Untitiled, for now

I’m hoping that someone might be able to help me out of a quandary. I can’t seem settle upon a name for this hat.  It is always the first thing I decide upon when writing out a new pattern as it helps to confirm the character of the knitted object (if articles of knitwear can have character), but I am having troubles with this new design.  My first thoughts were that it reminded me of moss, probably because of the colour, and this was confirmed when I stepped in the lift with my other half last week and he said ‘oh, your new hat looks good on, it reminds me of moss’ (I tried not to take this to mean that I must have a face reminiscent of a boulder).

When I was later thinking about writing the pattern up I wondered about the two names ‘Geology’ and ‘Palaeontology’.  ’Geology’ as the slip stitch pattern and broken lines of the stripes reminded me of layers rock strata that had come under stress and fractured, and ‘Palaeontology’ as I have a version of the hat planned with an embellishment, knit in an increasing spiral in garter stitch, something like an ammonite:

idea for an ammonite-like spiral embellishment

But I’m really not sure if either of these ideas are ‘right’.  Maybe I am just feeling uninspired these last few days.  I’ve been frustrated with the lack of light when I have tried to take photos, the absence of a helpful volunteer head to model the hat (or useful tripod for self-modelling), so maybe it is because I wanted to get the pattern written up and photographed properly.  As such the pictures I have at the moment are of a hat still awaiting a head.

I also love the very top of the hat:

detailing the decreases

It was, at the very least, challenging to work out a method of decreasing whilst maintaining the spiralling pattern of the slipped stitches and broken stripes, but once I figured out a formula I was delighted with the way that the two forms of diagonal patterning intersected and created the radiating pattern on the top of the hat.

So, with that in mind I am stuck, so if anyone reading this post happens to have any flashes of inspiration, please, please, please suggest away, and hopefully I’ll be able to find the motivation and inspiration to write up this pattern for the weekend.