FO: Mama's Birthday Hat

Yesterday was my mom's birthday. I picked up this skien of Malabrigo about a year ago, not knowing what I was going to make with it but I knew it was perfect for her. 

When I found Melissa LaBarre's Crooked Paths hat, I knew it was a fit.  Just a little slouchy, with a great lace pattern, I knew my mom would love it.

It came out great. The crown shaping didn't really come through but that was mostly because I was a dum dum and didn't clearly read the pattern. The body of the hat looks great though and it was nice to see how fast it knit up on size 8 needles. It's been awhile since I've worked on anything in worsted weight! A nice change from my size 4's I've been gripping onto. Luckily she loves it and I know she'll get some use out of it - we still have a couple more months of winter here in Minnesota!

Sunday Snapshot

Just a quick set of mitts I'm making up for my mom before I see her this weekend. She has been complaining of her arthritis acting up in her hand while she writes and as an MFA candidate for a creative writing program, that is kind of an issue. I'm making them up quickly because I'll be trekking up to Minneapolis this weekend for my great-grandmothers funeral. Its a very sad reason to be going home but my Grandma Hadlich lived a wonderful and long life, she was 102 when she died and I'm just thankful she is no longer in pain.

On a much lighter note, these mitts are made of out some wonderful Knit Picks DK Gloss Yarn I got from their lux fiber sale. A blend of merino wool and silk it is sturdy enough to last those long nights of my mama writing away by oil lamp but still soft enough not to irritate her delicate skin.

The pattern is very simple and straight forward though if I was going to knit them again I would do them in a thinner gauge yarn, maybe more of a fingering or sport weight. It wouldn't knit up as quickly but I think I'd like the delicate look more.