Recently, I lost mislaid (I live in hope) my most favorite summer hat, a Merchant and Mills Bucket Hat in the perfect dark green linen. It got me thinking about other makes I’d lost over the years … it doesn’t happen all that often, but when it does, it tends to be a favorite that goes missing (because, of course, you wear those out the most). I’m going to share some of my gone-but-not-forgotten makes in the thread below, and I’d love to hear your best-worst stories too! The forgotten scarf, the lost odd mitten, the improbably mislaid bulky sweater, the hat that got away … bonus points if you can include a picture!
(PS If you’re a subscriber and wondering, I thought it’d be fun to try out this thread feature … but don’t worry, you won’t start being inundated with emails! If the stars align and inspiration strikes, I may post one of these every other fortnight — or it may never happen again!)
My husband lost his favourite Shetland Wool Week hat last year when walking from Lands End to John O’Groats. He was fortunately quite near to our home in Central Scotland at the time and I was meeting up with him when he told me. He asked me to bring along some of his other hats so he could pick what one he could wear for the rest of his trip but none were as perfect a fit. He did pick one but I decided to try and knit him a new one to replace the one he had lost and meet up with him again before he got too far from home. I made it! https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Carolmb/roadside-beanie-2
Carol, what a story! Gosh it would be such a thing to be without your fave hat on a walk like that … he must have been absolutely thrilled when you showed up with the replacement 💕
My partner lost his 100% silk cabled hat I had made him a year before. It was bright orange, never to be seen again - it's been over 3 years! He also forgot a pair of mittens, a cowl and a hat to the airport and those were unfortunately never recovered either! He is still knitworthy but losing a bright orange hat still baffles me!
That is impressive! The first hat I ever knit for Nick, he lost within I think it was 24 hours -- impressive! He was suitably upset and tried very hard to find it, so I decided I could knit him another. He almost lost it several times, and years later it did finally disappear. But most of the hats since then I think have stuck around!
May 12, 2023·edited May 12, 2023Liked by Katherine Radburn
In 2014 I had a wonderful holiday traveling to the UK. During this time I joined a tour which included a visit to Jamieson & Smith in Lerwick. I bought yarn to knit Kate Davies Scatness hat and top. The hat became a favourite.
Last year I took my granddaughters to the Bendigo art gallery. It involved a 2 hour train trip each way, but unfortunately buses replaced trains on that day. We came home on the bus in the dark. By the time we arrived in Melbourne, we were pretty tired, so gathered up our belongings in the dark and made our way to the metro train station.
As soon as I got home I realised that the hat was missing. I’d taken it off in the warm bus and must have dropped it as we were getting off. I contacted Lost Property. No one had handed it in. I contacted the bus charter company in Bendigo. The driver had found it and the next time he got to Melbourne he gave the hat to one of the bus inspectors to be taken to lost property.
That was the last time it was seen.
After a couple of weeks phoning lost property, I gave in. Someone else loved my hat as much as I did.
I replaced it by knitting Tettegouche. It’s not the same.
(The hat is in my Ravelry projects, but I don’t know how to link here.)
Oh Joyce, this story got me in the gut! The upset at realizing the hat was missing, the relief you must have felt when it was located, then the sinking disappointment that you actually weren't getting it back. A colourwork hat too .. I always find those the hardest to get the right fit, so to lose a much loved one (that was also the memory of a trip) -- heartbreaking!
My Alight Hat :( So many hours of one-by-one rib in 3-ply, gone in an instant, when the Wellington wind ripped it off my head and into the harbour. It landed on some rocks below the footpath and I maybe could have climbed around to get it - but not in gale southerlies with a high sea. And during lockdown, when no one was about to rescue me. RIP https://www.ravelry.com/projects/kateljordan/alight-hat
No no no! (Although extra points for the high drama of this) How terrible to lose such a fine knit ... and such a special design. It must have been so frustrating to KNOW where it was, but be unable to rescue it.
My top four lost items (excluding the bucket hat, of course, because it'll turn up soon, right?) Clockwise from top left: a Black Tea Hat (pattern by Thea Colman: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/black-tea) knit in an amazing shade of Madelinetosh .. oh for another ball; a mitten knit from purchased handspun, it's mate was lost on the college quad not long after making it ... over a decade on, I still have the lone mitten and leftover yarn, ready to knit a replacement (will 2023 be the year); a Gone Glamping Hat (excuse the fuzzy cut off photo) [a free pattern:https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gone-glamping] knit in a neon pink ... last positive location, the 2017 Women's March in Philadelphia; and a Brighton Cowl, another Thea Colman pattern [https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/brighton-cowl-5] (maybe I've got a curse), which was the absolute perfect length to wrap around twice -- I must make another one one day -- last location unknown!
