Although there aren’t many (any?) days of the year that I really need a warm beanie here in California, I’ll be traveling home for Thanksgiving and to a conference in Germany shortly after, so I wanted to make an awesome, slouchy, cozy hat.

I chose the Tied Knots beanie by Justyna Lorkowska. It’s a really beautiful free pattern for DK weight yarn. The only modification I made was to go down a couple needle sizes. It knit up very quickly!

I used some Rowan Alpaca Colour that I got when I subscribed to Rowan Magazine last year. I had 3 skeins of it, and I only used about one and a half for this project, so maybe I’ll make some mittens or gloves to go with the hat. I think Rowan may have discontinued this yarn, but it’s very soft. I’m didn’t really realize that the yarn had such clear stripes before I started knitting it up, and I’m not sure that I love them for this piece. I think I would have preferred a solid color. But I like that it’s different.

I swear that the trees near where I live are more colorful this fall than they have been for the other three falls I’ve spent here. It’s great! I’ve been trying to take a lot of walks in autumn-y clothes with a tea to go so I really soak in all of the season.

I’m looking forward to my upcoming travels – any recommendations on yarn stores in Munich?