Purple Slouch Hat

 This hat is one that gets used all the time by the recipient, but somehow I had never blogged. 

Pattern: Sockhead Slouch Hat by Kelly McClure

Yarn: Schoppel-Wolle Zauberball® Crazy

Needles: US 2 - 2.75 mm

I love this pattern so much; it is a classic. I have previously also made in into my original Sockhead Slouch hat and  Firefly hat. In fact, I knit this hat as a backup for the friend who took the original Sockhead slouch hat.

Such a good pattern! Super simple and mindless, and perfect to wear. It does not put a lot of pressure on the head, but it stays on well. And for those with  bunch of hair, it is nice way to keep it all tucked inside.

Trio Blanket

I cast on this project in January 2020 and finished it up in Nov 2022. Turns out over 3000 yards of fingering weight yarn take a really long time to turn into a blanket if you don't work on it regularly. This was a pattern I had been wanting to make since I had first seen it though, and it is absolutely in my preferred colors.

Pattern: Trio Blanket by Susan Carlson

Yarn: Sheepjes Whirl in Blackberry Mint Chip, Green Tea Tipple, and Peppermint Patty Cake & Queensland Collection Dungarees Fine in Chrysocolla

Yarn Suppliers: Webs & Mind's Eye Yarns

Hook: C / 2.75mm

After knitting the pattern as written, I did a couple of rounds around the outside with the leftover colors I had and a little Queensland Collection Dungarees Fine to give it a more finished look and tuck in the carried yarns on the edge.

Annie at Mind's Eye Yarns had suggested the Queensland Collection Dungarees Fine, and I will absolutely be making more with it. I love that it is a recycled fiber yarn (from jeans!) and it has a great linen-like feel.

My Kind of Cowl

Sometimes you end up with a random skein in your stash that is lovely, but does not have immediate plan. That is what this skein of Malabrigo Rasta was like for me. I had originally purchased it sort of impulse to help support this LYS that is a friend's home shop.

Yarn: Malabrigo Yarn Rasta in 96 Sunset

Yarn Supplier: Circle of Stitches

Pattern: My Kind of Town Cowl by Trish Woodson

Super soft, squish yarn knit in a squishy garter stitch makes a really warm, cozy knit. And the bulky weight of the Rasta makes this a super quick knit as well. Since the garter ridges end up being vertical when worn, this looks a lot like a turtleneck when tucked into a jacket or other layer. Cute!

Sockhead Slouch Hat

I had picked up this Regia 6-ply sock yarn specifically to knit a super slouchy hat with a million years ago (back in 2014). Not only did I really love this hat, but a friend loved it so much and borrowed it so often that eventually I passed it along to her.

Pattern: Sockhead Slouch Hat by Kelly McClure

Yarn: Regia 6 ply sock yarn

Needles: US 2 - 2.75 mm

Periodically I see it around, since she still wears it regularly. It is good to see handknits so well loved.

FO: Ziggy Stardust Opium Hat

Catching up with some unposted projects, this throw back made for Diamondsoled

Pattern: Opium Hat by Natasha Sills

Yarn: June Pryce Fiber Arts Greenwich Worsted in Ziggy Stardust

This pattern was a great match for a varigated yarn and has held up really well to regular wear.

FO: Quick twisted rib hat in hunter orange

Diamondsoled requested a quick turn-around neon orange hat for safety in the woods from hunters.

Pattern: Ridewalk Hat by Gabrielle Roberts (free Ravelry pattern)

Yarn: Caron Simply Soft Brites in Neon Orange

Needles: US 11 - 8.0 mm

I think this was my first time using a German twisted cast-on, and I really liked it it. I would definitely consider using it in the future.

I ended up modifying the pattern to be in twisted rib throughout, to try to give the acrylic yarn a bit more structure, since it doesn't have the memory of wool.

Verdict: this is a really wearable, size flexible hat that knits up pretty quickly. I could see it being good for gift or charity knitting.

