Just at the moment I can’t seem to stop making things for other people. Some of them are Christmas gifts for people who read The Blog, so have to stay under wraps for now (expect a blogging cascade in January when all has been revealed!), and others are for people whose receiving-things occasion hasn’t come around yet… And that’s not even including the train hats which as we all know are an entirely different kettle of bananas altogether!

My latest project is for someone who knew she was getting something, but didn’t know what.

This friend Tracey is someone who (of course) I barely know. Steve has met her husband “in proper life” as the kids would say, but I’ve only communicated with her by Twitter. Of an age with me (I think – possibly a bit younger) she is having to attempt to survive breast cancer a second time. A couple of weeks ago she blogged very movingly about losing her hair. Again. And how she thought she was prepared for it, but actually wasn’t as prepared as she had hoped.

So, me being me, I offered – in a not-intending-to-be-especially-charitable kinda-way – to make her a hat. She said deep red would be lovely (as a fellow labour party member, could she really have said any other colour??!?).

So, I searched out an appropriate pattern… and plumped for the Cayuga Set by Connie Chang Chinchio, a designer whose work I have quite a lot of on my ravelry faves list…

At the first opportunity (Wednesday morning) I dashed to my LYS and bought appropriate yarn. I’ve gone for King Cole Comfort Aran in deep red (shade 336). I got 2 100g balls because although I was only intending to make the hat at first, I didn’t want to limit my knitting choices…

And sure enough, by the time I was dropping the children off at Dad & Gill’s on Thursday evening, I was ready to do the sewing in.

I really like this hat. I may have to make another one. I think the style and colour possibly suit me as well. And I like to think it shows a certain solidarity with Tracey if I’m wearing an almost exact copyhat. Plus, I showed it to my friend Lorna who went straight home and cast on a set for herself.

So, since the yarn was there anyway, and who doesn’t like a matching set I went ahead and made the mittens. They’ve come out looser than I’d like gauge-wise but hopefully will still act as a warm-ish layer.

So, here you go, Tracey. I have every confidence you’ll get to wear them to shreds.

Update: I’ve been so long getting the photos of this off the camera that Tracey’s beaten me to blogging about it. The hat looks a lot better on her.