I have been wanting to make myself a raffia hat for a very long time, and I had tried 5 years or so ago but the colour wasn’t right and the pattern wasn’t good so I gave up.
When I saw this yarn was onsale, I decided to give it a go (it was keeping other yarn company!) - at worst I will enjoy making it, and I am sure I can find a home for it if I needed to and at best, I will have a new hat!

I have worked on this slowly, as working the raffia at this gauge, whilst results in a great fabric is a little cramp inducing in the hands. So mixing it up with other projects has worked well.

The pattern is GOOD! Well written, easy to follow and comprehensive in the directions - easy to modify slightly as desired too. I was really surprised and pleased with how well the fabric blocked (I squashed some towels into a head shape and the circumference I wanted, and I added a little as I don’t like tight things on my head, then wrapped with some jersey to make it smoother - worked really well!)

I think I like it. I am going to go with it for it now, it looks WAY better than my sad old hat (well, it has been good but I got it when Middle was a baby….Middle is now a teenager so the hat has had a good life!).
So if it doesn’t grow on me, I will rehome, but so far it is growing on me already!

I really enjoyed making it and might make up the orginal red and purpley one I had to this pattern and then find that a home.

The only issue I had was that whislt I bought 4 balls all from the same dyelot, the first ball I checked was quite a bit brighter in the greens, and I am glad it was the first one, as it worked in this instance.

The Wool Inn
Are so utterly FABULOUS to deal with. Second order with them and SO happy! Friendly, fast, helpful AMAZING! Highly recommended. (I ordered over the phone and had a message from AusPost app saying that parcel was in the post within 2hrs! Seriously AMAZING! I got my parcel TWO days later!)