Power Beenie!

Got a Ravelry PM from my friend Kathy of While Tangerine Dreams, saying that Pluckyfluff has issued another spinners challenge on her blog, and that I should participate. I checked it out, and she was on the money; the I Dream of Beenie Power Beenie challenge was right up my proverbial alley. Here's the challenge:

1. spin a yarn that is either:
a) symbolic/representative of you.
b) consists of your favorite fibers/materials/colors
c) illustrates a theme/concept that you identify yourself with
d) all of the above

2. knit/crochet/whatever a beenie in a size and style that suits you
or says something about you.

I'd been working on a hat using my 'Easter Bunny on Acid' Lockalicious yarn (remember that one? A corespun singles of Cotswald locks in screamingly loud colors from The Speckled Ram?). Just finished it in time today to enter it as my submission to the challenge. Vote for your favorite on Pluckyfluff's blog, and view the gallery at The Yarn Museum.

Here's the description I gave of my spinning/knitting process:

I am a Hat Ho. I *love* hats! I love knitting them, crocheting them, wearing them - all of it. All year long, I sport a hat of one type or another, and in some circles, when I'm without one, it's cause for comment.

My other love is color, LOTS of color. My personal motto: "Color can't hurt you!". Any self-respecting hat needs to be chock-full of loads of color if it wants to find itself atop my nut. Oh, and texture ain't bad, either.

So the Power Beenie is the perfect challenge for me. A few weeks ago, I received an order of Cotswald locks from The Speckled Ram (hi, Pepper!), in the most outrageously loud colors - shocking pink, acid green, screaming yellow, and a lovely purple (a neutral in my world) - my faves. I decided then and there to spin up a yarn just for myself. I love spinning locks; I'm like a crow, seeking out shiny things, and love the shine and slick, curly texture of locks. So I corespun one of my Lockalicious singles which I called "Easter Bunny on Acid". :) Couldn't have been happier with how it turned out.

There was never any question that I'd turn EBoA into a hat; that's just what I do. But I've been so busy spinning in preparation of vending at Black Sheep Gathering, I haven't had much time/energy left over for knitting. So for the last few weeks I've been dragging it along to Purl 'n Hurl, the Humboldt SnB I attend, and knitting a row or 2 each time (I tend to quaff and conversate more than actually knit at these gatherings.) Got it almost finished this week, just needed to find the right 'ending' for it.

Then today my friend Tangerine Dreams gave me a heads-up about this challenge, and my beenie's fate was sealed. Just under the wire, I finished my Power Beenie, and I'm completely in love with it! Can't wait to show it off tomorrow at my weekly SIP (spin-in-public) at our Farmer's Market. Ta da!

Tags: COLORBOMB Creations, FOs, handspun, hat, knitting