PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

With all the amazing fibers and colors available in the yarn world today the opportunity for creating your own cloth offers a wealth of freedom for expression. I knit these hats and swatches about six years ago when I was working in another yarn shop that offered a great variety so I had the chance to experiment with fibers and stitches.

The blue, white and red hat are a single ply -- practically roving -- and the multicolored swatch uses remnants of a light blue yarn for weaving, and hand dyed merino wool. Playing with my Harmony Guide, I picked a two color cable with the idea to knit ear flaps for a hat, add stitches for the back of the hat, and keep the two color cable going.

Well, they do somewhat resemble mutton chops, and the chevron stitch in the red and blue are a bit subtle, but this hat was a hit on the runway last year at the Brooklyn Conservatory where my friend Raphael used it in a fashion show. In muscles and swim trunks the model walked the runway with confidence and my hat covered the beautiful locks of an Adonis. This hat is one of a kind and what initially looked like a odd pairing of yarn worked in the end. Trying something out of the norm can create a fresh new twist on a classic stitch.