Fun Lance Hat

Fun Lance Hat

Yes, the title of this pattern is a bit tongue-in-cheek. In fact, I named it for my brother-in-law, Lance, who was sad to discover that the Fan Lace Hat was not actually called the Fun Lance Hat, as he initially thought. But since I'm sending him this bad boy for the upcoming winter, I thought it would be a perfect name for this attractive, unisex hat. A word of warning, however - this hat may be less fun to knit than it is to wear if you're not handy with a cable needle, since you'll be cabling every other row. On the flip side, that just gives you an opportunity to learn to cable without a cable needle, if you're ready to pick up a new skill!

Yarn: Malabrigo Rios (100% Merino Superwash; 210 yards [192 meters]/100 grams); #43 Plomo - one skein

The finish. It's handsome, no?

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 5, one 16" circular needle in size US 7, one set of double pointed needles (dpns), also in size US 7, and one cable needle (cn)

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches on size 7 needles

So let's make a fun (and fancy) Lance hat, shall we? To get started, then, using your size US 5 circular needle, cast on 112 stitches, place marker, and join in round. Then we'll knit some ribbing rows as follows:

Ribbing Row: * (p2, k2) three times, p2; rep from *

Knit this ribbing row 8 times. Then, switch to your size 7 circular needle, and we'll begin the main pattern, which includes panels of Wave of Honey Stitch from page 272 of Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns. To work it, we'll use the following notation:

front cross (fc): slip 1 stitch to cn and hold in front; k1; k1 from cn

Tropical Twist Hat

Tropical Twist Hat

First off, I have to say it: I've been having a great time taking my knitting photos in my yard, even if my neighbors now think I'm nuts (and they definitely do). But I don't care, because the Tropical Twist Hat looks great out in the wild. Sure, it's nothing fancy - just some alternating cables - but it's a nice, clean, unisex design that takes variegation well. And sometimes, that's all you need!

Yarn: Cascade Yarns 220 Superwash Paints (100% Hand Painted Superwash Wool; 220 yards [200 meters]/100 grams); #9859 Tropical Punch - one skein

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 6, one set of double pointed needles (dpns), also in size US 6, and one cable needle (cn) or dpn for cabling (or you can always cable without a needle, if you'd prefer)

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 22 stitches = 4 inches

So let's make a hat! First, then, using your circular needle, cast on 120 stitches, place marker, and join in round. If you want to get really fancy, you could knit the first five or six rows in a smaller gauge needle to create a tighter brim, but it's certainly not necessary. Either way you do it, we'll get straight to the main pattern, after a little notation as follows:

front cross (fc): slip 2 stitches to your cn and hold in front; k2; k2 from cn

left twist (lt): with right-hand needle behind left-hand needle, skip one stitch and knit the second stitch in back loop; then insert right-hand needle into the backs of both stitches and k2tog-b (knit two together through back loops, inserting right needle from the right)

And now that we've covered that, let's get to it!

Rows 1 & 2: * p1, k4, p2, k4, p1; rep from *

Row 3: * p1, k4, p2, fc, p1 *

Rows 4 - 8: * p1, k4, p2, k4, p1 *

Pollyanna Purse

Pollyanna Purse

I've been itching to do another bag ever since I finished the Funner Summer Beach Bag, in large part because I've been bursting with design ideas. And I'm pleased to report that the Pollyanna Purse represents many of them, including faux i-cord edgings in both the strap and the sides and a seamless design. Long story short, it's both sturdy and cute and a reasonably easy knit despite its kinda-fancy design features.

Yarn: Lily Sugar 'n Cream (100% Cotton; 120 yards [109 meters]/70.9 grams); #01215 Robin's Egg - 2 skeins (color A), and #01322 Lilac - 1 skein (color B)

A closer picture of the front middle of the purse.
That's a thing, right? The "front middle"?

