Customer Reviews

Hattitude: Knits for Every Mood

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I knit lots of hats. I like playing around with yarns and colors and patterns. Sometimes things work, sometimes they don't.

I have a copy of Carron's earlier book, "Hip Knit Hats" and like it very much. So, I ordered a copy of "hattitudes" sight unseen. Oh, I looked at the cover illustration and saw a couple of promising hats there. I was very disappointed when I got the book. I would not have bought it if I'd seen it first. However, I read the rave reviews here and decided to go back to "hattitudes" and see if my attitude would change. It didn't really.

Why? Over half of the 41 patterns are for hats knit with bulky or super bulky yarns - #5 or #6 in the standard yarn weight system. (As far as I could tell, many of the needle sizes and stitch gauges don't match the standard guidelines.) I find hats knit with #6 yarns to be too heavy and uncomfortable. Hats done with #5 are better but I have enough of those patterns from "Hip Knit Hats" and other sources. My preference is for hats made from #4, or sometimes even #3 yarns. Most of my hats go to people who are going to stuff them into a coat pocket or back pack, not store them on a shelf. I'm not much interested in hats that tie under the chin, head bands, headscarves, or hats with beads, discs etc.

I would not expect Carron to repeat the basic knitting info from HKH but it would be useful to have the table of yarn weights, needle sizes, and gauges. In HKH for each pattern she told the weight of the yarn along with the name, manufacturer, etc. This is useful info for those of us adapting patterns to different yarns and I wish she had done that in this book too.

I ignored the attitude gimmick although maybe the faces some of the models were making put me off too. I didn't like seeing several of the patterns continued to the back of the book. A better design would put all the instructions on one page or facing pages; this is more usable.

Someday I'll probably try some of the patterns - a beret, the floppy toque - and maybe the eyelet cap adapted for a different yarn. But three or four patterns are not enough for me to justify buying a book.

This is not the book for me, but if you like bulky hats this may be the book for you. If you don't have "Hip Knit Hats" I'd recommend it over "hattitude".

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.)

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 lightweight, 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 at least 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. 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...).
(And, I have no affiliation with this, or any other book - just my opinions.)

I just received my copy of 'Hattitude' today. What a delicious book it is. There are fun hats, warm hats, hats for the beginning knitter and hats for the more experienced knitter. All of the hats are for women but some are easily adaptable for men.

I especially like the two-tone Asymmetrical Beret in a light green with a dark green border. It's made from Classic Elite Montera and I know I have some in my stash. The Basketweave Hat is easy enough for a beginner to try (with a little help). It's one of the hats that can be knit up for men or women. The Cable-Edged Kerchief is quite unique and looks like fun to knit in Cashsoft Aran by Rowan. One of my favorites is the Cashmere Beret - that's right folks, cashmere. Just the thought of a hat knit in Jade Sapphire Cashmere caressing my face makes me happy. It's knit in a luscious blue with a "super-wide twisted rib band" and a "floppier seed stitch crown". It looks retro and contemporary at the same time. The Fair Isle Stocking Cap is one of the more fun hats in the book. It has a lot of color and even has a pom-pom. I especially like the "quirky flaps". The Cabled Pom-Pom Hat looks like it will keep me warm during the Alaskan winter. It calls for Glitterspun by Lion Brand yarn but any bulky yarn can be substituted if the gauge is right. The Tassled Ski Hat is described as "zen inspired". It's knit primarily with the linen stitch which gives the hat a woven-like texture. It calls for Lambs Pride Bulky, one of my favorite yarns.

There's a hat in this book for everyone and at every knitting level. I can't wait to get started on a couple of the patterns. As usual, I ask myself these questions when I purchase a knitting book?

Does the book include patterns that I like?

Are the patterns easy to interpret?

Can I use this book as a resource?

The answer to all three questions is a resounding 'Yes'. Happy knitting!

I'm really enjoying all the hats in this book, I'm planning to make several of them, The first one I'm working on lists a bulky yarn and it will not knit to gauge in this weight, so I switched to the worsted weight of the same brand, and all is knitting up like the picture now. Most of these look pretty quick, and I like that too.

This book has several patterns that I'd like to make. I am currently knitting "Determined", shown on the cover in a mustard yellow color. There are patterns for beginners who understand pattern reading pretty well, as well as patterns challenging enough for advanced knitters.

The only thing that I am new to is a pattern being written from the top down, rather than bottom up, for a hat. Not all of the patterns are written in this manner, but for some, such as "Whimsical" (shown at the top right corner of the front cover), it is necessary to work top down.

