together for knitting, Caroline would look at me with a slightly shy (and sweetly guilty-ish) look and say something like, "You know, Gina, I'm starting another Amanda Hat." And I would always be so surprised and excited! (After the 5th hat, I was less suprised, but just as excited.) Wow! Each "confession" prompted me to ask...."So, what yarn are you using??" and she'd take out some beautiful skein of yarn that was either perfect for her complexion/hair or perfect for someone else in the group...who'd immediately say, "Ooh, let ME try it on!"

I've had a number of knitters make 2 and 3 hats, but no single person has made more than that...except for Caroline. With that in mind, I decided to crack open Caroline's brain and feast on the gooey insides....oh, wait...I mean, gently probe into Caroline's brain and investigate her Amanda Hat Obsession (which I am totally in approval of).


(Caroline with Amanda and all the hats that were made so far)

Here we go!

1. So, Caroline, what made you knit this many Amanda Hats? I made the first one because I loved the one you brought to Grand View weekend, and was impressed by the way it looked good on everyone. I was working on a long term project at the same time, and it felt so good to finish something that I thought I would like to do another. I started thinking about all the yarn options for the hat and just decided to use a different yarn each time. I had no idea that I would do this many.

2. If you didn't know me or Amanda, do you think you still would've knit the pattern this many times? I hate to admit it, but I might not have made one at all! I would probably have saved the pattern to my file of "I like this but don't have the nerve to make it" patterns. But you were so encouraging and put the pattern right in my hand. If I had made the one, without knowing you or Amanda, I might have stopped at 2 or 3. It was fun to keep bringing another hat in to knitting.

3. Not many people know that you used a different yarn for each hat. Which yarn that you used was the most enjoyable to knit with? The best was the last, Malabrigo! Dream In Color was a close second.

4. Which yarn knitted up the prettiest hat? I think, maybe, the Patons SWS or the Lorna's Laces.

5. Which hat is your favorite and why? That one is a lot harder to answer. The Malabrigo, for its color and softness and the fact that my technique was so much better than in my earlier hats. Or the Manos, for its awesome color, even though its tension was all over the place.

6. What will you do with all these hats?? I'll keep at least one and gift the others.

7. Did you change your needle size for any of the hats?> No, I'm too much of a rigid instruction-follower. You said 9's so I used 9's. I will make this hat again someday and I might try changing needles then. I would like to make the hat in both larger and smaller sizes.

8. Was there anything you would change about the pattern? Not a thing!

9. How many people have you "converted" to "Do-ing" Amanda? Definitely my mother and my sister, Kathleen (well, I don't know how much credit I get for Kathleen). Through my mother, a handful of women down in Key West (do I get any credit for secondary conversions?). And I "pattern-dropped" in a couple yarn stores and in Borders, but I don't know if those took root.

10. Will you be submitting a unique and crazy photo for the last hat entry for the Gallery/Contest? I've got a pose in mind, I just have to have someone take the picture.

Caroline, I am so thrilled that you loved the pattern and the hats and thank you so much for taking time out of your hat knitting (ha ha) to answer all my questions. It's been such a treat to see all of your hats and the choices that you've picked for yarns. You are an Amanda Hat Inspiration!!

Please check out Caroline's blog post, I Will Not Be a Guppy!, for a deeper look inside Caroline's brain...it's a really good post ; )

Now...onto my FAVORITE AMANDA HAT PICS!!!! (remember, I won't be the one judging...only Amanda is..so I can be as prejudiced to my friends as I want...he he)

Jackie's Hat with Her Sweet Girl


Marion's Hat (Caroline's mom)


Elizabeth and Mom's Hat


Melissa from Minnesota's Hat


Donna B's Hat


Laurie from Salem, MA's Lime Set


I have some prizes picked out, but waiting on a few, so I thought I would wait until they are all together before taking pics. But, there will be at least a couple skeins of Malabrigo yarn, stitch markers, fancy knitting needles and other skeins of yarn (as well as goodies...that means chocolate) for the winners.

There's still time for more hats and if you know anyone who has knitted an Amanda Hat and hasn't emailed their pics/info to me, make sure to tell them ASAP!

And, again, you can check out the Amanda Hat Gallery anytime you want : )

Comment with what hats (or pics) are YOUR favorites!