Mom's Homespun Hat & Scarf

This was my first project. I wanted to knit something, but I wasn't sure what. I decided to knit my mom a scarf for Christmas. The yarn is Lion Brand's Homespun, which is a 98% acrylic, 2% polyester yarn that is textured, bulky weight, and machine washable. The color is Mediterranean, which is a print in mixed olive tones with touches of pink. The color is why I picked the yarn. I thought the olives would match my mom's eyes, and the pinks would look nice with her complexion. A swatch of the yarn is pictured to the right. I didn't know anything about gauge, which kind of lent itself to a scarf project, since a scarf pretty much fits everyone. I didn't know anything about fibers, either, which explains why I used manmade fibers. Since it's outerwear, the fact that it's synthetic doesn't make much of a difference. It's not like I made something that nestles close up to the skin. Using acrylic for something like that would be a cruel experiment in sweat production.

The pattern is one I took from a little booklet entitled "I Can't Believe I'm Knitting!" by Leisure Arts. It's one of those little booklets you can pick up for 9 dollars at Michael's or Ben Franklin's. Don't judge this book by its cover. The cover has this 20-something girl wearing a knitted sweater and sitting on a sofa with a knitted throw and a knitted pillow and is knitting what appears to be a matching pillow. She smiles as if the yarn is laced with narcotics. Anyway, this is a nice little booklet. It has all the knitting basics, and some patterns, some of which are kind of stupid. But I liked the scarf pattern. The ends are long tassels, the edging is done in stockinette, and the rest is in alternating stockinette checkerboard, about one inch square. I put it in my exhibit for our goofy little craft show at school. I wish I had a picture. But my mom has the scarf. D'oh.

Brooks' Homespun Hat

December 2003

In the same yarn, I knitted a hat for my friend Brooks from work. She had been bugging me to make her a hat. I used a free pattern by Lion Brand. The pattern is marked "beginner," and it's no understatement. In order to make it, you just have to knit a rectangle, sew the sides together to make a tube, and close the top with two stitches, leaving four holes in the top. I did it, but it looked stupid, so I closed off the top two more times. The seam is fairly visible, it being a print yarn. I still think it looks neat, because the yarn is interesting. It turned out that someone else had knitted her a scarf out of the same yarn. So she has a matching set. I wish I had a picture of this one, but I gave it to Brooks before taking a picture. Maybe someday I can ask her to bring it, so I can take a picture.

Mom's Homespun Hat

December 2003

Same deal, only with circular needles, so there's no seam. I admit I wore this hat around for a few days before I gave it to her. It only took a day or so to knit. I made it big to fit my mom's big head. I used my own big head as a model. The hat is huge. I think it's still too small for her, though. I guess you need a big head for a big brain.

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