Although I was unsure about this book when first reading about it, I have really come to love its variety of styles, yarn sizes used, and the fact that the patterns use different ways of knitting (some use colorwork, some are lacy, some are felted, some cabled).

Great book for hat knitters. Lots of variety. I especially like that some of the pattern's are knit from the top down. Makes it easier to adjust for head size, or if you gauge is not exact!! (I am thinking of knitting the adult for baby size heads) Would recommend this book.

Hattitude by Cathy Carron
Genre: Knitting

Rating: 4

Hattitude is an amazing, beautiful, inspiring book with a TON of hats. Hats are so cool and versatile, you can wear one almost anywhere, and with all the patterns in here, there is literally a hat for every occasion: formal diner to snow day, university lecture to yard work. Hattitude has a hat for everyone.

The patterns themselves vary in yarn type and needle size, so between the various patterns that you catch yourself drooling over and the millions of kinds of yarn in the world, you're pretty much set for life. If you find that you don't have the needles you need, you'll probably have a second choice (possibly a third or a fourth etc) to make to hold you over while you get those other needles because of all the awesome hats in here.

The hats range in all kinds of yarn: cashmere, wool, acrylic, chunky, chenille, that bumpy nubby stuff, and wool for felting. Some have cool décor like beads, sequins, ribbon, buttons, appliqués, giant buckles, and pearls. And some are more simple, with a few color combos, or some pattern work.

There are patterns for all levels, too! You have to be the judge of what you can or can't do, though, since it doesn't outright tell you "beginner level" or "advanced level," but as a knitter it's pretty easy to tell if you can do something. Read the pattern. If it doesn't make a bit of sense, get help or pick another and come back to that one two years from now. Some patterns have only simple increasing and decreasing, some have some more advanced shaping and cables, and some have some complicated lace work.

As far as the layout of the book, Each pattern has a full front face photograph on one page, and the pattern opposite with a smaller photo from a second view point, so you get a full look at what you're making.

The only reason I'd give this one four stars rather than five is... there are also some really weird hats in here. I don't like all of them. Some of them I'd never make, and it's just because they're not my style at all. Maybe they'd look good on someone else, maybe someone else will like them. The book is, again, versatile, and will please a wide range of knitters, all with different likes. The downside of that is, I don't think anyone can be fully pleased because nobody is going to like every single pattern. However, the good outweighs the bad here: there are way more patterns that I like than patterns that I don't like.

All in all, I'd recommend this book to any knitter who has had some experience in shaping and working on double pointed needles and circular needles. And of course, anyone who drools over hats.

I received the book Hattitude by Cathy Carron from Tara at SoHo Publishing/Sixth and Spring for review!

Hats can be boring, or hats can be fun....which would you prefer to wear? In Hattitude there is a hat for every mood! There are so many different hats in this book that I'm not sure which hat to knit first. Each pattern is easy to read and understand, nothing too complicated and each pattern has a colorful picture showing the finished product. Haughty, mysterious, giving, brooding, earnest, which hat type are you?

Don't stop with a hat for yourself, in this collection there are plenty of hats to go around, hats for mom's, sisters, friends, you can even use a little imagination and knit a man hat, some of these are pretty girly, but my brother found a few that we decided could be turned manly!

The back of the book teaches you how to measure for correct hat sizing and how to design a hat that fits which is great since no one wants to spend all that time knitting a hat only to find it won't fit onto your head. There is also a list of stitch abbreviations which is helpful if you're like me and always forgetting...do you know the anatomy of a hat? How to make a pompom? Love this book!

This book contains an abundance of hat patterns, so many that I don't know which one to do first! This is one of the best I have seen, it won't see a bookshelf any time soon at my house. Thanks, Amazon.com!

This is a very diverse, very rich collection of hats. When I say that there's something for everyone, I mean that there is a project for every knitter, a weight and gauge for any yarn or any needle size, and a hat that will fit the style of anyone and everyone you know. There are also patterns for beginners, those looking to expand their knitting knowledge and for advanced knitters.

Some of the styles are either too over the top or too drab for me but they'll make perfect gifts for others. I've already knit three of the hats and haven't found any mistakes yet. I'm going to move on to one of the heavier hats now and I can't wait to get started on the two-toned tassle hat called whimsical.
These patterns are easy to read, fast, and fun to make and wear. My daughter just loves them!

I gave this book 4 stars instead of five because a few of the caps look like they were thrown together to fill the pages of the book and because crafting publishers still ignore the actual crafters who buy their books. It is very frustrating trying to knit when you have an unruly book fluttering around in you lap. However I would still recommend this to anyone looking for comprehensive pattern, fun fashions and innovative design.