Urban Hat

Hello!

I haven’t been able to knit much over the last couple of weeks as I have been away at my daughter’s. Before I went, though, I managed to finish a poncho for my two granddaughters, or ‘Princess Cape’ as the four year-old calls it, and a simple, Urban Hat for Niamh, the elder girl. This is the second of these hats I have made for her: one has a pompom, and one does not. When I made the first one, neither my daughter, nor my granddaughter could decide whether they wanted a pompom or not, so my daughter decided that I could make two hats. She is not a knitter. More about the hat, shortly.

Urban Hat

Materials:                            100g Aran or Worsted weight yarn

I used Debbie Bliss BFL Aran in Gunmetal (100% BFL wool)

Or: Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Aran

Rowan Wool Worsted

Sublime Aran

4.5mm 40cm circular needles, or double pointed needles; one long (at least 100cm) 4.5mm circular needle if using Magic Loop; a second 40cm circular needle if using two circulars for the crown.

Tension:                               26sts and 26 rows to 10cm (4ins) in k2, p2 rib

 

Size:                                       One size but see information below about changing the size

The hat will look very narrow while knitting because of the ribbing, but k2, p2 is a very stretchy stitch and a hat that measures about 40cm (14ins) unstretched will easily fit a head measuring 55cm (22ins).

I knitted this hat for a girl with lots of hair and her head measured 53cm (21ins). If I was making this for me, I would add an extra 8 stitches to the total, and for a man with a large head, an extra 12 stitches. The pattern repeat is 4 stitches, so just ensure the total number of stitches cast on is divisible by four. If you wish to make a smaller hat, cast on fewer stitches by deducting multiples of four.

Level of Difficulty:            Suitable for knitters who can knit in the round; can work a simple k2 tog decrease; can work k2, p2 ribbing

Instructions

Using 4.5mm needle of your choice, (see above), cast on 92 sts.

Ensuring sts are not twisted, join to work in the round, placing a marker to denote the beginning of the round.

Round 1 and every round:* k2, p2, rep from * to end.

Rep this round until hat measures 26cm (10.5ins) from cast on edge.

Note: You may wish to change this measurement so the hat is suitable for its recipient. Measure from the base of the ear to the top of the crown, e.g. the measurement for my model was 19cm (7.5ins), then add on the amount of turn up desired on the cuff of the hat. I added on 9cm (3.5ins). For an adult, you may wish to work 10-12cm (4-4.5ins) for the turn up. So, if I was knitting this hat for me, I would probably knit 30cm (12ins) in rib.

Crown shaping: Change to dpns or two circulars as sts dec to make the knitting easier.

Round 1:              * k2, p2tog, rep from * around

Rounds 2 &3:     *k2, p1, rep from * around

Round 4:              *k2tog, p1, rep from * around

Round 5:              *K1, p1, rep from * around

Round 6:              *k2tog, rep from * around

Round 7:               Knit

Round 8:              *k2tog, rep from * around

Round 9:              Knit

Round 10:            *k2tog, rep from * around

Round 11:            Knit

Round 12:            *k2tog, rep from * around. 6sts remain.

Break yarn, leaving a 20cm (8ins) tail. Thread yarn through remaining sts and finish off on inside of hat. Weave in ends.

I washed the hat in Eucalan, wrapped it up in a towel and squeezed hard to remove the excess water. I then laid the hat out on a mat or towel, smoothed out the stitches gently, and placed some empty kitchen roll holders inside the hat to avoid creating fold lines as the hat dried. There is no need to pin or stretch the hat, just a gentle smooth with the hands. Enjoy!

 

Add a pompom if desired. There are some lovely pure Alpaca ones available at the moment, if a little pricey. Or you can make your own, either using a pompom maker, or the old-fashioned method with cardboard.

 

Abbreviations

K                             knit

P                             purl

K2tog                    knit two together

rep                         repeat

sts                          stitches

dec                         decrease

dpns                      double pointed needles

 

I hope you enjoy the hat pattern. If you have any questions about it, please do not hesitate to contact me via the Stash contact form.

If you have any questions about the poncho, or would like to see it as a pattern, please contact me.

As ever, knit on.

Lesley

Copyright, Lesley Conroy 2016

Debbie Bliss Angel inspiration!

If you’re looking for something a little bit special, why not try Debbie Bliss Angel?

A luxury mohair and silk lace-weight yarn, it’s prefect for autumnal knitting projects. Thanks to the beautiful blend of kid mohair and silk, it’s wonderfully soft and light, yet warm and comes in a wide range of shades so there’s a colour to suit everyone!

There is even a version of Angel with a little subtle sparkle, Party Angel perfect for evening wear!

We love this glamorous stole pattern which you can knit in either Angel or Party Angel. You can find the pattern here, and it also includes a pattern for a shrug (below), a perfect extra layer to cover your arms with a nice dress for the party season!

