handspun scrollwork

Since last fall I've had a skein of deep purple handspun, a gift from my husband's aunt, tucked in a basket beside my bed. I believe it may have wriggled its way into my dreams at night and given me that final push to learn how to spin myself. It could easily have become one of those skeins you hear knitters talking about, the kind that are too beautiful and special to ever knit. A forever skein, if you will. But I'm not the kind of knitter who lets that happen. I am a product knitter, and I have this urge to make beautiful, useful things. And while this handspun skein was beautiful and inspiring, I knew it could be more.

But, you know, no pattern was good enough for this yarn. So it remained a skein for many months, until a gratitude knit along gave me the motivation to just use it already. Without too much thought, I cast on for the Scrollwork hat, a pattern I've had in my queue since it came out. This was a nail-biter knitting project; I really didn't know if I'd have enough yarn to finish the hat, and there would be no chance to order another skein if I ran out. Indeed, I used up every last inch of yarn and had to cut the excess from the long-tail cast on to sew up the top. Knitting can be so daring, right? Haha.

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If you're looking for a good knitting videocast, check out The Fat Squirrel Speaks. Amy Beth, the host, is charming and funny. She hosted the gratitude knit along that inspired this project.