The Knitting Fiend

I thought my next newsboy hat would be knit in this beautiful camel colored yarn. But, alas, that is not to be.

I bought the yarn long ago, but never knit it. It’s as fine as thread, but silky soft. The cone is unlabeled; I think I bought it on ebay. Of course, I kept no records. I had no idea whatsoever what the yarn is made from.

Undeterred, I tried a burn test. It smelled like wool. Wool felts. Promising.

So, I wound some yarn off using my little winder (substituting a toilet paper roll for a cone, since all my little cones are full.) I wound again, and again, until I had 5 strands plied together. Then I knit up a swatch.

While knitting, I knew this just wasn’t going to do. The fabric yarn was absolutely beautiful. And drapey. That’s perfect for a sexy sweater, but not exactly what you want in a newsboy hat, right?

But, felting would certainly cure the drapeyness, right? Well, sometimes. But, I forsaw a potential problem: super-wash wool can be limp and drapey.

Still, a swatch only takes a short time to finish. Throwing a swatch in the wash is pretty easy too. So, I finished and threw it in the laundry with whites. It did not felt. You can see the swatch looks just fine in the “after” picture I posted.

Unfortunately, “fine” is no good for a newsboy hat. Who wants a drapey, fluttery, limp newsboy cap? This yarn will eventually become a ruana, cape, shawl or something. Not a hat.

Fortunately, I have other cost free options to supply my test knitting needs. There’s that stash Mom’s friend Jill gifted me. I figured the perfect skein lay within. It did.

A skein of “Brown Sheep Worsted”.

I don’t know how old this yarn is. The label indicates a variety Brown Sheep doesn’t sell anymore. Jill, who spins, hand knits, machine knits, and weaves, began her stash accumulation at least 30 years ago. The yarn is barely twisted; it looks nice and hefty after felting. The color is between gray and mauve.

Who cares how old it is? It’s perfect for a nice chunky newsboy cap. (Hey, if the hat works out, maybe I should give this to Jill?)

I cast 16 stitches on some big needles, knit a swatch, measured the gauge before felting, and threw the swatch in another load of whites. I took it out, and let it dry.

You can see the wonderfully felted swatch. (Notice there are 2 edges stitches and a few edge rows of garter stitch. I’ve learned one must do something to make it easy to measure the gauge after felting.)

So, those of you who’ve enquired by email, the hand knit newsboy hat generator should be available on Monday.