Happy Knitting!

Fun project inspiration for Sari Ribbon!

We love Louisa Harding Sari Ribbon!  It’s an amazing sparkly ribbon yarn, which can be used for garments (2 skeins for a little shrug), accessories, or for some really lovely and unusual trimmings making it a very versatile yarn.

With 120 metres in a 100g skein, even if you just use it as a pretty ribbon for tying around presents, it’s a bargain, working out at just over 8p per metre at full price or just over 5p per metre if you use your HEATWAVE discount code to get 35% off!

If you fancy making a cute accessory instead, how about this lovely free Easy-Peasy bag pattern which you can find on Knitting Fever’s website here?  It only takes one 100g skein!

Louisa Harding’s Etcetera book has a range of patterns for Sari Ribbon, Mila, Jesse, Mulberry, Grace Hand dyed and Mulberry Hand beaded.

If you fancy making a garment, how about this pretty little cardi? It takes 2 – 3 skeins of Sari Ribbon, just add an extra skein if you want to make the version with elbow length sleeves.  Or how about this lovely lace cushion cover?  Just 3 skeins will make a really eye catching addition to your sofa that knits up quickly on 7mm needles.

If you’re looking for another creative idea for Sari Ribbon, how about making little yarn eggs?  Anne has been busy making these cute little packages which are perfect for filling with chocolate as little gifts!

To make these, get some little balloons (those sold for making water bombs are perfect), soak the ribbon in glue and wrap it randomly around the inflated balloons, leaving a few little gaps (so you can fill them later) and leave them to dry.  Then pop the ballons, remove them from inside the yarn eggs and fill them with whatever takes your fancy.  Great fun!

Happy Knitting!

What are we knitting? Part 4

Next to tell us about her project is Donna, who is knitting with some yarn that she dyed herself!  Over to you, Donna:

I’m knitting a cardigan using Sirdar pattern 7187 from the Sirdar Wool Rich Aran book.  I’ve decided to substitute the original yarn for some Debbie Bliss Rialto DK which I’ve dyed myself using madder root (a natural dye) which has given it a semi-solid orangey red colour.  I’m knitting it using my 5mm Knit Pro Symfonie interchangeable circular needles.

We had a sample garment of this pattern in the shop, which I would sometimes borrow when working in the shop in the cooler months and I fell in love with it and thought it would be the perfect match for the yarn I’d dyed myself.

I’m only a short way into the pattern.  I’ve knitted two pattern repeats on the back so far and I’m enjoying it very much.

The recommended yarn (Sirdar Wool Rich Aran) is quite thin compared to some Aran weight yarns, so I felt that Rialto DK would work quite well as it is quite a plump and bouncy DK yarn (see how they compare in the picture above).

The pattern has a variety of stitches which would keep an intermediate knitter interested, however you do have to pay attention to keep your place in the pattern, so it’s not a project to take to knit group!  Despite the complexity of the pattern, I’m finding that it’s growing quite quickly because of the 5mm needles.

I’m really looking forward to wearing the cardigan and think that the autumnal colours will really fit the coming seasons!

Thank you Donna!  It’s looking great!

Happy Knitting!

What are we knitting? Part 3

Next in our series of posts on what we’ve been knitting is Lottie, who’s knitting a shawl in Louisa Harding Amitola.  Tell us about your project Lottie….

I’m knitting with Louisa Harding Amitola shade #120/Winter Rose, using Stephen West’s Dotted Rays shawl pattern (available to download on Ravelry) on my favourite Addi Premium circular needles (the shawl isn’t knitted in the round, but as the rows get longer you need a circular needle to accommodate all the stitches comfortably, so I’m using a 100cm long needle).  I like to try out new constructions and techniques because for me part of the fun of knitting is that there is always something new to learn!

The pattern is is really interesting construction with short rows creating wedges of garter stitch between the rows of eyelets, so I chose to knit it in Amitola as I thought a self striping yarn would create some really interesting effects and highlight the unusual construction.

Although the pattern calls for 4ply weight yarn, Amitola is quite thin for a DK weight yarn so although garter stitch would usually create a fairly dense fabric with DK weight yarn on 4mm needles, in this yarn it makes a lovely lightweight fabric which drapes nicely, perfect for a shawl.  With shawls, as long as you have plenty of yarn and are happy for your shawl to come out a bit bigger or smaller you can experiment with different yarn weights!  This pattern is perfect candidate for this as it is written so that you can cast off after any of the short row sections to make a larger or smaller shawl.

I’ve only made one alteration  to the pattern, I have a little less yarn than recommended so I’ve decided to work all but one short row wedge for the small size, so that I don’t run out of yarn.

I’ve actually just cast off the shawl, so I’ve only got to block it now as I’ve already sewn in all the ends!  I’m pretty excited to wear it when the weather cools off again!

