Buddha's Sorta Fedora

Or, "[Handknitting] means never having to say you're [finished.]"

This is a hat I knitted for a friend a couple of years ago.  It was the first time I had worked with the now-discontinued Auraucania "Loa."  It was also the first time I had knitted a hat for this friend, whose head is considerably smaller than mine.

The super bulky Loa didn't have much give, and I did not incorporate any ribbing into the hat.  And, after having looked a lifetime for hats big enough for my head, I err on the big side when making hats, "just in case."  In case of what, I don't know.  Sudden head size mushrooming?

So anyway, after a couple of years, though it still looked fine, K.'s hat had stretched and become much too big to wear comfortably, despite the adjustable "hat belt" I had knitted to go with the hat, complete with mother-of-pearl buckle.  I finally convinced K. recently that she should return it to me for adjustments.

In a move that was half-hat chiropractor, half-hat plastic surgeon, I tightened its sagging midsection with the judicious application of elastic thread.  It worked great, and brought the hat circumference almost to a Scarlett O'Hara-like 17 inches.  I believe that the operation succeeded, the hat lived, and will fit much better now.  Elastic thread is my new favorite knitting toy!