A More Stylish Option

The preparations for my trip last week included more than just the usual packing. There was knitting and blocking involved too. It was good because I needed the distraction from missing my girls.

The first project was one that they inspired - or more accurately, demanded. As you know, my M-I-L has been battling cancer for quite a while. At this point she's given up on ever getting her hair back. When she goes out she wears a wig but it's uncomfortable so she takes it off when we're in the house. She doesn't look bad with her bare head but she's constantly cold so she was wearing these terry-cloth turban things and they're not the most stylish things around.

Predictably my daughters looked at me and asked if I could come up with a better solution. How could I say no?



It was pretty challenging because she's not really one for a beret and I didn't want to make a boring hat. I really wanted to make something she'd like. I was so happy when I found Piper by Christa Giles. It was similar in style to the hated turbans but a little cooler.

Don't be fooled by the picture below, this hat fits the recipient perfectly. I didn't think my M-I-L would want to model for the blog so DQ did the honors but she's got more hair and was wearing a pony tail in this picture which threw things off a bit. On my M-I-L it fits perfectly.



Not only was it challenging to find the right pattern - the yarn was an issue too. My M-I-L lives in souther Florida and wool doesn't do it for her. I needed an easy care yarn that was soft and had a nice, rich, color. I wound up using Elann Bamboo Fusion and found it a little frustrating to work with but the end result was great.

It's a loosely plied yarn which makes it very splitty and not what you'd want for a project that requires you to pick up lot's of stitches (to create the piping). On the positive side, the color is great and it didn't bleed much at all when I soaked it. Truly, it's the end result than matters and this one looks lush and velvety and feels just as good.



I really hope that my M-I-L has lot's of opportunities to wear it.