In Which the Pirate Plans a Hat.

Dad’s jumped on the handknit bandwagon (not that I can blame him; handknits are great) and asked me to make him a hat. And how could I refuse anything Dad asks of me? Yesterday I looked up a bunch of patterns and then stopped by Needles in the Haymarket on my way home from work to pick up this hank of Cascade 220 in charcoal gray, as requested. There were a bunch of people there for the Thursday night Stitch ‘n Bitch who were happy to help give an opinion on which colourway was *the perfect* charcoal gray. They invited me to join them, but I had to run home. Maybe next week – they’re a friendly group, and they have wine. What’s not to love about knitting and wine?

This is the hat pattern I like best of all the ones I looked at, but I’d add enough length to the bottom that it could be folded over for a double-thick ear covering. I like the way the ribbing goes all the way up to the top and how neatly the decreases fit into one another… but if Dad would rather have a hat with a ribbed bottom and smooth top, I can do that too. I’d like the fatherly seal of approval on it before I get started. (Hint, hint. I know you’re reading.)

I consider myself super lucky to have the parents I have. Both Mom and Dad are pretty awesome, and I’m happy to have the chance to knit for each of them. Is there a better way to show love to one’s parents than with handmade gifts to keep them warm? It’s like a hug that they can carry around with them all the time. Well, as long as it’s cold outside, anyway.

We had some excitement up here on the mountain this week: a black bear went on a rampage through the neighborhood. First he tried to break into the house two down from us. Then he went next door, stomped some bird feeders flat and knocked over all the potted plants. After all that effort, he took a drink from our fish pond, knocking several of the big rocks into the water. Then he must have wanted to relax with a nice soak in our hot tub. But without opposable thumbs, necessary to lift the cover off the tub, I guess he decided to tear his way in. Pirate-Husband and I are going to try to repair the cover this weekend with some super-strong tape and spray foam. Hopefully it’s not damaged so badly that we can’t fix it. Living next to a nature preserve does have its downsides on occasion…