I had never knit anything other than a beanie (okay, a LOT of beanies) before I found this pattern. I had been wanting one, but couldn’t bring myself to buy one before I tried making one myself.

This one is made from the Olympic Tam pattern by Lisa Gaskell. It has bobbles and a yarn-over pattern. I omitted the pompom on top.

One of the interesting things about this project was that you block it over a dinner plate to get the slouchy look.

Do you prefer to make something first, or buy it? What kind of accessories do you like to make instead of buying?

(Also, what kind of information about these projects would you like to see?)