zion lion

Last week someone from Wool and the Gang asked if I'd like to try one of their kits, so I was very excited to receive this bundle of awesome in the mail. They sent me a kit for the Zion Lion Hat.

There are so many great designs, yarns and kits on their site (like this! and this!), and I'm really glad I know about this company now. First, I love the graphics and layout of their packaging:

Inside is a pile of pure gorgeousness:

I big ball of super bulky yarn (200g), a pattern booklet, tapestry needles, a sticker, a wee pin and some absolutely stunning rosewood knitting needles.

The yarn. How I love this yarn. It's a somewhat loosely-spun single, wool, very lofty and extremely soft.

Being super bulky it knits up very quickly. Like any single, care needs to be taken not to pull too hard and break the strand, but it's easily felted together again if that happens. I really love the ivory colour they sent me, especially on the rich wood of the needles.

This simple pattern is great for beginner knitters and there are lots of explanatory details and drawings for techniques. They also have online video tutorials, so their website is a great resource.

Et voila! A super cozy hat in no time at all. I still have 87g left over, so I'm plotting.

It's 30c today, so the photoshoot was brief, but MAN I LOVE THIS HAT. I really looked forward to wearing it this winter. Then the girl grabbed it when I wasn't looking and has now claimed it for herself. I may need to make another.