Filling the time

Somebody moved the ongoing game of musical chairs onto a roller coaster in the night, but I am persevering with great perseveringness on the whole Christmas Knits thing.

In fact, I have been persevering with such success I might actually run out of Christmas Knits well before Christmas Eve.

Can you imagine?

I don't think I've had a year of not being frantic up to the last minute since I was 16 and my mum suggested I sew my dad a woodshop apron. And even then, I picked up a super bad stomach 'flu from some sick kids their heartless parents had me babysit a few days before Christmas, and threw up till Boxing Day, and didn't finish the apron till I think Easter.

So obviously I can't let this happen. It's not like I don't have yarn just waiting to be made into something and one or two people I haven't yet put on the Crafty Gift list. After much thought while knitting I've settled for sure on one project, and that is:

Manhat.

Okay, you may recall my mentioning the guy who patiently lets me try hats and even ManSocks on him to be sure I'm getting the size right. He'll try them on - but he wouldn't ever wear them. He is not a handknit guy. And it gets my goat, being as obsessed with hats as I am, that I always see him outside in winter either entirely without a hat (or scarf or often gloves) or, more often than not, wearing a tatty old acrylic toque he has had for at least 30 years.

In fact it's like I'm being perpetually dared to come up with something he will actually reach for when the temperatures plummet the way they already have this year.

So I've been thinking... what are the features of the hats he's tried but look ridiculous on him, and what are the features of that horrible toque, and how can I avoid the first and replicate the others?

One thing I know he'd require is super soft yarn, which I can only hope to achieve through the magic of Soak Wash because I don't have anything but Patons Classic Wool in navy, his base colour of choice.

Other must-have features:

no ribbing

finest possible gauge

a top that stands somewhat apart from the head, and isn't round

And the icing on the cake:

a big whomping maple leaf. Nobody is a prouder Canadian than this guy, and if it's got a maple leaf on it, he's 90% guaranteed to wear it.

Here's what I've got so far:

Yeah, I know. On the bright side, if it doesn't get any better than this, I can always use it as a wreath. Right?