Pattern: Octopus Beanie by Cathy Dobson
Yarn: Hawthorn and Thistle Farmstead Jacob Lambs Wool in Natural Gray and Blue
Needles: Size 2.5 DPNs and circs
When I saw this pattern, I had to make it. The sample also happened to be in the two colors of the yarn I was looking for patterns for, so it really seemed like it was meant to be.
This was the most complex colorwork chart I’ve ever worked with, not because it was hard exactly, but because it was so big! I got along much better when I realized that a highlighter was my friend. I was able to mark off what I’d done, but still read what had happened in the row below.
I got this yarn the Common Ground Fair a few years ago, so it’s nice and local. The only slightly bad thing I can say about it is that the dye didn’t get into the bits below the ties holding the skein together. So I can confirm that they used the same natural gray as the base of the blue, because I do have some very random gray blots in the middle of some otherwise blue areas. That said, it was a lovely yarn to work with, and with the sheer volume of the ladders I ended up with, it should be nice and warm.