The Really Ugly Hat That Started It All

So I decided that I had to learn to spin, for some crazy reason, and I bought a length of roving from Lambspun in Ft. Collins Co. that was called "saharan brindle" and was a marino, silk, alpaca and cashmere blend, if I remember right. I also bought a drop spindle and a couple of books and proceeded to make a giant mess of tangled fluff all over my house, create horrible charlie-horses in my shoulder and drive everyone around me crazy showing them my hideously ugly yarn over and over. I finally wrenched enough two ply out of that poor roving to make something (anything!) and set out to shamelessly copy a beautiful crocheted hat I bought at a craft fair in Jackson Hole the previous fall. My copy does not even resemble the lovely original, but it did keep my head warm for the whole winter season. I even cobbled out enough silk yarn to do a sort of improvised lining on the lower three inches of the inside, to make the fabric thicker and more wind-proof. I also thought that the silk would feel better on the skin, but as it turns out, the wool has held up and weathered more nicely than the silk, which has sort of matted and pilled unpleasantly. It's no beauty contest winner, but it's still my favorite skiing hat.