FO: Almost Twilight Rozeta

In my excitement about starting the 2020 Scheepjes CAL, I realized that I had never posted pictures of the finished 2019 Scheepjes CAL: Rozeta. Oops!

I had loved the Twilight colorway, but this kit was sold out everywhere by the time I went to go purchase it. Fortunately Webs had all the "stained glass" colors, so found a good color match for the base color in the Valley Yarns Huntington line, to make sure the that the fiber match was good. Note: these yarns have a fairly different construction and a slight weight difference. It wasn't a perfect match but it worked for my purposes.

This was a really challenging and enjoyable project, and I was sort of sad to see it end. I had never worked with Our Tribe before, but it is delightful. Highly recommended! It is soft and the color graduations are subtle and mesmerizing to work with. It was pleasant to crochet, although it has a slight fuzz that can be challenging to rip out work if you are impatient. I can't say that I minded it though.

Pattern: Rozeta (2019 Scheepjes CAL)

Yarn: Scheepjes Our Tribe and Valley Yarns Huntington

Yarn Supplier: Webs

Hook: 3.75 mm (F)

Minerology Part 1 & 2

I have been so excited to be working on the 2020 Scheepjes CAL: D'Histoire Naturelle that I finished Part 2 only a few days after it came out. Fortunately the 2 weeks until 

I am loving the bee and butterfly details here.

I am working in a Minerology Stone Washed and River Washed kit. In Row 37a I grabbed a different color for the butterfly wings, but just rolled with it. All and all, it has been a delight, and I am looking forward to the next set of instructions being released.

Icelandic Thistle Hat

In November, I had traveled to Iceland with Majes. While we were there we picked up some souvenir yarn, and I had a fabulous plan to make myself a hat to wear with my red coat.

Pattern: A Gift of Thistle by Tanis Gray (free)
Needle: US 5 - 3.75 mm
Yarn Supplier: The Handknitting Association of Iceland

I had forgotten how much I enjoyed doing colorwork. I am very pleased with how this came out, and I am plotting mitten options with the (planned) extra yarn.

Mini Jayne Hat Ornament

You would think I would be tired of this idea after both the adult sized and baby sized Jayne hats I have made in the past. But apparently not!

For Christmas I had this idea for a little Jayne hat ornament. I know I had seen one on Ravelry, but there was no pattern to be found. I figured if I was going to work out a pattern, I might as well write it out while I was at it. And so I present the Mini Jayne Hat Ornament.

Materials:
I made mine with Vanna's Choice Solids & Heathers (a worsted weight yarn) in brick, terracotta and mustard, but you could use whatever size yarn you liked as long as you chose an appropriate size needle since exact gauge is unimportant.

Cast on 24 sts with orange.
Join, careful not to join.
*K1P1* around for 2 rounds.
Knit in stockinette for 4 rounds.
Break orange yarn and join yellow.
Knit in stockinette for 2 rounds.
*K2 k2tog* around. Knit 1 round even.
*K1 k2tog* around. Knit 1 round even.
*K2tog* around. Break yarn and draw through

Ear Flap (do twice):
Pick up 6 sts from inside of cast on edge.
Knit 6 rows of stockinette.
ssk k2 ktog
p1 row
ssk k2tog
break yarn and draw through last 2 sts
Do not sew in end. Then add 2 additional lengths of yarn in the same place to make a tassel.

Note: You want the second ear flap to be about 6 sts after the first one you do.

Make and attach a tiny tiny pompom and weave in all ends. Then I strung it up with another piece of string so that it could be hung on a tree if desired.

Pattern: Seven of Hearts

I wanted to create something special for my sister's wedding. Since it was on 7-7-07, the idea for this 7-heart pair of socks was born. If you prefer though, it would be easy to make the heart panel or the ribbed cuff longer for a longer leg.

This pattern was originally created with the magic loop technique. To adapt to DPNs, you will need to divide the stitches between the needles in a way that makes sense to you. This pattern also assumes familiarity with basic sock construction and picking up stitches for a gusset.

