Thinking Ahead....

I'm thinking about my next knitting project. I'm eager to get my hands back into doing something lacy. I want something that's portable, and won't bulge out of my purse like a big, lumpy bag of candy. I also want something challenging, but yet it won't cost me a small fortunate like knitting a sweater or a skirt might. So I'm leaning toward making a knitted hat with a wired brim. It's been a while since I've wired a brim, the last one was so wonky I just gave up and stuffed the whole expensive experiment in the linen closet, where it remains nicely squashed between some picnic clothes and pillow cases. I'm willing to give it (making a hat) a shot again because the hats below are so pretty and besides, I know you all will hold my hand and help me through that part if necessary. Please help choose which hat to make. There's a poll at the end of this post. Suggestions on yarn and trim are welcome. By the way, these are all Annie Modesitt patterns. She's an ace milliner, if you can't already tell!

1. I'm more enamored with the color of this hat than anything else. But I'm not trying to get attached to the papaya orange, because it might actually to be hard to find this yarn. But there's something utterly compelling about the style because it knitted up in a such a cheery yarn. It just makes me want to go out there and get a Jamba Juice smoothie. How about you?

2. I like this one, it's got that nice early 1930s vibe going. I feel like my hair is perfect for this topper. My bangs are Katie Holmes-short, if you get my drift. This hat would be so much fun to trim. You could switch the embellishments around in a couple of heartbeats too. The downside: not much of a brim if I'm looking for a little sun protection. Actually none of theselacy hats will protect me from the sun very much. All those holes! These hats are strictly just really decorative - and guy magnets.

3. The wiring on this one scares me. It looks too perfect, too hard. Why does that intimidate more than the actual knitting? Egads! But you do really get to see the lace very well. I know this one would score high in the "Ooh, you made that? Wow" category.

4. Talk about gorgeous. This masterpiece is from the book, Romantic Hand Knits: 26 Flirtatious Designs that Flatter Your Figure. I love the blue and white theme, so retro. I could see this with a pair of sailor pants and a fitted white tee shirt as well as with a full-skirted 1950s dress. The only other color combo I can see is perhaps navy and burgundy like the hat below. What do you think?

5. Sorry, this picture is as small as it is. It's from the book, Lace Style. There are some other views of the hat if you follow the link. My concern about this hat is two-fold. A) The hat looks ready to fly away. I suppose you could anchor it with a hat pin, but I'd be afraid to damage the knitting. B) The hat doesn't seem to really fit, in my opinion. I'd want my hat to sit firmly on my head, hat pin or not. I think pins are extra insurance, not the only insurance. I suppose you could put in an elastic band in the back (after putting in a grosgrain ribbon on the inside). This one is pretty too, but again I'm scaaaaaaaaaared of the wiring.

What do you think? I'm leaning toward the first two; they just look less tasking.