Story of a Hat

In 2011 I made the amazingly clever decision to track and record every penny earned and spent.
One of my more surprising discoveries was how much Darling and I spent on gifts, because we suck so much at giving gifts. Most of the time it feels like we can't even afford a token. But it seems that when we can afford to get anything, we get something big.

This especially bothered me because I habitually neglect crafting and hobbies for frugality's sake. I sew scraps to make the occasional quilt square and accept friends' unwanted yarn for practicing knitting, but I don't typically invest any money in these pursuits. Nice yarn is expensive, and I'd hate to ruin any in the learning process...but considering what I was spending on gifts, I could afford to ruin a good deal of yarn in the pursuit of a few presents!

After purchasing a baby shower gift from an online registry last Tuesday, I decided to knit a present as well. This would give me a good feel for the hand-crafted gift business, a side-by-side comparison of sorts.

My original plan was to make it in three days, but I hadn't even touched knitting needles in at least a year. It took me about that long to re-learn the basics!

I started with cheap pink acrylic yarn a friend had given me, but it didn't feel nice. My double-pointed needles for socks were also too small. So I bought a silky bamboo yarn in a soft shade of lilac and a pair of bamboo knitting needles. This was significantly cheaper than the single store-bought gift, and the needles are a one-time purchase.

Since I've only ever knitted scarves and a single sock, I decided to teach myself hat making. Most of the week was spent casting on, working a few rows, making one more mistake than I could accept, and unwinding the whole thing. The starting yarn got frayed right alongside my nerves. I spent hours doing google searches, studying youtube videos, and found the pattern I wanted in a book at the second library I scoured.

Yesterday I woke up, gave Darling a ride to work, came home, and cast on for the hundredth time. I knit non-stop until I absolutely had to eat something, and paused very briefly. I was afraid to stop because the yarn was FINALLY forming a hat. I basically knit a newborn's hat in the space of five hours, after a week of starts and finishes and frustration.  All I need to do is weave up the side, which I'm asking my sister-in-law for help with later today.

And it is SO sweet! Embarrassingly simple and tiny, but soft and delicate and pretty. I'm so proud!

I already have the pattern for Oblio's birthday present next month: a cute little cardigan. I can't wait to purchase new yarn and start again :)