Although I had several offers for test knitting, I have not heard back from them since July. If you find any errors in this pattern please let me know.


Sample Yarn: Art Yarns Supermerino (104yd/50g) or replace with a dk yarn

Suggested Needles: US Size 3-4s

Gauge: 13 sts/2” & 16.5 rows/2”

Finished size: This sock has a finished circumference of 8" (may be slightly less if using a dk yarn, check gauge), but the lace panel is very stretchy.

Toe:
Magic cast-on 11 sts on each needle. Increase at the beginning and end of each needle for the first 2 rounds and then every other round until there are 23 on each needle (for a total of 46)

Heart Pattern* Lace Panel:

Rnd 1: k6, yo, k2tog, k3, yo, k1, yo, k3, sl1, k1, psso, yo, k6

Rnd 2 (and all even rows): knit even

Rnd 3: k7, yo, k4tog, yo, k3, yo, k4tog, yo, k7

Rnd 5: k7, k2tog, yo, k5, yo, sl1, k1, psso, k7

Rnd 7: k6, k2tog, yo, k7, yo, sl1, k1, psso,, k6

Rnd 9: k5, k2tog, yo, k9, yo, sl1, k1, psso, k5

NOTE: On Row 1, the number of sts is increased to 25. On Row 3, it is reduced back to 23.

Heel Flap:

When you are 2-3" short of your total foot length (consider your row gauge to make this choice, 2 was ok with a fairly tight row gauge but did not have lengthwise ease), work the center 16 sts as a heel flap. Knit in stockinette for 2" or desired heel flap length ending with a WS row. Note which row you are on for the lace pattern for later!

Turn heel:

Knit 15 and turn. Purl 14 and turn. Continue with one less st in each row until there are only 6-8 sts being worked. (You should finish with a WS row.)

Gusset:
Knit across the rest of the row and pick up stitches along the left side of the heel flap. When you get to the lace panel needle, work in the next row of the chart. Then with the heel flap needle pick up the stitches along the right side of the heel flap. Feel free to mark the center stitch of this needle to mark the beginning of the round.

*Knit until 3 sts before the end of the needle (exact number of sts knit will depend on how many sts were knit in the heel flap and subsequently picked up). K2tog, k1. Work lace panel in next chart row. K1, sl 1, k1, psso, knit to center panel. Knit next lace panel row, and then knit even.* Repeat until there is once again 23 sts on the heel needle.

Leg:
Knit heel needle even and work 7 repeats of the lace chart. Continuing to work the heel needle even, work another 5 rows of the lace panel. Knit 1 row completely around before starting a 1X1 rib. Use a sewn bind-off to finish.

*Adapted from: The Ultimate Knitting Book by the editors of Vogue Knitting.

Camera Case Recipe

Another Ravelry member asked if I would be willing to write up the pattern for the camera case that I made my mom last year. Because each camera is different though, this is sort of a tricky task. They best way to make this is to follow the recipe below rather than a written out pattern. Sorry!


Recipe
Do a gauge swatch for stockinette in the round: (sts)_____/(unit length)_________
Measure the distance around the camera in a roughly vertical way.
(distance around camera)____________ X 0.9 = ____________ = x
Measure across the back of the camera vertically.
(distance around camera)____________ X 0.9 = ____________ = y

Cast on number of stitches in last step. Work flat in seed stitch 2-3 rows. In the next row bind off the middle 3 sts (you can make this bigger or smaller based on how big your button is). On the following row, continue in pattern but cast on (using a backwards loop cast-on) the same number of stitches that you just cast off when you get to the missing sts. Continue in seed stitch for another 2-3 rows.

For the rest of the flap work in seed stitch for the first and last 4 sts and stockinette for the middle portion of each row. Work flap until it is long enough to cover the side of the camera with the seed stitch edge folded over (where it will later button). [End on a right side row]
Find x - y = ______= z

Cast on "z" stitches using a backwards loop cast on. Join in the round, being careful not to twist. Place marker at first sts of new round. Work all sts previously worked in seed stitch and newly cast on sts in seed stitch. Work stitches worked in stockinette in stockinette. Do this for 6-8 rows, then work all sts in remaining length of camera in stockinette. You can slide the camera in to check the fit after you work some stockinette. The fit should be slightly snug.

