My So Called Hat

One of the things that people ask me all the time when they visit my studio is why they should shell out money for my handspun or handdyed yarn, instead of going down the street to Michael's or whatever and buying a commercial yarn for a lot less money. I try to talk to them about the quality of the fibers that I use, and compare prices with commercial luxury yarns. I talk to them about the joy of knitting something that is going to be truly unique. But more often than not, they look at me like I am completely insane.

So, one of my current projects is to make up some sample items to show how using a handspun or handdyed yarn can increase the beauty of a knitted or crocheted item.

To start off with, I have so far knitted up 3 versions of the same hat. In case you are interested, this is an adaptation of the My So Called Scarf pattern, which I worked out to knit in the round.

The first is made from some Red Heart, TLC Heathers:



I think it's a perfectly good hat, but nothing to write home about.

The second is made from some hand dyed sock yarn, using the yarn doubled:


I love the variegation on this one, it's still a superwash yarn, and it is much softer to the touch than the red heart one (not that you're surprised by that, I am sure).

The third is a handspun yarn.


This particular yarn was spun from fiber dyed by my friend Lynne, and navajo plied to produce a fun stripey effect. This is also a superwash merino, and is super soft and warm. Although I personally like this one a lot, I think I might do another handspun version with a funkier yarn, just to see what it looks like.

I am pleased with the results of my project so far, and hope that it will help people to better appreciate what I do.