yarr! pirates!

The pirate hat is done and I'm ready to make some progress on other holiday knitting. My mom's socks are still stagnant, and my husband's scarf has yet to begin, but I'm feeling eager to start on a hat for my sister. I'm glad to have a jump on the presents this year, but one anxiety remains: when the new Knitty comes out in December, what if I love the new patterns?! Something that seems perfect now may pale in comparison. I guess I'll probably be the only one to know, but that would do little to console me.

Pirate hat details. Pattern: We Call Them Pirates by Adrian Bizilla. Yarn: more Knit Picks' Merino Style for body, Frog Tree Alpaca Sport for lining Needles: US 3 for body, US 2 for lining. Right now it's blocking happily to a smoother finish than shown in the picture.

I really like the Frog Tree Alpaca Sport yarn. Now, I've always liked alpaca yarns, but this one has some really good qualities. It boasts a handsome, simple two-ply construction; it makes me think of spindle spinning. The yarn has a little loft, but doesn't shed too much. (I'm not finding scarlet alpaca fibers all over the house) It's silky and soft, unlike some alpaca yarns which seem soft in your hand but scratchy on your neck. Bear in mind that it has the limitations of alpaca, i.e. it is nowhere near as springy as wool, it will be very warm (mostly an advantage, in my opinion). The label was a little perplexing, though, suggesting that it be knit on US size 6 needles. This would make a very open fabric, judging from the results I got with US 2s.

Up next: my sister's hat, using this lovely Valley Yarns' hand-dyed Berkshire. I'll be using the same yarn in solid fuchsia as the main color.