« Rogue #1 | Main | Body Scrub »

Makes up for its outward plainness in exotic fiber content!

Materials: 1 skein Berroco Mohair Classic (78% mohair, 13% wool, 9% nylon) in black. 1 skein Plymouth Baby Alpaca DK (100% baby alpaca) in black. 1 skein Tahki Jolie (70% French Angora, 30% merino wool), all worked together on size 7 circs/dpns.

Time: 3 days.

Cost: No idea — maybe $20?

My one and only other winter hat is acrylic, and while it's virtually indestructable it's also not very warm. As I found out last year, the wind goes straight through it when you're walking past the lake on -35°F windchill mornings. To remedy this problem, I decided to assemble the fuzziest, warmest, and softest fibers that I could think of and make them into a replacement cap.

I purchased the skeins of yarn separately last winter as I saw them on sale at various online stores, so now that I finally had time to make the hat I didn't waste time with fancy stuff. Not that I would have wanted to, anyway: on a size 7 needle, the three yarns are really tough on your hands, so cables and fancy stitch patterns were the last things that I wanted to do. Besides, I figure that plain hats are OK when you've got the flamboyant scarf collection that I do.

I only had about 300 yards total of yarn, so I really improvised the pattern and size. The good news is that I miraculously managed to cast on the right number of stitches at the beginning. The bad news is that the finished hat is surprisingly beanie-like (think Joe Pesci in "Home Alone") and scratchy: the angora and alpaca are super, super soft, but I don't know what possessed me to throw that mohair in there. It's wretched stuff, and makes my forehead itch. But it's still pretty soft and very lightweight, so I'll see how it performs when winter comes. And in the meantime, I'm casting my eyes about for another warm-type hat pattern, though it probably won't be completed until next winter at this rate.