I belong to a yarn of the month club at Three Irish Girls, and one of the yarns this year was a lovely wool/silk blend.  The yarn is called Aster. I have no idea where you can buy this yarn, but it is really something special.  It’s soft and smooth and has a gorgeous sheen to it. 

If your name is Mom, don’t read any further or you will spoil your Christmas presents! 

 I knew I wanted to do something super special with it but I wasn’t sure what. I thought some kind of hat, but did not know what pattern would really show off the yarn.  I recently noticed the Esther Williams Hat Pattern, written by Laura from my knitting group, and thought it would be perfect.  The yarn works up at a slightly smaller gauge than the pattern calls for so I was afraid I would have to make some modifications but I didn’t. Maybe I have a small head, but I think the reality is that this yarn is nice and sproingy so it has a bit of flexibility.

 This hat was a really easy knit. The instructions are a little intimidating, but once I tried it I realized it was actually quite simple.  I am really pleased with the result!  

 With the leftover yarn, I have enough for a pair of fingerless mitts. I’m roughly following Knitty’s Fetching although I wish I had looked for a pattern with a thumb gusset. Oh well.