Home and Away

Dear NFL,

Please look away now. I'm not violating any trademark laws. Honest.

Thanks,

Me

When Amanda was in town a little while ago, we met up in the city at Loopy Yarns (on the South Loop). It's a nice little shop with a good selection. They carried a fantastic brand I had never heard of called Marisol. Amanda recognized and said, "Oh, I have some baby llama from them!"

Baby llama? I was done for. I had to try it. And, it was cheap! Only $7ish for nearly 100 yards.

At first I pondered something nautical in navy and white, but I was raised in the midwest. I would probably get seasick knitting it.

Then I noticed a lovely orange. There's a certain team in a certain midwestern town that has the colors of navy and orange. I decided I need a hat. I wasn't really sure how much to buy, so I grabbed two skeins of each.

I knit this hat first.

I did have to delve into the second skein of the navy, but not by much. And I barely used any orange. But it's a cute hat, and it fits really well. I don't know why I'm standing so funny, but look at the hat. It fits.

I was discussing this at one of my knitting groups, and pondered making the inverse. I don't really look good in orange, but I definitely had the yarn for it. Then Lorna made a brilliant suggestion. How had I never thought of this before? I could make home and away hats!
So I made the identical hat with the inverse of colors.

I made them up as I went along. It's a wide 2x2 ribbing at the band (enough to cover my ears), a stripe, the fair isle, another stripe, and then the rest just finished off in the main color.

And the llama was a wonderful choice. It's absolutely luxurious. I'm not quite show how to describe it. It has some of the same fluffy good qualities as alpaca, but it's a very different feel. You might be able to get a hat out of one skein, or a nice stipey one with just two. I still have enough left to get a kids hat or two out it.

Warning: You may get the llama song in your head every time you knit it.

In Summary:

Yarn: The Marisol Project Miski, 100% baby llama, 88 yds

Pattern: Home and Away Bears hats, making them up as I went along

Needles: US 7 (4.5mm) 16" circ and dpn

Time: About two days each hat

Cost: About $30 for two hats, and change