A WIP & A Review

Earlier in the week, I learned it was supposed to snow a decent amount (I live outside of Portland, OR…it doesn’t snow much here). This of course meant I would need a hat. Therefore, I should knit one!

In 2 days.

I am nothing if not ambitious.

The beauty of having a decently sized stash is that when I get the urge to make something, I can usually find something that sparks my interest. I had very vague criteria for the yarn. I wanted something worsted so it would knit up quickly.

That’s it, that was my criteria. I then decided that maybe using yarn I haven’t knit with before wasn’t a terrible idea either.

Waaaaaay back in August, I wrote about purchasing some yarn from Oink Pigments and that I signed up for their yarn of the month club. I ended up getting 4 shipments of the yarn club (all the yarn BEAUTIFUL) but never got around to actually using the yarn.

I am great at buying yarn…not so great at using it.

After comparing the skeins, I decided to go with September’s club entry. It’s in Dapper (their worsted weight) and the colorway is called “Total Eclipse of the Heart”.

I, of course, did not get a picture in the skein but here it is mid-project.

I. AM. IN. LOVE.

The pattern is Bankhead by Susie Gourlay (Ravelry Link). It’s a free pattern and is pretty simple. It’s good for working on when watching TV or when I’m having a think at work. The twisted ribbing is delightful.

The yarn is really good to work with. It’s cozy but substantial - if that makes sense? It kind of reminds me of Cascade 220 but nicer. It’s 100% Superwash Merino, 4-ply and, as you can see, has excellent stitch definition. Usually when I make hats, I use something like Malabrigo worsted. Which is single-ply and squishy but feels more delicate. I think this yarn could hold up to some abuse.

I was pleasantly surprised! I also have a skein of their DK weight in Redrum and I had started swatching with that and I didn’t love it. It felt too…slick? I’m not sure if that’s the right word for it. But, I also hate swatching in the round (where you pull it all across the needles so there’s these long floats in the back and it’s messy and horrible) so I could have been projecting.

All I know is I’m now excited to start using the other Oink Pigment yarns I have!

From Left to Right - All the Fall Things, It’s So Fluffy I’m Going to Dye!, Scream Inside Your Heart, Creep it Real

I may have just a few laying around.