Out of Fiber: Black Iris Hat

I've been working at our local specialty yarn store for six weeks and I get to tag all of the new yarn that comes through our doors. About two weeks ago a yarn came in that I couldn't resist. It's call Eco Puna Black. It's made from naturally black baby alpaca wool. So It is godly soft and the black is so dark it's hard to believe it isn't dyed. Alpaca have more natural coat colors that any other fiber sources we use and one of those colors is a true deep black. It's very rare now, but it's stunning to see in person. Because it hasn't been dyed the baby alpaca fiber is even softer than after dying.

After seeing and feeling this yarn I had to make something out of it. It was just too cool to have a piece made from the few alpaca in the world that have truly black wool. Especially since alpaca is my favorite fiber. I thought a hat would be perfect. Not to much wear and tear, since alpaca is a soft fiber and it wouldn't take too much, so I wouldn't have to spend too much. I found a cute hat pattern from Ravelry and got the approval from the husband.

I've been working on it for a bit, because I had to pull it out a few times and go off pattern to get the effect I was wanting. I worked through to a puff row after the back loop row, before decreasing to have a bit more of the lace. I worked the large size first, but it was incredibly huge, so I pulled out what I had worked until I felt it was a good size and went from there.

It was a bit frustrating, because I tried another pattern with this yarn first that my husband wanted and it didn't turn out well. So I picked this pattern and the pattern wasn't accurate to the picture, so I had to correct that. The yarn held up much better than I thought it would and still looks great even though I had to pull it out three or more times, during the whole process.

I'm glad to finally have it done and it looks great and it really comfy to wear. Now I have a cherished alpaca beret that came from the few black alpacas in the world. I'll be wearing it with pride.

I've been wanting to incorporate more darker colors and outfits into my wardrobe to have fun with Dark Mori style stuff. This hat will make a great addition to that goal.