Turning Marina on it's side

This skein of Malabrigo Merino Worsted had strong words with me when I visited the Sheep Shop earlier in the year, so strongly in fact that it found it's way home with me. It was a beauty in the skein, but once home, every time I looked at it I didn't have the foggiest what I was going to do with it. I do like a bit of texture and detail in my designs and variegated colours drown them out... why oh why, I said to myself, do I keep falling for their charms?

And then, for whatever reason, I was struck with the urge to turn Marina on it's side and explore knitting vertically with the same stitch pattern. Turning stitch patterns through 90 degrees often produces interesting results, and I doubt it's something I'll ever tire of.

Within no time at all, this beautiful yet troublesome skein was balled and on my needles. And the Hat has worked effortlessly all the way through... my tired brain didn't even flinch with the crown shaping maths. Funny how some designs are meant to be, eh?

I wasn't sure whether I should publish it as a design, but now I think it must. And then I got thinking that maybe I could put together a collection of Hat designs specifically for these troublesome yet beautiful variegated yarns...