Fun-ctional and Eco-Friendly

When I first read about the dream-swatch head wrap pattern on knit and tonic's blog, I thought to myself, "That's neat. And it's really pretty." However, it didn't strike me as something that I would knit. I dunno why. I think it was because its use seemed so vague - wear it around your head (or as a scarf, or as a really big wrist-band. Wear it however you want!). Then something happned - on a whim, I decided to knit it. I wanted to knit something new, kind of fun but not too hard, different, and quick. I wanted immediate satisfaction and a cool finished object. Dream swatch was perfect! I dug out the remnants of a ball of bamboo yarn I had been aching to put to good use. I'd originally got the yarn for a watch project I was putting together (which still hasn't quite gotten off the ground) and had lost the ball band long ago. No matter - with this project I could knit until I ran out of yarn and not worry too much. If the finished product didn't make it around my head, it would hopefully make it around someplace else or someone else's head.

Even more important than the finished project is what I learned from dream swatch. For the first time, I was knitting something for which I didn't have a determined use. It wasn't a bag or a sweater or a sock; it was just a long strip of cloth in a very cool pattern and a dynamite colorway. Dream swatch reminded me of how important it is to let go and just knit - the rest will work itself out. This turned out to be one of my favorite projects of the summer (so far) precisely because it was so different from what I had knit in the past. In having no specific uses, it had many general and functional uses. I ended up giving this dream swatch to a very creative friend of mine - my new coworker. It felt wonderful to be able to give her a gift that was made creatively but also could be used creatively.

I'm thinking of making another one, this time out of this gorgeous silk:

I'll keep you posted on my progress (hehehe). For those interested, you can find the dream swatch head wrap pattern on knit and tonic's website. It's available as a pdf download in the free pattern section. If you'd like to read more about the evolution of the dream swatch, knit and tonic discusses the pattern in her May 8, 2006 entry.