I had three balls of this really cool looking Karabella Aurora Melange #004, a nice tweedy chocolate brown, so I decided that a quick and easy thing to do would be to churn out another Michael Nesmith hat, sans pompom alas (I was thinking about giving the hat to my brother for Christmas, and a less pompommy guy cannot be imagined). Here’s the link to my free pattern.
Although upon quick visual inspection (not the most “scientific” method, I must admit), the Aurora Melange appeared to be the same weight as the Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran, I felt a distinct difference while knitting. Just goes to show you the importance of a gauge swatch! The Melange was noticeably thicker and hence a little more difficult to work with at this gauge.
I would recommend sticking with the Debbie Bliss for this hat, although the Aurora Melange was a real pleasure to work with. If the label’s promises about washability hold true, this will not be my last time working with this great yarn, a marled version of the classic Karabella Aurora 8. Aurora 8 and Aurora Melange come in various weights and about a million colors too. Read the Knitter’s Review write-up here.
The Lyf So Short 
great pattern and I would like to knit this hat with a size “6” (bulky) yarn. How many would I need to CO and how would I adjust the pattern?? Please help!
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Hi Rossana,
Thanks for checking out my blog! This is a tough question to answer, but I will do my best. This pattern calls for a double strand of two Aran-weight yarns which are usually knitted with size 8 (5 mm) knitting needles. The rule of thumb is that if you double the yarn, you should double the size of the needle; so if the yarn calls for a size 8 (5 mm) needle, you should go to a size 15 (10 mm) knitting needle (you double 5 mm to get 10 mm). I chose to make the gauge a little tighter in this hat so it would fit closely on the head, so I called for only size 10.5 (6.5 mm) or size 11 (8 mm) needles. Most bulky yarns take at least a size 11 needle so, I believe that you should be fine following the pattern as is, even if the yarn you have calls for larger needles, the size 11 needles ought to help you get the proper gauge. Of course, the only way to really know is to do a gauge swatch. Try one with a size 11 needle and let me know how it goes. Good luck, and happy knitting! Kate
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Hi again, Rossana,
I just wanted to clarify that I meant you should only use one strand of the bulky size 6 yarn, not two. Cheers!
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