Decrease after marker. *Knit y-2=_____ sts. Place marker and decrease again. Knit (x-2y)/2= ___sts.* Place marker and repeat steps between *s. Knit even 1 round.
Decrease after each marker on ever other round until there are no more stitches between 2 of the sets of st markers. Kitchener remaining stitches.

Sew on button and weave in all ends.

Large Earflap Hat

Somehow, my life is full of giant-headed men. No really. One of my step-brothers requested an ear flap hat to go with his charcoal coat. Fortunately Salvbard has the same 22.5" head, so he can model it for me. As there are several large headed men in my family, I am going to include the basic pattern here. If you make a large hat using this pattern, let me know. I would love to commiserate over large heads.

Finished Circumference: 22.5"
Yarn: 1.5 balls Reynolds Odyssey in color 414 (72.3 g)
Needles: US 8 / 5.0 mm

Gauge: 10 sts/2"

Note: I found that a round or two of single crochet was fine to stop curling, but some others (depending on yarn choice and the whims of the universe) have not found this to be true. If you are worried about it, feel free to add a non-rolling bottom like seed stitch or a folded hem (provisional cast on, knit 1" on smaller needles, purl 1 row, knit 1" on needles for gauge, then knit each stitch with one of the sts held provisionally, continue with pattern as written, measuring length from purled row).

Cast on 112 sts. (Feel free to despair at this point, as you realize how big this hat is. Then realize how much better is than knitting giant socks, and pull yourself together.) Knit even for 5 inches before starting decreases.

Decreases:
Row 1: Knit 12 sts and k2tog around
Row 2: knit even
Row 3: knit 11 sts and k2tog around
Row 4: knit even
Row 5: knit 10 sts and k2tog around
Row 6: knit even
Continue in pattern as established until you have k2tog around. Break yarn and draw through last 8 sts.

Ear Flaps:
Pick up 20 sts from cast-on edge. Knit 3 rows back in forth in stockinette, finishing on a wrong side row.
K1 ssk k16 k2tog k1
knit 3 rows in stockinette, ended on a wrong side row
K1 ssk k14 k2tog k1
knit 3 rows in stockinette, ended on a wrong side row
k1 ssk k12 k2tog k1
purl one row
bind off all stitches

Start second ear flap 35 sts over from the first one. This is slightly asymmetrical front to back, which Salvbard found fit him better. After both ear flaps were done, I added a row of single crochet around the whole hat. after blocking, I found the edges didn't roll, but your experience may vary.


Oh and to give you an idea how big this hat is here is a photo of it on me. Help, help. It's eating my head! And I seemed oddly amused by it.

Action Baby Hat

Looking around the internet, I had a really hard time finding a small hat pattern that uses a super-bulky yarn (that I have left over from the Cotton Candy sweater). I figured I would type it up to save myself (or someone else) the math to figure it out again. I tend to knit somewhat tightly, so if you do not you may find that you need to go down a needle size. This pattern takes just one 50 g skein.

Needles: US 17 / 12.75 mm
Yarn: N.Y. Yarns Action, a super-bulky yarn
Gauge: 8.5 sts/4 "
Finished Circumference: 18" (suitable for 12-18 month old)

Cast on 38 sts, and join into the round, careful not to twist.
Place marker at the start of the round and work in 1X1 rib for 1.5".
On the next round, increase 1 st and k to end. (39 sts)
Work in stockinette for 5.25" before beginning decreases.

Decreases:
k4 *k2tog k3* (32 sts)
k even
*k2tog k2* (24 sts)
k even
*k2tog k1* (16 sts)
k even
*k2tog* (8 sts)

Cut yarn, leaving at least an 8" tail. Using a tapestry needle, draw tail through remaining stitches. Pull tight and weave in ends on the inside.