The Hat
Cyprus has always been my hat man. When he was born, even though he was due in the summer, I worked to make him a hat, and from the moment he was born until he outgrew it, that hat was on his head or near his head. It was made out of hand spun yarn that was mostly angora rabbit. After I was done with it, it had bloomed quite a bit and it was adorable. That hat has since been lent out and lost, but I remember it very fondly.
Of course, not having a hat was unacceptable for Cyprus, so I pulled out the trusty spinning wheel and spun up some grey Shetland/Angora yarn that was to die for. I had also recently run into a hat pattern I couldn’t live without, so I spent a frantic week spinning and knitting a hat #2 for Cyprus. Technically, it was a matching hat, sock, pants set. The socks got good use and have since been outgrown. The pants have also been outgrown, so the only thing that is left is the hat. BOY does Cyprus love and appreciate that hat!
Young kids have a reputation of being hard to keep hats on, and they tend to lose them easily, but looking back through my year of photos, I see the many, many times the hat has warmed the head of my little man.
It kept him warm last winter while we were outside in the weather quite a bit trying to set up a farm.
It did its job in the dead of winter when we received our only snow of the season and had to go out and play all morning.
It accompanied him out to do the chores during the long, late spring.
It kept the wind off his bald head while we explored the tulip fields.
It made him look adorable at every possible opportunity.
And, after a long summer break, it again made an appearance as we went out to explore some Pioneer Cemeteries for Halloween.
And he has worn it almost every single day since the weather started to get cold. Recently, someone was asking me about using Angora in yarn, I asked Cyprus to grab his hat to show an example. He went and grabbed his hat and came running through the house shouting, “I’ve got my hat, there is rabby (his work for rabbit) in my hat.” He was so proud to show it off.
The hat now tells a story, it has a meaning for me, and it’s still a bit big, so I know it will continue on keeping my boy cute and warm for another few years before he out grows it and it is time to make a new one. This, folks, is why I knit.