When my husband and I started dating, one of my first gifts to him was a hand-knit hat.

I made it out of a super-soft alpaca/merino blend yarn from Lang Yarns called “Naima”. I got it at Article Pract in Oakland. If you’ve never been to Article Pract, I highly recommend it: their staff is wonderful and their yarns are luxurious.

The pattern is called “Hot Head”, from Stitch ‘n’ Bitch. I made a few modifications to account for gauge difference.

Here’s me, taking it for a spin:

The final product is very light as it has a fairly loose knit, but because it’s alpaca/merino it’s still incredibly warm.