Stealth Shedir

I believe this is the last of the unblogged projects, and you haven't even seen a peak of this one because it was a stealth project.

Pattern: Shedir (Ravelry link) by Jenna Wilson, Knitty Fall 2004

Yarn: Universal Yarns Cotton Supreme, less than one skein

Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm)

Started/Completed: January 15/January 29

Mods: omitted one round of the ribbing at the brim and two repeats of the cable pattern

I couldn't show you this project until now because it was a surprise: Several months ago, a friend's mother was diagnosed with cancer and began undergoing treatment. I felt like I needed to do something, so naturally I pulled out my knitting needles. My LYS didn't have the Rowan Calmer called for in the pattern, so in the interest in staying with a fiber that would be non-irritating, I selected a cotton. Unfortunately, this yarn -- while smooth and very soft -- was a little thicker than the Calmer, so my gauge went a bit wonky. I made a few adjustments to make up for the gauge issue, namely omitting a hefty number of rows, but I'm counting on the cotton yarn to shrink a bit when it's washed.

To be completely honest, working all these cables with a cotton yarn was not much fun for my hands, but I found the pattern to be completely enchanting and enjoyable. Maybe someday I find a skein of Calmer and knit one that will actually fit my head!

Many thanks to my friends at Natural Stitches, who allowed me to use their head to model this hat!