Humble Handspun

  

 

Pattern: My "Lifestyle Hats" method, top down.
My variation: When increasing 8 stitches, every other row, I paired increases so they were 4 sets of two increases each, making a square top. When the square measured about my head circumference, I quit increasing, went to a seed stitch, and knit until it was the length I wanted. I finished the hat with stocking stitch (stockinette) so it make a curl. Then bound off loosely.

This was yarn I spun, mixing two colors: a dull brown and a gold. The result is a nice enough hat, but I would not give this hat an A+. 

Confession. I have tens of thousands of yards of fantastic fiber in my studio. But, when I go to make a project, for some ridiculous reason, I feel compelled to use the crappiest of the stash. I'm from the dumb old school of "save the best for last'. The only way to fix me is to get rid of less-than-great fiber so the only choice I have is the good stuff. Enough arm-chair psychology.

The roving was acquired, if you can believe it, from a used book store. I purchased a book on spinning, and the bookstore owner asked me if I knew something about spinning and would I help him figure out what to price some misc. fiber. Of course, I helped him price it, then I bought the whole bundle of roving (mostly undyed, but bits and pieces of dyed roving.) The hat above is from some of that roving. I have no idea what it is or how old it is. I do know that it had NO spring, at all. Completely lifeless. But, due to my "save the best for last" illness, I dutifully spun it up. Alas. On to better fiber.