The thing I’ve enjoyed most about this project is the way the shifting colours of the yarn have worked with the short rows in the pattern.  I really love working with self striping yarns, I always want to knit just one more row to see which colour is coming next!  As the whole shawl is worked in garter stitch it leaves you to concentrate on the short row shaping, which is a surprisingly simple technique, so it’s actually quite relaxing to knit. A really fun project!

Great colours aren’t they?  Thanks of telling us about your project Lottie!

Happy Knitting! 🙂

Summer Madness! 35% off everything!

Yes, that’s right, you can get 35% off everything in our Summer Madness Sale!

Just use the code ‘HEATWAVE’ at the checkout to get your discount, but hurry, this offer is only valid on current stock, so if there’s something you’ve got your eye on, get it now before it’s gone!

Happy Knitting!  🙂

Pompoms and baubles in Louisa Harding Luzia

Pompoms seem to have been everywhere recently, so although it’s summer, we’ve been thinking about the best way to make some!

We love those faux fur pompoms that are fashionable right now, so we thought we’d have a go at making some in a luxury fur yarn that we have in the shop; Louisa Harding Luzia, which knits up into an amazingly convincing fur effect fabric.

We had a go at making a traditional pompom (above) using Luzia, but it tends to shed and moult fibres everywhere – not ideal!

So we decided to try a different approach and knit one!  We used a fab free bauble pattern by Veera Välimäki, which you can find on Ravelry here.  To give it structure we used 3mm needles, making a dense fabric that holds its shape.  Because of this, it doesn’t even need any filling!

Perfect!

A fun little project and a lovely light bobble ideal for hats 🙂

Happy Knitting!

Knit.Purl, Knitscene and Knitting Traditions now in stock!

Three gorgeous new magazines from Interweave Press have just been delivered into our eager hands!

First up we’ve got Knit.Purl (Spring/Summer 2015):

Full of stylish understated knits with thoughtful details and a modern edge, Knit.Purl always proves popular, so don’t wait to long to get your copy!

We love the gorgeous Featherfall Cardigan by Jenifer Dassau, which would look stunning knitted in Louisa Harding Grace Harmonies.

Next, we’ve got the latest issue of Knitscene (Summer 2015):

We love the Taffy Cowl by Faye Kennington:

We think it would look fabulous in Fyberspates Vivacious DK, best of all, you’d only need one skein!

Last but not least is Knitting Traditions:

With lots of interesting articles on the history of knitting in various cultures, Knitting Traditions is a fascinating read, with plenty of knitting patterns too.

Happy Knitting!

Knit Pro Marblz Collection Interchangeable Needle Sets!

We’ve just taken delivery of some stunning new needle sets…..

The Limited Edition Knit Pro Marblz Collection Interchangeable Needle set is a fabulous new addition to the Knit Pro range of interchangeable needles.

Compatible with all Knit Pro standard length interchangeables, this gorgeous set of needles have a beautiful marble effect, specially designed so each needle appears uniquely exclusive and different to any other.

The colours are truly gorgeous!

The set includes 8 pairs of needles in sizes 3.5mm, 4.0mm, 4.5mm, 5.0mm, 5.5mm, 6.0mm, 7.0mm & 8.0mm and three cables (in lengths 60cm, 80cm and 100cm) which come in a lovely presentation box and would make a wonderful gift for that special knitter in your life, or for yourself!  A show stopping Christmas gift (start dropping hints now) 😉

You even get a very special Knit Pro Symfonie wood pen (not available to buy separately), cable connectors (so you can join two shorter cables together to make a longer one) and a needle size gauge.

If you want a set, you’d better be quick!  We only have ten sets available and they’re already selling fast!  When they’re gone, they’re gone!

Get yours here.

Happy Knitting!

New Magazines from America!

We’ve just had a very exciting delivery of four new magazines from America:

Knitting Traditions, Knitscene, Enchanted Knits and Interweave Knits.

Knitting Traditions is full of interesting articles on the history of knitting as well as beautiful patterns inspired by historical patterns and garments.

This issue contains articles on the knitting traditions of the the Sami, Knitting during the American Civil War and Traditional Dutch Ganseys.  There are also patterns for the beautiful red shawl on the cover, a scarf, mittens, slippers, a child’s Gansey with matching hat and socks and a Christening set.

This pretty scarf in undyed lace weight yarn would make a lovely gift.  Why not try it in our undyed Angel Lace?

Knitscene Fall 2014 is full of easy to wear knits which strike a nice balance between simple and interesting.

The cosy hoodie on the cover features interesting Gansey style detailing and would look great in Rowan Pure Wool Worsted.

We love these cute little mitts working in a cosy herringbone stitch. A fun little project, they only take 2 – 3 balls of Rowan Fine Tweed in shade #383/Leyburn.

Check back tomorrow for a little sneak peek at Interweave Knits and Enchanted Knits.

Happy Knitting!