Howlcat

As the weather has got cooler I have been on a hat knitting kick.  It's not surprising really, hats are essential when you are on a mobility scooter in cooler weather.  Your ears get severely chilled when you are whipping by at the rapid speed of 4mph.  They also keep your hair in check, which is more important than you would think.  It's hard to steer with your eyes and mouth full of hair!

This project is one that I have had in my queue for a while.  I was waiting for the right yarn and then I got a discount voucher for Tangled Yarn and they stock Malabrigo!  I splurged!

I bought a skein of Malabrigo Rios in Niebla.  This is a worsted weight yarn in superwash merino.

I love this yarn, I used it before in a Woolly Wormhead hat that I wear a lot, Camden Cap.  This stone colour is the perfect neutral that goes with everything.  The hat pattern I chose to knit is actually made up of two different weights of yarn, so to go with this lovely worsted weight yarn, I got a contrasting sock weight yarn, Malabrigo Sock in Impressionist Sky.

I imagine you are not surprised that when given a discount voucher I splurged on Malabrigo Sock, are you? It is my favourite yarn, after all.

The pattern, Howlcat by Alexandra Tinsley, is very clever and basically is a "buff", which is an essential piece of most hikers' and climbers' kit.  I thought it would be invaluable when the colder weather started.  You can wear it as a hat.

But it is open ended, so you can also wear it as a cowl.  It is also reversible because of the ribbing in the worsted weight part of the garment.

As you can see, this Howlcat is fairly snug on me.  I think for a hiker, that would be a good thing, as merino wicks away moisture and doesn't smell of sweat as it does so.  Most polar buffs are made from merino and that is why I chose to use these yarns.  Well, that and I love knitting in Malabrigo!

After trying on this item I decided that I would probably wear it for about 4 days in the year as it was so warm and snug.  I decided to offer it to my friend who hikes, and is going to Nepal in a month or so to hike up mountains.  She nearly bit my hand off when I offered it to her.  She loves it and it going with her on her grand adventure.  I love it when my hand knits accompany friends and family to places I can't go, it's like they have a tangible reminder of me with them.

I was sad that this pattern was too snug on me, but I am really happy that I was able to give it to someone who would use it regularly on her long walks in cold weather.  I'm also really happy that I have over half of the Malabrigo Sock left!  I wonder if it's enough for another Sockhead Hat?