Lorica's Spring Toque

This is a variant of a hat I came up with several months ago.  I like this version much better and it's drawn some immediate interest on Ravelry so I am feeling pretty good about it.  The inspiration for this design came from my cousin's two little girls, who both love pink and purple and all things ruffly, lacy, and girly.  They've just moved to the Las Vegas area so cotton seemed the best choice of yarn.  It does get cool enough in the evenings in the desert to warrant a light weight hat during the winter months so I am hoping these do the trick. 

I used a Peaches & Creme ombre to make these and I just love how the yarn's color pooling worked out into a candy stripe effect.  I did one in pink and the other in purple.  The girls can, or perhaps my cousin should, decide who gets which color.  For those who are interested but don't knit, I will be making more of these for sale in my Etsy shop but I am certainly able to take custom orders for color requests. 

Note: I have test knit this pattern 3 times; however, I have not had a second set of eyes or hands review or test knit it yet. So if you find an error or if something is not clear in the instructions, please let me know so that I correct and/or improve the pattern.

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Lorica's Spring Toque

You will need:

• 29-in circular needles US #7 (or size to obtain gauge)
• 16-in circular needles US #7 (or size to obtain gauge)
• Set of 4 DPNs US #7 (or size to obtain gauge)
• Yarn needle
• Stitch marker

Yarn:  Worsted weight yarn (~150 yards) Samples pictured here were made with Peaches & Creme #183 Lilac Ombre and #144 Strbry Cream by Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc. - 100% cotton)

Gauge: 4 1/2 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch on US#7 needles

Size: 0-6 months (6-12 months, 1-2 years, 2 years+)

Pattern:
Beginning and Ruffled Brim:

Cast on 256 (288, 320, 352) stitches using the 29-inch circular needles.  Mark the beginning of the round with the stitch marker and join the ends of the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.

• Round 1 - K2tog to the end of the round. 128 (144, 160, 176) stitches remain.
• Round 2 - Switch to 16-inch circular needles.  K2tog to the end of the round. 64 (72, 80, 88) stitches remain.



Close-up of the lace pattern

• Round 3 - Knit all stitches.

Lace Pattern:

Begin the lace pattern knitting as follows:

• Round 4 - *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round.
• Round 5 - Knit all stitches.

Repeat Rounds 4 and 5 until piece measures 5 (5.5, 6, 6.5) inches from the start of the lace pattern knit.

Decrease Sequence:
Begin decreasing as follows:

• Round 1 - *YO, K2tog, YO, K2tog, YO, K2tog, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round. 56 (63, 70, 77) stitches remain.
• Round 2 - *K5, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round. 48 (54, 60, 66) stitches remain.
• Round 3 - *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round.
• Round 4 - Knit all stitches.
• Round 5 - Switch to DPNs.  *YO, K2tog, YO, K2tog, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round. 40 (45, 50, 55) stitches remain.
• Round 6 - *K3, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round. 32 (36, 40, 44) stitches remain.
• Round 7 - *YO, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round.
• Round 8 - Knit all stitches.
• Round 9 - *YO, K2tog, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round. 24 (27, 30, 33) stitches remain.



Close-up if finished decrease sequence

• Round 10 - *K1, K2tog, repeat from * to the end of the round. 16 (18, 20, 22) stitches remain.
• Round 11 - K2tog, repeat to the end of the round. 8 (9, 10, 11) stitches remain.

Finishing:

Cut yarn leaving a 5 inch tail.  Thread tail onto yarn needle and pull it through the remaining stitches.  Pull tight to close ring completely.  Thread the tail to the inside of the hat and weave the end.  Weave the end at the cast on edge.

The Ashton Hat

My cousin is pregnant with her second child, a little boy this time.  I am very happy for her. Watching her prepare, via blog, for the new little guy has been fun. She is a very creative and talented woman and I am very proud of her.

My own kids are now past the baby stage so knitting tiny clothes is no longer something I can do for them. I just love knitting baby things though, so I try to do gifts for friends. My cousin's new baby has given me an excuse to test knit my Bottle Cozy pattern; a chance to begin experimenting with knitted bibs; and a reason to design a new baby hat pattern.

I elected to make this one 100% cotton because my cousin lives in Texas and it just doesn't get cold enough for wool there. I used a Peaches & Cream blue ombre that I already had sitting in my stash and I love how the color pooling created a striped effect through the seed stitch portion of the pattern. I will have to make a second hat with this yarn to see if it will pool that way again or if I just got lucky. Regardless, I love how this hat turned out! It's very cute and fast to knit and the textures are great.

Note:  I have not had a second set of eyes or hands review or test knit this pattern yet. So if you find an error or if something is not clear in the instructions, please let me know so that I correct and/or improve the pattern.

