Test Knitting

I'm very much of a process knitter. I love to try new techniques, yarns, patterns, etc. Many times I end up with a finished object for which I have no real use -- it just goes into my box of finished objects, waiting for an eventual home. Sometimes I sign up to test knit an item for a designer (via the Ravelry group Free Pattern Testers). I just finished a new hat using Fionnghuala Doran's Green Cable Beret pattern. Test knitting a project is always challenging. There's a time limit, you must complete the item, and sometimes there are mistakes in the pattern. In this particular case, I was having problems with gauge -- mine was very different from the designer's prototype -- while no gauge was given, but it didn't take long to realize there was a problem --- my hat was HUGE. So I had to frog the first attempt and make a series of modifications to reduce the size while still keeping the pattern intact. Ta da -- my first finished object of the year. And it used the natural wool I bought at a local farmer's market from Signal Rock Farm. The wool was quite rough and scratchy, but softened up considerably when washed/blocked.