As the weather jumps between cold and warm temperatures, I’ve been on a bit of a hat mission. Inkwell and Banded Hat are my most recent creations. Each took a handful of hours to complete due to calling for worsted weight, I was able to knit the bulk of both hats during afternoon naptime. Of the two, I probably prefer the Banded Hat pattern as it provides a bit of spice to a more classic hat design. That being said, Inkwell provides more opportunities to play with striping. Sometimes fast with lots of design possibilities is the best recipe for creativity.

Being a knitter, I get to work with and enjoy all kinds of fabrics worked into all kinds of shapes and textures. I’ve knit bulky sweaters and enjoyed how they make me sweat and fingering weight sweaters that seem to take forever. I love wearing them all and have even learned to branch out from my original favorite colors. To be blunt, I want all the knit things and am really only hindered by my knitting speed and budget.

This wasn’t always the case. When I was in high school, I hated anything that added bulk to my body. Perhaps it was body dysmorphia or a symptom of being a teenager, but I truly hated anything that had poof. Even my favorite t-shirts, ones I wore all the time, needed to hang a specific way on my body. I didn’t mind a straight look, but too loose and I immediately became self-conscious. This problem, if you will, was extended to my winter clothing. I didn’t feel comfortable wearing bulky hats or mittens. Thick socks were tolerable. It took me years to get over this and to this day I don’t have a good answer as to what caused the feelings in the first place.

It sounds really silly, but when I say things like “I want to wear that worsted/bulky weight hat all the time!”, it’s a mark of how far I’ve come. It’s exciting to be excited to wear things that my 16-year-old self would have been horrified to be caught dead in. Whether that be fun thick fabric or clothing that isn’t “on trend” (this is also funny because I NEVER had clothing that was on trend).

There is still a long way for me to go to get to a place where I can call myself body positive, but I hope that the work I continue to do will teach our daughter to love her own body and feel empowered to wear what she likes rather than what she thinks make her look good to others.

As always, use the discount YARNVIP for 15% off your total purchase from Wonderland Yarns (discount not eligible on sale items, with other discounts, or on yarn clubs) :]