My husband lost his favourite Shetland Wool Week hat last year when walking from Lands End to John O’Groats. He was fortunately quite near to our home in Central Scotland at the time and I was meeting up with him when he told me. He asked me to bring along some of his other hats so he could pick what one he could wear for the rest of his trip but none were as perfect a fit. He did pick one but I decided to try and knit him a new one to replace the one he had lost and meet up with him again before he got too far from home. I made it! https://www.ravelry.com/projects/Carolmb/roadside-beanie-2
Carol, what a story! Gosh it would be such a thing to be without your fave hat on a walk like that … he must have been absolutely thrilled when you showed up with the replacement 💕
My partner lost his 100% silk cabled hat I had made him a year before. It was bright orange, never to be seen again - it's been over 3 years! He also forgot a pair of mittens, a cowl and a hat to the airport and those were unfortunately never recovered either! He is still knitworthy but losing a bright orange hat still baffles me!
That is impressive! The first hat I ever knit for Nick, he lost within I think it was 24 hours -- impressive! He was suitably upset and tried very hard to find it, so I decided I could knit him another. He almost lost it several times, and years later it did finally disappear. But most of the hats since then I think have stuck around!
In 2014 I had a wonderful holiday traveling to the UK. During this time I joined a tour which included a visit to Jamieson & Smith in Lerwick. I bought yarn to knit Kate Davies Scatness hat and top. The hat became a favourite.
Last year I took my granddaughters to the Bendigo art gallery. It involved a 2 hour train trip each way, but unfortunately buses replaced trains on that day. We came home on the bus in the dark. By the time we arrived in Melbourne, we were pretty tired, so gathered up our belongings in the dark and made our way to the metro train station.
As soon as I got home I realised that the hat was missing. I’d taken it off in the warm bus and must have dropped it as we were getting off. I contacted Lost Property. No one had handed it in. I contacted the bus charter company in Bendigo. The driver had found it and the next time he got to Melbourne he gave the hat to one of the bus inspectors to be taken to lost property.
That was the last time it was seen.
After a couple of weeks phoning lost property, I gave in. Someone else loved my hat as much as I did.
I replaced it by knitting Tettegouche. It’s not the same.
(The hat is in my Ravelry projects, but I don’t know how to link here.)
Oh Joyce, this story got me in the gut! The upset at realizing the hat was missing, the relief you must have felt when it was located, then the sinking disappointment that you actually weren't getting it back. A colourwork hat too .. I always find those the hardest to get the right fit, so to lose a much loved one (that was also the memory of a trip) -- heartbreaking!
My Alight Hat :( So many hours of one-by-one rib in 3-ply, gone in an instant, when the Wellington wind ripped it off my head and into the harbour. It landed on some rocks below the footpath and I maybe could have climbed around to get it - but not in gale southerlies with a high sea. And during lockdown, when no one was about to rescue me. RIP https://www.ravelry.com/projects/kateljordan/alight-hat
No no no! (Although extra points for the high drama of this) How terrible to lose such a fine knit ... and such a special design. It must have been so frustrating to KNOW where it was, but be unable to rescue it.
Half of a pair of fingerless mitts - SO MANY times!!
Oh no! I thought I’d lost a pair of fingerless mitts once, found them in a coat pocket a year later!
My top four lost items (excluding the bucket hat, of course, because it'll turn up soon, right?) Clockwise from top left: a Black Tea Hat (pattern by Thea Colman: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/black-tea) knit in an amazing shade of Madelinetosh .. oh for another ball; a mitten knit from purchased handspun, it's mate was lost on the college quad not long after making it ... over a decade on, I still have the lone mitten and leftover yarn, ready to knit a replacement (will 2023 be the year); a Gone Glamping Hat (excuse the fuzzy cut off photo) [a free pattern:https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/gone-glamping] knit in a neon pink ... last positive location, the 2017 Women's March in Philadelphia; and a Brighton Cowl, another Thea Colman pattern [https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/brighton-cowl-5] (maybe I've got a curse), which was the absolute perfect length to wrap around twice -- I must make another one one day -- last location unknown!
I lost a mitten recently (on the ferry I think). They were made with leftover yarns and I’ll just have to make a new pair at some point.
I’ve also lost my bousta beanie on a train journey and re-made that since too.