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The Ashton Hat                            

You will need:

• 12-in circular needles US #6 (or two sizes smaller than size to obtain gauge)
• 12-inch circular needles US #8 (or size to obtain gauge)
• Set of 4 DPNs US #8 (or size to obtain gauge)
• Yarn needle
• Stitch marker
• Worsted weight yarn (I made the one shown here with Peaches & Creme #133 Shaded Denim Ombre by Pisgah Yarn & Dyeing Co., Inc. - 100% cotton)

Gauge: 4 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch on US#8 needles

Size: 0-6 months (I have yet to pattern test for larger sizes)

Pattern:

Beginning and Rib Cuff:

Cast on 64 stitchs using the small circular needles.

Mark the beginning of the round with the stitch marker and join the ends of the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.

For the first 1 1/2 inches, knit using K2, P2 pattern (2X2 Rib).

Seed Stitch Section:

Switch to larger circular needles and begin Seed Stitch pattern as follows:

• Rnd 1 - K2tog, *P1, K1, repeat from * until 1 stitch remains, K1 (63 stitches remain
• Rnd 2 - *P1, K1, repeat from * until 1 stitch remains, P1
• Rnd 3 - *K1, P1, repeat from * until 1 stitch remains, K1

Continue in Seed Stitch pattern by repeating Rnd 1 and Rnd 2 until piece measures 4 1/2 inches from cast on edge.

Stockinette Section:

Begin Stockinette Stitch pattern as follows:

• Rnd 1 - Increase in the first stitch by knitting in front and back of the same stitch, knit to the end of the round (64 stitches)
• Rnd 2 - Knit to end of the round

Continue Stockinette Stitch pattern by repeating PatRnd 2 until the piece measures 5 1/2 inches from cast on edge.

Decrease Sequence:

Begin decreasing as follows:

• Rnd 1- K6, K2tog, repeat to end of the round (56 stitches remaining)
• Rnd 2 - K5, K2tog, repeat to end of the round (48 stitches remaining)
• Rnd 3 - Knit
• Rnd 4 - Switch to DPNs. K4, K2tog, repeat to end of the round (15 stitches on 1st needle, 15 stitches on secnd needle, and 10 stitches on third needle - 40 stitches total remaining)
• Rnd 5 - Knit
• Rnd 6 - K3, K2tog, repeat to end of the round (32 stitches remaining)
• Rnd 7 - Knit
• Rnd 8 - Knit
• Rnd 9 - K2, K2tog, repeat to end of the round (24 stitches remaining)
• Rnd 10 - Knit
• Rnd 11 - K1, K2tog, repeat to end of the round (16 stitches remaining)
• Rnd 12 - K2tog, repeat to end of the round (8 stitches remaining)

Finishing:

Cut the yarn leaving a 5 inch tail. Thread tail onto yarn needle and pull it through the remaining eight stitches. Pull tightly to completely close the ring. Thread tail to inside of hat and weave end. Weave end at cast on edge.

Hat can be worn with ribbed cuff up or down.

Monkadoodle's Stocking Hat

My youngest son, then two, grabbed a skein of Lion Brand Home Spun yarn out of the bin while we were at Walmart several months ago and said, "Mommy, can I have this one? I like this one. Can you make me a hat please?"

I was in a hurry and trying to stick to my shopping list that day. Thus, I almost said no but he had such a big smile on his face, his eyes were shining, and he had never asked me to knit him anything before. So I said, "OK, buddy. One Monkadoodle hat. Are you sure you want that yarn? You can pick any other yarn here if you want or we can go to the yarn shop and get something really nice."

He stood that for a moment looking at all the different yarns and colors around him in the aisle, walked up and touched different skein, then, shaking his head, turned back to me saying, "No, I want this one."

Out of curiosity I asked, "Why that one?"

He grinned and said, "It's soft and BLUE!"

How could I argue with such an emphatic love of blue. Laughing, I said, "It's good that you know what you like, Monkadoodle. OK, put it in the basket. I'll try making a hat for you with this stuff. I can't promise how it will turn out because I've never knitted with this yarn before but we'll see what I can come up with."

So we got home and I tucked the skein away in my stash and spent the next few months thinking about what kind of hat I could make with Home Spun. I love the color, Montana Sky. It is blue with subtle changes to blue green and it is soft. It's the first #5 bulky yarn I've ever tried. It looks almost like a boucle', except the strand is stronger.

So after looking around online at different projects made with this stuff and scratching my head, I decided that this yarn was not going to give me very good stitch definition so a basic ribbed hat would probably be the best. I also wanted this to be a hat that he could wear for several winters and ribbing makes for a nice stretchy, able-to-grow-with-a-growing-head kind of hat. So this is what I ended up making for him.

