Wednesday, March 23, 2016

Inside Outside Hat

Inside Outside Hat
pictured in Child Large (I made it with lots of
room to grow for the kid!)

This hat was spawned with a variety of inspirations in mind; first and foremost, of course, I had to consider the yarn that my eldest son fell head-over-heels in love with at the store. And while I'm not usually a huge fan of a purled fabric, I do love the way it looks with a variegated fiber, which gave me the first clue about how to approach this hat. But since I didn't want it to be too basic, I also gave it the small detail of the knit stitches in the decrease to add that extra pop. All in all, I hope you'll appreciate this hat's pinwheel finish and sleek look, and super-appreciate the fact that it's also knit inside out, so you don't actually have to work all those purls!

Sizes: Toddler (Child Small; Child Large; Adult Small; Adult Large)

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Rialto DK Print (100% Merino Superwash Wool; 114 yards [105 meters]/50 grams); #47014  - two skeins (two skeins; two skeins; two skeins; two - three skeins)

The pinwheel finish.
Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 5, one 16" circular needle in size US 6, and one set of double pointed needles (dpns), also in size US 6

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 22 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

So let's make a hat, then! As I mentioned above, this hat will be knit inside out, so that the bulk of the work will be knitting rather than purling. With that in mind, then, and using your size US 5 needle, cast on 96 (100; 104; 112; 120) stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Then, purl roughly 1" (1"; 1.5"; 1.5"; 1.5") and transfer work to your size US 6 circular needle. And now, knit until piece measures roughly 5" (5.5"; 6"; 6.5"; 7") from purled band.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Zigazig Ah Scarf

Zigazig Ah Scarf
Zigazig Ah Scarf

The inspiration behind this scarf is simple: there are so many chevron patterns scattered around Zürich that I've lost count. Even better, though, is the fact that this slipped stitch color pattern works up quickly and easily once you've gotten the hang of it, and looks almost impossibly good. Long story short, if you wannabe the the best-accessoried human at the grocery store, then this is the pattern for you!

Yarn: Lang Yarns Merino 150 (100% Virgin Wool; 164 yards [150 meters]/50 grams); #197.0085 - two skeins (color A), & Lang Yarns Mille Colori Baby (100% Virgin Wool; 208 yards [190 meters]/50 grams); #845.0055 - two skeins (color B)

A closer look at the zigzags.
I mean the zigazig, ah...
Needles: One pair of needles in size US 4

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 27 stitches = 4 inches 

And now, let's make a scarf! Using your color A yarn, then, cast on 56 stitches loosely. Then we'll work a few edging rows, as follows:

Row 1 (wrong side): using color A, p4, k3, p2, * k2, p2; rep from * until you have 7 stitches left in row; end k3, p4

Row 2: slip 4 stitches with yarn in back (sl4 wyib), p3, k2, * p2, k2 * until you have 7 stitches left in row; end p3, sl4 wyib

Wednesday, March 9, 2016

She's A Betty Bonnet

She's A Betty Bonnet
She's A Betty Bonnet
Isn't she, though?

When's the last time I mentioned how much I love Malabrigo yarn? Let's be honest: I probably bored my kids with that knowledge earlier this morning. However, just because I'm a broken record doesn't mean that you can't make this super-sweet bonnet for yourself or a loved one (and I'll even let you use a chunky weight fiber that isn't Malabrigo if you really insist). My only note is that, while I finished this bad boy with just one skein of the Mecha, or 130 yards, it was a close call so you may need slightly more yarn to complete yours. But don't worry - this fancifully-finished design (check out the back below!) will be worth it either way.

Yarn: Malabrigo Mecha (100% Merino Superwash Wool; 130 yards [120 meters]/100 grams); #809 Solis - 1 - 2 skeins

She's A Betty Bonnet
A closer view of the back finish.
It's different, no?
Needles: Straight needles in size US 10.5, one 16" circular needle in size US 11 needle, and one set of double pointed needles in size US 11

Notions: Tapestry needle, 5 stitch markers

Gauge: 12 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size US 11 needles

So let's make a hat, then! First, then, since we'll begin by knitting flat, go ahead and use your size 10.5 needles to cast on 80 stitches loosely. Then we'll knit some ribbing, as follows:

Ribbing Row 1 (wrong side): * p1, k2, p1; rep from *

Ribbing Row 2: * k1, p2, k1 *

Knit ribbing rows 1 & 2 until piece measures roughly 1.5" and you've just finished row 2 of the pattern. Transfer work to your size US 11 needle (yes, it's circular, but we're still working flat!). Then we'll work one marker placement row, as follows:

Marker Placement Row (wrong side): p8, place marker, p24, place marker, p16, place marker, p24, place marker, p8