Modified from original. Aran instead of worsted, earflaps, voyageur-style instead of ski cap. Instead of ribbing, I added a band that says “JANUARY 2014” with the four lowest windchills we had that month (-23, -28, -35, -48) and then lined the band with fleece. Don’t have a picture of it yet, but instead of a tassel or pompom on the end of the voyageur tail, I knit the letters D-E-A-T-H (garter stitch so they stay flat) and dangled them from graduated lengths of i-cord (the letters are all the blue Vicki Howell yarn); I really like them, so hopefully I’ll get a picture to post (they were my daughter’s idea - Thank you, Rachel!!!). Part of why I used aran yarn was that it was what I had on hand, and I was SUPER crabby about the SUPER HORRIBLE cold up here in MN and wanted to make the hat RIGHT NOW, as I was sitting in the living room with all my layers (wool socks, bulky cashmere sweater, scarf, hat) and a hot-sock (sock filled with rice, microwaved) and a blanket, trying to stay warm…but, also, I was hoping if I changed the gauge just a bit and added the temperature band, the word “fuck” would occur up on the crown of my head, so that it would still be obviously there for everyone to see, but I wouldn’t be walking around campus with it blazoned across my forehead. It ended up being just about where I was hoping it would, more thanks to good fortune than any kind of deliberate skill on my part.

Feb. 13: This is currently making the rounds of my friends of friends of friends on Facebook. It’s a sentiment shared by many.