Despite my best efforts...

...I forgot to pack a key ingredient to success with my main knitting project:  the pattern.  I know exactly where it is.  I never even picked it up in the packing frenzy before we left.

I had a moment of panic, then remembered that I overpacked all my knitting projects.  I then had a moment of "not wanting to do any of them" which I quickly shushed.

THEN I got on the computer looking for other free patterns, thinking that that would be all I needed to get myself going using that lovely yarn.  After a while I decided that the beautiful yarn deserves to be what I originally intended for it...

At which point I pulled out all my bags of yarn, looked longingly at the bag full of wound off hanks and put it back in the knitting bag.  I picked out the lovely multicolor merino by Malabrigo and made this hat.

Not a bad use of my Saturday if I may say so.  I can't wait to get it home, wash it and sew the "snail" on the side so that it lays all flat.  I'm already planning the scarf/cowl I'm going to make with the vast amount of leftover yarn I have.  I'm thinking weaving a scarf makes most sense as it goes about 100x faster and I won't hate it before it's finished...