Spindle Spun Yarn for a Special Project

It's no secret that I am a Rory Gallagher fan. A HUGE Rory Gallagher fan. Rory Gallagher's music is practically a religious experience for me, and the boy surely didn't ever hurt anyone's eyes, either! So, all that taken into consideration, of course I belong to a list or two where people's feelings about Rory are equal to (or greater than) my own.

So, I was really sad to read that one of our nicest English fans is currently struggling with cancer and chemotherapy, and has lost her hair. We're only nodding acquaintences on the list, but I still felt moved by her story and sent a message offering to make a hat. I told the lady to pick a color, and I would get the roving and spin and knit for her.

Well, of course a blues fan will choose blue, so I found this gorgeous merino/tencel stuff. The only trouble was, I wanted to start spinning when I wouldn't have a wheel on hand. What you see in the pictures is four ounces of 2-ply yarn, all spindle spun on the Golding I treated myself to at NH Sheep & Wool this year. So, the spinning went a little slower than it would on a wheel, but it's all hand done, and many good vibes for this nice lady have gone into it. For a fellow Rory fan, I will of course design something that has a relevance to him. The hat will be a watch cap, but the band at the bottom will feature Cork Cables, from one of Barbara Walker's treasuries.
Rory lived in Cork City for quite some time, and my friend just had to miss the 2007 tribute show held there due to her illness. So, Cork Cables seem significant, plus it's a nice stitch pattern.
The closeup picture gives the most accurate depiction of the color. I just love this yarn! Had never worked with tencel before, but will never hesitate agan. What beautiful stuff!

Off to knit now. I can't wait to see how this is going to work up, and I'll be sure to post pictures when I have something else worth showing.