Join the club

The project that has served most useful to me this winter is, hands down, Red-Light-Special. I loved it even before the vindictive cold snap hit, but over the last few blustery weeks we've become inseparable. The stranded fabric + the extra ear lining keeps my ears very happy when the winter winds whipping up Columbus attempt to ruin me on my morning walks to work. I didn't realize how toasty this thing was until I put an older, single-layer knit hat on my head when I went out the other day and experienced very questionable protection from the cold. Why am I telling you this? Mostly because I want to introduce some of the other wonderful versions of the pattern that have been cropping up around the internet. It's such a wonderful thing to see each one done in colors that suit the individual knitter. I'm endlessly entertained by all the color experimentation. This month I started a Red Light Flickr Group in hopes to gather together as many of our RLS (finished or in-progress) images as possible. Below you see some of the wonderful versions of the hat that have been completed by knitters all over the country (and world! Thanks, Sigga!). If you've made one, or are currently, and you're a flickr member (or junkie, like me) please join the group! If you're not a part of flickr but want to share your photos, please send them to me via e-mail and I'll post them for you. On top of all this, the wonderful folks at Noeknit in San Francisco even used the pattern for their beginner Fair Isle Course, and the results are wonderfully creative. To say I was flattered would be an understatement. Check out the in-progress shots from their class here. Also, be sure to see the most recent blog posts for a few finished RLS shots. I love all the color combinations that everyone has come up with. Thanks to Noeknit for the great inspiration. And thanks again for everyone who has sent in finished pics, I've really enjoyed seeing everyone's individual take on the pattern.