mongol warrior

Howdy Nancy,

There's lots going on.

First, here's what my haircut looks like:

Next, here's what the haircut looks like under the Elizabeth Zimmerman Maltese Fisherman's Hat:

I love lots of things about the hat and will probably hardly ever wear it.
LOVE: the tassel. It's the best. It's got a little tassel hard-on, that's what I like about it.

LOVE: the fabric: thick, warm, soft, three strands - two of the ancient Reynolds "St. Tropez" silk mohair and one of a Noro wool/silk blend (where did that ball band go?). Five to six stitches every 2 inches. Fat.
LOVE: the complete weirdness of it. You start with the flap in the back, and as I did the short rows, it turned into the perfect shape for the front of a cute tank top I could design for Christy some day. Tuck that away for future reference. It's just an odd Elizabeth Zimmerman unvention and that's why I love it.
LOVE: it's WARM.

HATE: that it makes me look like a mongol warrior.

HATE: that it tends to ride up on my head a little and the flaps bag out and let the wind in. I discovered this when I tried to wear it ice skating.

(Check out Flathead Lake.
It is frozen at Somers Bay so thick and clear straight through. In a shallow area I watched tiny fish dart about as they heard me on the ice above.)

HATE: that the two strands of St. Tropez are the wrong color for the Noro and the Noro gets lost in there. Too bad, and that was my poor judgment.

So, well, the hat is a good learning experience, and I might wear it someday. Can you think of anyone who would appreciate it? Would the dude with the tiny tripod wear it?

But I do like the fabric that I made on this project, and since there is a lot of that Reynolds St. Tropez hanging around in my stash, and I got some Lamb's Pride wool/mohair at the last yarn swap, I've been swatching:

Remember when Cheryl Oberle showed us how to make multicolored yarn at that Knitter's Camp way back when? Heh heh heh. I think I'm going to make a nice warm hat - with earflaps but not a mongol flap - and a pair of mittens that I can wear ice skating. So I'd better start cutting and knotting my yarn.
And by the way, how's Jim's scarf coming along? Is it keeping him warm yet? Love you, Mary