The Pause That Refreshes

Yesterday, after that rather traumatic run-in with the sweater (it is headed for the frog pond, I feel sure of it) I was bundling off to Knit Night and was scrambling for something to take with me.  I do have an October Self-Imposed-Sock club sock underway, but wanted something else. Something that was the knitting equivilent of oatmeal.  It’s been cold, rainy and nasty here, and I’ve been watching Megan begin to dig through and wear her hats, and all of a sudden, that seemed right.  A hat.  A nice, simple hat.  Maybe something that would look good with her jean jacket for fall, but be warm enough for winter.  I grabbed a pattern I’ve been thinking about, some yarn I’ve been thinking about, and my set of WEB’s interchangeable circulars  and jumped on my bike. (I know one of you will ask, so yes.  I like the WEBS set a lot.  I find them a smidge on the blunt side for my personal taste, but I still use them, so they can’t be all that blunt. I love the case they come in, and that’s a big enough plus to make up for them being not the sharpest needles in the drawer.  Joins are good, price is right.  I like them.)

When I got to the shop, Rachel H poured me a glass of wine (I love the way that lady does things) and opened the magazine to the pattern.  I was very quickly convinced – and they were all only telling me what I already knew, that the yarn I’d brought wasn’t enough for the hat I’d picked.  That left me with a burning desire to knit the hat, and no yarn to do it with.  I perused the shop and came up with this. 

Yummy.  Tosh Dk in Mourning Dove, and Schulana Kid-Seta held together.  It is every bit as soft as it looks – and it is comforting and reassuring, and nothing short of gloriously glowing and cushy in the brioche stitch variation of the Sweet Honey Beret.  (That’s the Interweave link.. there’s a Ravelry one here.)  Thanks to my neatly organized stash room, I was able to find my copy of the magazine pretty quickly.  (I’ll show you the stash room soon. Keep forgetting to take pictures, and while I love it, it’s not really all that impressive.)

I love this hat. I love everything about it.  (Okay. I didn’t love the first four rounds of the brioche thing while I was figuring it out, but I got there. I take the swearing back.) It makes me feel like winter coming isn’t really the death of hope, and I can’t wait for it to be finished, which might be tonight, given the rate it moves at.  When it’s done I might make another one for Sam.  Or Amanda.  Or my nieces, or all of them, just because it’s fun and because, my friends…  it’s not that sweater.