Hats Off (to me!)

I have been busy recently, cleaning out the Tivo and doing some knitting.

This is Odessa, from Grumperina.
It looks different from hers, doesn't it? That's because I'm left-handed, so my swirls go in the opposite direction. This does not, of course, detract from its cuteness.

The yarn is handspun, hand-dyed merino from Uraguay that I bought on eBay last year. The main color is dark green, and it has touches of pink and fuschia throughout. It's sooo soft and pretty. I'm totally in love with this yarn.
The only change I made was in needle size. I used size 2s for the ribbing and 4s for the body, because when I used the larger needles, the hat fell down over my ears and I looked like Dumb Donald (which is to say: AWESOME! but impractical).

But I didn't stop there ...

I also finished this:

It looks like a big blob of nothing, right? Maybe this will help:

It's a tam. They look so cute on other people, but this bear looks like Castro to me.
I used black acrylic WalMart yarn for the band, because I was afraid I would run out of the main yarn. I'm not sure of its name, but it's from JoAnn, and it is PRE-BEADED. I don't know if you've ever tried stringing beads, but it is a thankless task, and every time I do it I can't help but think of that quote about dressing a pig. My SP7 sent me this yarn (thanks, Angela!) and I've only just found something to use it for.
In retrospect, I wish I'd made the body of the hat longer, because I'm afraid it will make my head look like a mushroom. Eh, live and learn.

Finally:

I saw this yesterday in The Metropolis. I thought they were just a myth, like leprechauns.