What has happened to me?

As the year of reluctantly-non-selfish knitting draws to a close, I'm very happily knitting a Christmas present for my brother. This is not like me at all - deadline knitting! - but it's something I've been wanting to make for years, and I'm absolutely loving it so far. When you notice that an idea you've toyed with for ages perfectly matches yarn you happen to have lying around, you might as well give up and cast on. I've lost my camera so no photies yet, but it's a very, very silly hat to add to the silly hat collection that the male members of my family cultivate. It involves various fair isle patterns combined to represent my brother's (and my father's) favourite things, and the landscape around the family home. Some wavy, sea-like bits are near the brim, followed by a section of prancing people, then some trees, then some mountains at the top. I imagine a pompom or three might be called for.