Lace Butterfly Hat

Lace Butterfly Hat

Okay, so this hat is for the same person who requested the Mesh Flower Hat, and she wanted something that was similar and in the same yarn, but that had larger holes.  And that pretty much covers it, although I will note that this hat is slightly slouchier, and I had more yarn left over, so it didn't get quite as scary at the end.  Oh, and I think the "butterfly" aspect of the lace would show up better in a lighter-colored yarn, but I still like the vine-y nature of the pattern.

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Light (50% Super Fine Alpaca, 50% Peruvian Wool; 144 yards [133 meters]/50 grams); #4277 Peat Mix - one skein

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size 5, one 16" circular needle in size 8, one set of double pointed needles (dpns) in size 8

Close-up of pattern

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker or yarn scrap to mark end of round (the scrap might work better, given the gauge)

Gauge: 23 stitches = 4 inches on size 5 needles

So let's get started!  Using the size 5 circular needle, cast on 120 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round.  Work one inch in a k1, p1 ribbing and then switch to your size 8 needle; now it's time to begin the main pattern, which is Lace Butterfly from page 189 of Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, except adapted for the round. 

Row 1: * (yo) twice, ssk, k2tog; rep from *

Oopsie Daisy Diagonal Hat

Oopsie Daisy Diagonal Hat

Okay, so before we get any further - pretty much the only reason I made this hat was to see if I could make both the hat and the Lady Lawyer Arm Warmers with one skein of yarn.  And guess what?  It totally worked, and my children are rejoicing as we speak (that's a lie.  they're actually just yelling at me).  And besides that - well, the reason I called it the "Oopsie Daisy Diagonal Hat" was because the stitch pattern was a total accident, a cock-up if you will, since I meant to do something else.  By the time I realized it wasn't working out, though, I was too far along to care.  And I ended up liking the textured diagonals anyway, so it all worked out.  Especially the whole one-skein business.  So let's get to it

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine (50% Peruvian wool, 20% Super Fine Alpaca, 30% Nylon; 433 yards [400 meters]/100 grams); #12171 Berry Pie Mix - one skein

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size 3, one set of double pointed needles (dpns), also in size 3

Close-up of the accidental pattern

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker or scrap yarn

Gauge: 30 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size 2 needles

Using circular needle, cast on 154 stitches, place marker or scrap yarn, and join in round.  Knit 1 inch in k1, p1 ribbing.

Now it's time to begin the main pattern.  Here goes!

Row 1: * k1, yo, ssk, yo, sl1-k2tog-psso, yo, k1; rep from *

Lady Lawyer Arm Warmers

Lady Lawyer Arm Warmers

Okay!  So much like the last hat I posted, these arm warmers are for a friend, by request.  And as you've probably guessed by now, she's a lady lawyer in Alaska, where the courtrooms are cold but the justice is hot (or so they say).  Either way, she wanted something delicate and eggplant-y, and I loved this stitch pattern too much to use any other (none of the pictures show it really well, but the basic pattern is a big hole in the center of a four-stitch rib, and then two little holes on the side two rows up, repeated over and over).  Or in other words, it's perfect for all your Alaskan justice-related needs.

Yarn: Berroco Ultra Alpaca Fine (50% Peruvian wool, 20% Super Fine Alpaca, 30% Nylon; 433 yards [400 meters]/100 grams); #12171 Berry Pie Mix - one skein

Needles: One set of double-pointed needles (dpns) in size 1

Notions: Tapestry needle

A little bit better view of the pattern, with a twist

Gauge: 30 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size 2 needles

Now, before we get started, let's talk about sizing for a moment.  To make these arm warmers, I cast on 72 stitches, and they're intended for a person whose forearms and base-of-thumb hand-parts measure roughly 9.5" around.  Each iteration of the pattern is 6 stitches and little under 1"; for that reason, you can change the size of these arm warmers by simply casting on more or less stitches.  If your forearms are smaller than 9.5" you can comfortably wear larger arm warmers, but they won't stretch and show the pattern off as well.  So if your forearms/base-of-thumb-hand-parts measure about 8.5", consider casting on 66 stitches, cast on 60 stitches if they measure 7.5", and even less if you're making these for a child (and conversely, cast on 78, 84, etc. stitches if your forearms and hands are larger).  Luckily, this is only something you have to think about once, when you do your initial cast-on!  So let's get started.