Insert lecture about blocking right about here.⁠

See how much more even and regular the orange hat is compared to the purple one? Yeah. That’s because I blocked the orange one already.⁠

I’m actually going to block it a second time while doing A Sneaky Trick here in a little bit. But even the most basic blocking (get it truly soaked, squeeze out the water, smooth it out flatish, and let it dry) makes a tremendous difference. ⁠

No pins. No props. Just a bowl of water and five minutes of active time (time spent soaking or drying doesn’t really demand much of your attention).

As always, yes there will be a pattern (should be the first one of the new year). Mailing list folks will hear about it early in the new year. And if you want the magical yarn that does at lest half the work for you, make sure you’re keeping an eye on Gauge Dye Works!