Designing Fair Isle

I've been knitting for about 3 years now, so I guess it was about time I learned how to strand across stitches! If you know me, you know I love color! I've done a lot of color work in my knitting but never really took the time to learn the proper techniques. Well, this approach failed me miserably when I tried to knit a large circle in the middle of a child's vest. I didn't yet know about stranding, so I just broke the yarn every time I was changing colors (I'll get a picture of that darn vest here soon). This created huge gaps in between color changes, and I thought, "there has to be a better method of doing this!" So I consulted a book my step-sister had gotten me for Christmas this year, and there it was! Fair Isle! Stranding! YAY! I'm sure for all non-knitters out there these terms mean absolutely nothing, sorry! And if you do knit and you don't know what they are, Learn 'em! It makes color changes so much easier!!
So my first project using my newly learned knowledge was the hat above, it was also the first hat I've ever knit flat and sewn up the back. Also, it was the first hat I've ever knit with ear flaps! I basically love everything about this hat (it's finished now, yes I promise to have a picture up soon!) I love the point at the top! I love the cute triangle pattern I came up with! I love the alpaca yarn (the white)!
I wonder if anyone has thoughts on this- Does knitting hats flat seem to add more thickness? I've knit a bunch of hats in the round using only stockinette stitch and they seem a lot thinner than this one. I think knitting and purling (garter stitch??) adds thickness.

A Vision of Love and How to Retain it

2 images fell
on disparate eyes
and in falling they were separate
then came together in the spiral of her vision
simultaneously a child's pure vision
and her own, adult one
low and high
just like under and over a counter
she saw at once the frailty in his movements
and his strength
he, a past and a future
wrong decisions and overstatements,
shortcomings,
yet
a grand performance by this man
right here in front of her
his wrinkles were nothing short of mysterious, unexplored canyons
and his black hair, a sorcerer's mane
his fingernails, ringed in black,
obviously from some earthy endeavours underground
or from erecting that castle today,
wasn't he a builder?

she knew this was lasting love,
the simplicity and grandeur
that children experience in every moment
every detail becoming a mythic story
the real and unreal fusing