I know very few knitters and crocheters who work only on one project.  Poll those around you at the yarn shop, your local guild meeting, or the upcoming WWKIP day. Many say two.  The average that I've heard is five.  Usually one or two larger projects are on hooks or needles; it's the smaller ones that add up, socks, scarves, or, of course, hats.

I try a lot of hat patterns.  I'm usually working 2 or 3.  Some become favorites and 'always-at-the-ready' for the times I need something quick, easy and mindless to do.  Our Halos of Hope Shells and Trellis design is one (crochet), as is Jared Flood's Turn-A-Square hat (knit) in solid colors.  Sometimes the hats on my hooks or needles are more challenging, because I want to see if the hat, pattern, yarn will work for the cancer centers we serve.  

The downside of having multiple hats in progress is, at some point, they need to be finished.  About mid-May, when we in the Midwest had endured yet another cloudy, cold or rainy day, and I knew my golf game wasn't going anywhere soon, I pulled out my hat UFOs.  In true Larry the Cable Guy fashion, it was time to "get 'er done."

The Ali Cap was the first to be finished.  This charted pattern looks more complex than it is, and is absolutely beautiful.  Created with a light fingering yarn (on 2.5mm needles), in a nice soft yarn, this would be perfect for someone who needs a stylish boost during their cancer treatments.

Having been introduced to designer Marion Foale by making the Ali Cap, I had to try something from her book.  I am a sucker for a good book of patterns, and there is a sweater in this one…sorry, I digress!  The Crystal Hat appealed to me, because of it's design, and I'm often asked about tams being good for chemo patients.  Yes, just because you've lost your hair doesn't mean you've lost your sense of style!  And women of all ages seem to like the tams (and cloches).  Crystal is worked flat and seamed, which was a nice surprise.  Yarn weight would be comparable to worsted. While I think this is gorgeous, it may be bit oversized to send to our centers.  I plan to try it again going down a needle size and in a DK weight.

A designer on Ravelry, Clothed in the Lamb, was looking for individuals or groups to do a KAL on her Aspen Tam.  Halos of Hope opened a Ravelry discussion thread for the hat, and I joined in, of course.  Some of our other volunteers finished their Aspens pretty quickly, and said it was fast becoming one of their favorites.  I could only envision this hat in a light green DK weight yarn.  And here it is.  Because I made it in DK weight and not worsted, it did not finish as slouchy as the ones I've seen in worsted.  I now want to try this again in the fall with some browns or more neutral colors!

Having finally completed these which had been on my needles for some time, I picked up my hooks and gave the Fit For a King or Queen pattern a try.  What an adorable and easy hat, and I'll be happy to donate these to our Camp Happy Times campaign!     

Whew, finished!  Now that the sun is starting to shine with (some) regularity, my hooks and needles may take a rest.  And then, again, maybe not.  I'm on a plane next weekend, which means 3 solid hours of knit/crochet time.  Wait, where did I put that shark hat pattern?

Editors Note:  Pam can be found on Ravelry under the Ravatar name, HaloPrez, if you want to see other projects in progress.