Needles: One 24" or longer circular needle in size US 7, one set of straight needles, also in size US 7, and one set of double pointed needles (dpns), also in size US 7, as well as size US 9 or 10 needles for provisional cast on

Notions: Tapestry needle, 6 stitch markers

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size 7 needles

So let's get started! First, then, let's discuss the structure of this bag - you'll begin by knitting the bottom of the bag & strap (which are connected in a continuous loop). Once that's done, you'll pick up stitches along the edges to create the sides of the bag. So with that in mind, using your larger needle, a provisional cast on, and your color B yarn, cast on 23 stitches loosely. Transfer work to your size 7 straight needles, and then continue as follows:

Row 1 (right side): using color B, knit

Row 2: using color B, k1, slip 3 stitches with yarn in front (wyif), p15, slip 3 wyif, k1

Honey Cowl

Honey Cowl

I know summer hasn't even technically begun yet, but I figure there are at least a few of you who are already planning for fall. With that in mind, the Honey Cowl is made from a worsted-weight cotton-mix yarn and worked on large needles to give it a little bit more of a relaxed appearance. And while it might be difficult to tell from the pictures, the basketweave pattern that I've chosen for the main design is also a mesh, which gives this design a very unique look. Long story short, this cuddly cowl is perfect for the shoulder seasons, and would work well in most cotton- or acrylic-based worsted weight yarns!

Yarn: Berroco Remix (30% Nylon, 27% Cotton, 24% Acrylic, 10% Silk, 9% Linen; 216 yards [200 meters]/100 grams); #3953 Burnt Orange - one skein

A closeup of the basketweave.
Plus some really terrible lighting.
Apologies.

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 10.5 (there are a lot of stitches to begin with, so if you don't like knitting on full circulars you might want to start with a 24" or a 20" instead), cable needle (cn)

Notions: Tapestry needle

Gauge: 17 stitches = 4 inches on size 8 needles

So let's get started! First, then, cast on 119 stitches, place marker, and join in round. Then, we'll knit a marker placement/set-up row, as follows:

Marker Placement Row: p16, place marker, p1, k8, p1, place marker, p67, place marker, p1, k8, p1, place marker, purl until end of round

And now, we'll begin incorporating our main pattern, which is Open Basketweave Mesh from page 252 of Barbara G. Walker's Charted Knitting Designs: A Third Treasury of Knitting Patterns, a cable, and some decreases. Oh, and we'll need the following notation:

rt (right twist): knit two together, leaving stitches on left-hand needle; next, insert right-hand needle from the front between the two stitches just knitted together, and knit the first stitch again. Finally, slip both stitches from left-hand needle together

lt (left twist): with right-hand needle behind left-hand needle, skip one stitch and knit the second stitch in back loop; then insert right-hand needle into the backs of both stitches and k2tog-b (knit two together through back loops, inserting right needle from the right)

bc (back cross): slip next 2 stitches to cn and hold in back, k2, k2 from cn

fc (front cross): slip next 2 stitch to cn and hold in front, k2, k2 from cn

And now that that's out of the way, let's proceed as follows:

Funner Summer Beach Bag

Funner Summer Beach Bag

Yeah, I know "funner" isn't a word. But my kids don't, and that was the inspiration for this brightly striped, cleverly constructed (in my opinion, at least!) bag. Designed seamlessly with faux i-cords for structure and a fun lace pattern, this is one of the sturdier and prettier knit bags you'll find. Knit it, and you'll make your summer more fun. Or, you know, go to the water slides or something like that instead. Your call. :)

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Whitney (91% Cotton, 9% Nylon; 87 yards [89 meters]/50 grams); #1001 Natural - three skeins (color A), #1009 Cranberry - two skeins (color B)

The lace pattern. So purty!

Needles: One set of double pointed needles in size US 8, one 16" circular needle in size US 8

Notions: Tapestry needle, 9 stitch markers

Gauge: 17 stitches = 4 inches 

So let's make a bag! First, then, I should mention that any time you're slipping stitches in this bag, you're pulling the yarn tight behind them. This will help to create that faux i-cord rib, and the edges of the strap. I should also mention that this bag is worked bottom-up. So with that in mind, using your color A yarn and your dpns, cast on 8 stitches loosely, divide evenly between four dpns, and join in round. Then we'll work a few set-up rows, as follows:

Set-up Row 1: using color A, * p1, m1r, p1; rep from * (+4 stitches)

Set-up Row 2: using color A, * p1, slip 1 with yarn in back (wyib), p1 *

Set-up Row 3: using color A, * p1, m1r, k1, m1l, p1 * (+8 stitches)

Once these three set-up rows are done, we'll knit a marker placement row, as follows: