I finished this pattern this weekend after a long break. Not too much has changed, but I cleaned up the type, added some additional measurement information and included a chart for the crown decreases in addition to the written instructions. This hat is really simple, but looks great and works for a wide range of head sizes without modifications because it is so stretchy.
Category Archives: Hat
Knits: April Showers Edition 2013
This last weekend of April is a rainy one, but I have a quick round-up of my knitting progress for the month. My day job is still keeping me very busy, so knitting has been taking a back burner. I made the most progress on the Cuffed Zigzag Mitts revisions. The pattern was in good shape, so all I had to do was just add some charts and tweak the layout a bit. I also got to use my skein of Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Mansfield Garden Party – a one-of-a-kind skein I picked up last year. It seemed like a good time to use it with all of the beautiful spring colors. It was so large that I was able to use it to make a final test pair of the gloves, a matching hat and another pair of gloves to send to my niece.
I also started working on the revision to the reversible rib hat pattern, but then got distracted by making a final piece to donate to the Marietta/Cobb Museum of Art Yarn installation project. At the last free workshop there was a mountain of donated yarn to choose from. I found a huge hand-dyed skein that I couldn’t resist, so I am making a fan lace piece that works well with the nubby texture and shows off the color variations in an interesting way. It took me a few tries to land on the right pattern, but I’m pleased with how its turning out. I’m giving myself until the end of the week to get as far as I can and then I’ll bind it off and donate it even if I haven’t gotten through all the yarn. (It took me 2 hours to hand-wind a center-pull ball that felt like a bowling ball when I was done!)
I have also been enjoying a beautiful spring here. We’ve gotten a good amount of rain this year and it has yielded one of the more beautiful blooming seasons in recent memory. Here are a few pictures – the cherry tree is in my front yard and never lasts long enough!
Updated Knit Pattern: ZigZag Swirl Hat
Its been a long time coming, but I am finally finished updating the ZigZag Swirl hat pattern. The zigzag pattern has been revised from the original with the addition of a pattern chart as well as more detailed measurement information and yarn yardage.
I’ve also knit the sample up with my recommended yarn – Madelinetosh Tosh DK in Oak. The yarn has a wonderful feel, the right amount of bulk and a beautiful depth of color. I hope you enjoy!
Updated Knit Pattern: Gingerbread Icing Ear Flap Hat
I got on a roll and reworked the Gingerbread Icing Ear Flap Hat pattern. I’ve made some modifications to the original pattern to make the crown decreases smoother and have adjusted the ear flap size and placement slightly. I’ve also added a number of charts that makes it easier for the chart-reading knitter, and flat measurements for many parts of the hat. Have fun!
Get it on Etsy for $3.50:
https://www.etsy.com/listing/97754843/knit-hat-pattern-gingerbread-icing-ear
Get it on Craftsy for $3.50:
http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/knitting/accessory/gingerbread-icing-ear-flap-hat/12825
Updated Knit Pattern: Interweave Hat
This one was a quick update since the pattern is fairly simple. I really like this hat because it knits up quickly and is warm for winter. Looks good on men or women too! This update includes new pattern charts for the body pattern and the crown decrease. I’ve also written out the crown decrease rows in their entirety based on a specific row count, which makes it (hopefully) easier to follow.
Enjoy!
Knit Progress: holiday hats
I took a few skeins of yarn with me on our Thankgiving trip and was able to complete a few hats. I did the Meringue hat pattern in Malabrigo silky merino and it makes a nice soft lighter weight version of this hat. I ended up adding a few rows in the ribbed section to make the band wider and added a few rows to the body before the decrease rows to make this hat a bit fuller.
I was also able to visit a new yarn store called The Slip Knot in Newton Square, PA and picked up a few more skeins of Cascade Yarns Eco Alpaca and a nice tweed of another brand that was on sale. Its a great little shop with a nice selection of weights and brands with a big table in the back for knitting. I’ll try to go back next time I’m in town.
I made the black and white striped hat with the Eco Alpaca for myself. Its already been keeping my head warm. I’ve also just finished up another of these hats using the leftover black and smoke yarn I had from a hat and a pair of gloves and made another  striped hat  for Christmas.
Next up I am making a pair of gloves to match an existing hat and then I’ll have two more custom dog sweaters to complete in the next week or two. Check back to see how those turn out!
Let me know if you’re still trying to finish up some presents for the holidays in the next few  weeks. Its nice to know I’m not the only one!
Progress Report: Meringue Tam development
This project started out as a quest to make a Tam worthy of a Christmas present for my mom. We both have short hair and it takes a nice fluffy winter hat to look cute. I took one element from the last two hats I made and integrated it into a generously bulky tam increase to even it out. The result is this sweet hat that reminded me of a meringue cookie, even to the way the decorative elements come together at the top. After a few adjustments I refined the decreases to be as unobtrusive as possible. One more test hat and I’ll be releasing this pattern for everyone to enjoy!
The first hat pictured was created with Cascade Yarns Eco Duo – a deliciously soft and beautifully undyed combo of alpaca and merino. I’ll be ordering more of this in the future.
Progress report: new hats
After finishing the last few projects, I wanted to get to a hat design I’ve been thinking about for a Christmas present for my mom. The hats pictured above are my first two attempts at figuring it out. I used Madelinetosh Tosh Merino Light in Byzantine for the first try. It turned out smaller than I expected, but I generally liked the pattern. I liked the feel of the yarn, but wanted to work in worsted weight for a nice warm hat. I switched to Madelinetosh Tosh Merino since I had a skein in my stash (in Turquoise) and tried the pattern adjusted for the weight. This hat turned out nice, but it lost the Tam quality with the ribbed pattern. I still think its a nice looser fitting hat and the stitch detail is strong with the colorway. This gave me the info I needed to work out a good Tam pattern that balances out the need for fullness with some pattern detail. The next round of hats will be posting soon!
Progress report – Start of September
It seems I am officially in custom request season now. I’ve had a steady stream of requests for custom dog sweaters and custom orders of available items from the Etsy store. Above is my largest order to date for 5 different colors of the Herringbone Aviator hat. I’ve also been working on a Christmas gift for one of my aunts and I’m in the process of working on two argyle dog sweaters, which are coming along nicely – pictures to come soon.
Progress Report: August 2012
Its been a while since I’ve posted an update on my progress, but I’ve been having a very busy month starting with the Olympics and Ravelry’s Ravellenic Games 2012 challenge. I decided to do the Sagrantino Shawl in a beautiful gray, which was a challenge because I normally don’t work on larger pieces. This would probably have been fine over the course of the Olympics, but on the eve of the challenge, I got in a number of custom orders through Etsy. The first one was a rush order for two hats that I needed to finish within a week. I got those done, but it took up a number of days and then I had to fight to the finish to get the shawl completed and blocked by Sunday afternoon!
After that I went right into another custom order for a dog sweater – so much fun to knit and each one is different because I customize the fit to each dog. Its amazing how different dogs are! I’ll be starting on a second dog sweater and then I have a number of standard hats for another order. Those should be easy since I don’t have to modify the pattern. I’ll be knitting away through the end of the month, then I hope to get back to finishing up the Puff Mitt pattern to post!
