Pretty yarn... and a hat too!

I picked up some blue yarn at a small shop in Tokyo a few months back, and decided it was destined to become a fun and colourful scarf for a equally fun and colourful friend. I changed the pattern a few times, but think I am fairly happy with the way it turned out in the end.




We met up at a Girl Scout event while the scarf was still on the needles and I broke my no-spoiler rule and showed it to her. I simply pulled it out of my knitting bag and held it out wordlessly. She oohed appreciatively and there was a pause... then she began to squeal and gave me a big hug as she realized the reason why I was showing her a scarf-in-progress. She fingered the scarf appreciatively, said she loved the colours and, in the very same breath, asked for a hat too! The nerve! (I actually quite like her, and did stay with her and her family this past summer, so I suppose the least I can do is knit her two things, but honestly? I had to forgo my preferred circulars for DPNS, not so train-friendly I must say!) I ended up using up the rest of the colourful blue, and adding in some navy that I had in my stash (actually it was supposed to be for another project, so I'll have to go back to the yarn store, shucks...)


She says she is now impatiently awaiting winter! (this was taken inside a dark restaurant with my cell phone, I apologize for the poor quality!)


A number of knitting blogs I've read talk about having picked out yarn online. I couldn't quite understand why somebody would buy yarn online, and was convinced that it was silly to buy yarn that you had only seen in a photograph... Then I made the mistake of following a few links... The mega-stores didn't tempt me, but while on the site of a lovely small independent yarn store called Spirit Trail, I came across a thumbnail photo of a shiny silk yarn in blues and browns and... Somehow I now have a charge on my credit card and a scarf that I think is going to end up gracing my very own neck...




I finished the scarf and decided I wanted to do something with the leftover yarn. I knew I wouldn't have enough to make a hat and was not feeling adventurous enough to try something like gloves (obviously wouldn't have had enough yarn for that either!). So I settled on making myself a headband. I found a bunch of different patterns on Ravelry, but I'm not keen on being told what to do, so I improvised something myself.


I've worn it a few times already and I'm happily discovering it can be worn with most of my closet!