I’m not sure if it’s something to be proud of, but I sent my sister Itsagift a text from Hobart to brag that I had bought yarn within two hours of the plane landing. I was visiting with a group of friends and managed to get from the airport to the hotel, check in, dump my bag and run into town to get to the Stash Cupboard just before it closed on a Friday afternoon. Dedication? Obsession? Let’s not get hung up on labels.

Julie was part of the group and had asked for a new hat to supplement her hat wardrobe. The previous one was red so we were looking for a colourway that would be complementary but different, if that makes sense. I dragged her along to the shop and steered my non-knitty friend away from the 4ply and laceweight yarns until she found this 10ply - result! Nice and fast to knit.

I had heard of Lorna’s Laces but hadn’t ever seen it before. I’m now quite a fan - it’s really soft and the colours are lovely. I cast on 80 stitches, increasing up to 84, which seemed to be a good size. The hat knitted up very quickly and should be very welcome now that it’s winter in Sydney.

And if you are in Hobart, I thoroughly recommend a trip to the Stash Cupboard; they are very nice people and don’t even blink when you fall breathlessly through their door five minutes before closing time. That’s classy.