Venetia will be available tomorrow (8/25)!

Venetia will be released on Ravelry and Etsy tomorrow in my pattern stores! Remaking this hat is the most fun I've had knitting in a while- it was a relatively quick knit (about 5 hours) and the pattern isn't repetitive, so I didn't get tired of it. And I've discovered that it works up surprisingly well as both a beanie and a beret, depending on the needles used. Here are the two versions:

Beret

Beanie

 

 

One of my testers discovered by accident that if you skip the increase round and only repeat the cable pattern 4 times, it works out as a good fit for a child. The beanie fits an average woman's head (20-22"), but if you use larger needles, both hats could fit larger head sizes.


As a bonus: here is a pic of my reversible Drum Beat Cowl and Scarf pattern that will be released in mid September.

A Hat a Day

Apparently, I really am on a hat kick. I have made three hats in three days... well technically the last one was finished on the fourth morning, but that was just weaving in the ends as I couldn't find my yarn needle the previous night. I've been trying to come up with hat patterns that will fit a bunch of different head sizes without feeling tight. Here is the hat I just finished:

The pattern is one I used for Jason's Christmas present a few years ago. It was originally going to be part of my donation to the Cancer Care hat drive, but I started to run out of yarn and had to decrease rapidly in order to finish, resulting in a hat that is a bit too short. Since Lauren has a hard time finding hats that don't cover her eyes, I decided to give the hat to her instead. The non-shortened version of this hat pattern is available on the side bar under "Jason Hat." Both this hat and Venetia will be done again in some Red Heart Soft that I have been trying to use up and donated.

Hats, Hats, and more Hats!

I have news about three different hat patterns.

The first is an update to my last blog entry. I decided on the name Vinculum, the Latin word for binding or chaining. It is now available for free in my Ravelry Store.

 The second is a free pattern designed for cancer patients. The Hogwarts at Ravelry group is having a hat drive for Cancer Care of Maine to support Holly, who recently lost her husband to cancer. The goal of the hat drive is for Ravelry to donate 500 hats before Christmas, with an emphasis on hats for men as those are the most in need. I pledged to donate a few and started to think about a good unisex pattern. My geeky mind automatically went for the hat I saw Mickey Smith wearing in Doctor Who's "Christmas Invasion" episode and a somewhat similar one worn by Nigel at the Second Task in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Both were ribbed hats which I know from experience can fit a wide range of head sizes. So I mixed the two together, pulling out different elements from each, added my own touch to it, and Voila! The Mickey Hat was born. It is a beginner level hat that works up very quickly (I did it in an evening). The complete directions can be found on the side bar.

Mickey

The third hat is called Venetia (for now- me being me, that is likely to change before release). It is another pattern I created a while back and never wrote up. This time it was because I had done the original by slipping and cabling the stitches at the same time and my software didn't have a good way to express that. when I started thinking about hat patterns again, I decided to see how it would work if the steps were spread over two rows and it worked. I knit it at a smaller gauge this time and it ended up a nice sized beanie. The pattern is now in testing and should be available by the end of the month.

Novem/Linked/Whatever I Decide to Call It Hat

So I finally got around to writing up this pattern, which has been sitting on the Coming Soon list for about 2 years at this point. This hat was probably one of the first I ever designed by myself. Yet I still can't pick out a good name.

I was surprised by how well I remembered the construction (and yes, I realize that in the best picture I have of it, I have my eyes closed). It was relatively quick to write up, at least compared to my most recent pattern writing experience. I had forgotten how enjoyable it is to write a simple pattern where I didn't have to worry about grading or numerous charts. Instead, there are two charts, and I remembered ahead of time to change the names of some symbols, so I didn't have to manually do it later for the written portions. I'm waffling between having it be a free pattern and selling it for $1.50 - $2.00. It's simpler that the other hats I have for sale, so I wouldn't charge as much for it.

Lady Danbury

I based this baby blanket on Lady Danbury, one of my favorite literary characters. She is the awesome old lady who frequently appears in Julia Quinn's novels set in Regency England. Although an elegant and bold woman on the outside (stylish, but loves being old since it allows her to say whatever she wants and hit people with her cane and no one can do anything about it), she has a romantic and loving heart. She is a devout matchmaker, constantly trying to get her favorite people together, and doing her best to boost the confidence of those who need it.

Hence, a baby blanket that is less complicated than it looks, yet bold and romantic. I just started testing on it over at the Free Pattern Testers group on Ravelry. Yes, I know it needs better pictures. I'm hoping to release the pattern by late August 2013.

The Undecided Sweater

So I just finished this baby hoodie which I've been calling Minty (in real life the color combo looks like those after dinner chocolate mints you get at restaurants). I can't decide if I should write the pattern up or not.





I made the 6-12 month size, but in order to do the color section, I had to do it as a mosaic (2 rounds in a row are on the same side, so 2 RS rows then 2 WS rows). And that would be a bit hard to explain in written form. Plus, there is the issue of slipped stitches in cables. Technically I could just have the next stitch up be slipped, but I would actually find that harder to follow. Maybe I'll write it up as a regular cable pattern without the slipped stitches first, and then offer the colored version as a bonus. I'm thinking of writing up a chose your own adventure baby sweater. So there would be a hood, rectangular, or shawl collar options for the top and then 3 different options for the cables. I'm not sure yet. Maybe it would be better to have them as an ebook and have 3 different patterns where you could mix and match the elements from each.

I did decide to not publish the baby hat patterns mentioned in the previous post. I'm just not sure how tall a baby's head is and the measurements I'm finding are decidedly unhelpful. They all include a folded brim but do not specify how much is folded up so I would know how much to subtract.

Camden, Mr. Blanket, and Some Other Patterns

It's been a crazy semester, but I've still managed to get some designs done. One pattern, Mr. Blanket, was released a few months ago. It's based off a joke my brother, Sean, has with his girlfriend about his beard. Whenever he shaves it off, for a day or two he leaves a mustache and styles it into a handle bar. He thinks it's funny. She just rolls her eyes. There are three different faces: Mr. Top Hat (Shown), Mr. Artist, Mr. Chef, and Mr. Cowboy. It costs 3.50 USD.

Mr. Blanket

Mr. Top Hat, Mr. Chef, Mr. Cowboy, and Mr. Artist

Now, I have an e-book of baby hats called Slip, Slip, Baby that I am hoping to have released by mid May. I have the samples for 2 of the patterns done, and am working out the pattern for the last. The whole e-book will cost 3.00 USD, while each hat alone will cost 1.50 USD. Each hat comes in the following sizes: 0-3 months 3-6 months, 6-12 months, and 1-3 years. And yes, that is a slightly creepy baby doll modeling the 3-6 month size. I think the creepiness might be due to the fact that it looks lifelike yet not at the same time.

Slipping on the Diamonds in 6-12 months size

Slipping on the Diamonds in size 3-6 months

Slip 'n' Slide in size 3-6 months

After that I have another pattern due out in mid June. Camden is a baby cardigan/jacket done in sport weight yarn. My brother wanted me to call it Boodie and say "Warning: do not shake your Boodie when your baby is in it." As you can tell, he loves puns. The body is done in garter stitch and then a reversible cable is added. It is currently being tested. The sizes available will be 3-6 months, 6-12 months, 12-18 months, and 18-24 months. I may add larger sizes later if enough people request them.  The sample I knit still needs buttons but I lost the toggles I was planning to use. Cost is 5.00 USD.