Super Bowl Sunday - a Knitting Anniversary

Today is Super Bowl Sunday where the Saints will meet the Colts in a battle for who's the best in American Football.  As I write this, the hoopla is starting.  The game doesn't start for four hours, but the televised drama is begining.

For me, the Super Bowl marks a begining. 

Last year, during the Super Bowl, I spun some goregeous black suri alpaca for my very first knitted hat with real needles.  I had knitted several hats using a loom and tried to knit a scarf that became quite boring.

During the game, I spun enough yarn to knit my very first London Beanie.  The yarn was ok.  Chunky and thin.  Overspun in places.  But it was the first hand-spun I used to make something useful.

I had to knit the hat twice because I did not understand the relationship between a pattern's stretch and the finished size.

But I finished the hat and gave it to my friend.