This is a very easy, basic hat pattern. There is nothing special about it in any way, shape, or form and there are probably a dozen similar patterns running around out there either free or for purchase. I've made so many basic hats that I don't really look at a pattern anymore and all the patterns I have used are beginning to blur together in my mind anyway. I did not even check gauge on this prior to making it. I just cast on what looked like about the right amount based on other hats I've made and went from there.
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MONKADOODLE'S STOCKING HAT

You will need:

• #9 16-inch circular needles
• #9 DPNs
• 1 skein Lion Brand Homespun Yarn (but you can probably use
  just about any yarn you want just make sure to adjust needle size and # stitches
  cast on so that it will fit the desired head circumference)
• Stitch marker
• Yarn Needle
  

Gauge: 4 stitches = 1 inch in stock stitch (I did not measure gauge until after I was finished So this is how it worked out.)

Pattern:

• Using circular needles, cast on 72 stitches. Put a stitch marker on the right needle to mark the beginning of the round.
• Join, being careful not to twist the stitches and knit every round in 2X2 rib (K2, P2. Repeat to end of round.) for 6 inches from cast on edge.
• Switch to knit stitch. Knit all rounds for next 2 inches (total of 8 inches from cast on edge).
• Next begin the decreasing as follows:
  Round 1: K6, K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (63 stitches remain)
  Round 2: K5, K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (54 stitches remain)
  Round 3: Knit
  Round 4: Switching to DPNs, K4, K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (45 stitches remain)
  Round 5: Knit
  Round 6: K3, K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (36 stitches remain)
  Round 7: Knit
  Round 8: K2, K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (27 stitches remain)
  Round 9: Knit
  Round 10: K1, K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (18 stitches remain)
  Round 11: K2tog. Repeat to end of round. (9 stitches remain)
  
• Cut yarn leaving 5 inch tail and thread onto yarn needle.
• Pull it through the remaining stitches and cinch it tightly to close the hole.
• Weave in the end on the inside of the heat. Weave the end on the brim of the hat being mindful that the cuff will be turned up on the hat.
  

This pattern is based on the notes I jotted down as I was making it. I have not tested this pattern yet but plan to in the near future. Thus, it may be subject to a few changes in the future. If anyone out there is interested in becoming a pattern tester for me, please let me know.

Caroline's Spring Toque

I was not blessed with daughters but rather sons. I get to make things adorned with pirate flags, dinosaurs, space, trains, trucks, and things that fly. Knitting or sewing something pink and frilly is just not something I do very often, since I myself don't typically wear pink or frills. I am not complaining, mind you - not one iota - and I would not trade my wonderful boys for anything in the world. I happen to love pirate flags, dinosaurs, space, trains, trucks, and things that fly. But every now and then , I wonder what life would be like with a daughter running around. Well, I caught a glimpse of the possibilities this past week.

Caroline, one of the little girls in DS1's preschool class, turned 5 years old last week and invited her friends over to her house for a birthday party after school. The party invitation said 'no gifts please' (and I definitely understand not needing/wanting anymore toys around) but every kid needs presents at their birthday party so I sat down to think of what I could make rather quickly that Caroline might like. She is always wearing pink and purple, sparkly, frilly little outfits and from what I hear she loves playing dress up, so I thought a hat might be in order. But, Spring is springing and its getting to be too warm for a stocking cap and I wanted this gift to be something she could wear before next winter. Lace seemed in order so I came up with this cute little knitted lace toque embellished with a little bit of fun fir.

What is so cool about this hat is that I came up with the pattern on my own. Most of my stuff is based on other people's designs that I modify to fit my own style or material preferences. This is the first time I have flown without a net, as it were. Now, this is a very easy stitch pattern and hats are not all that difficult; but, heck, I didn't even right the pattern down (very unlike me), I just knitted. I really like how it turned out and I will definitely be making a few more of these to put up for sale. In honor of little Caroline's inspiration, I have named the hat pattern after her. I hope she enjoys wearing it as much as I enjoyed knitting it and I hope I'll get a chance to see her wear it sometime. Happy Birthday, Caroline!

Lil' Cottontail - Just in time for Easter

I found this adorable little bunny hat pattern in Susan Anderson's Itty Bitty Hats book. (I love and highly recommend this book!) I thought it very sweet but not nearly fuzzy enough to do justice to a child's inner rabbit. So after a brief search at a local yarn sale, I found an relatively inexpensive, fluffy, white, baby boucle' yarn with which to experiment. The pattern was not written to work with a bulky yarn but after a gauge swatch and some math I had a workable modification.

I have never worked with boucle' yarn before and I do not hesitate to say that it is a pain with which to knit. It does not slide as nicely on the needles and keeping yarn tension is more difficult because it tends to bind up a bit as you knit. Mistakes are much tougher to see due to the fluffiness and, since I tend to check my work visually for mistakes as I go, I found this particularly aggravating. However, for all its frustrations, the fabric created from knitting with the boucle' has a very interesting and soft texture. The fluffiness factor is nearly rabbit perfect and it seems as though it will be warm and comfy next to the skin, which is important since this is a stocking cap after all.

I am a little disappointed that the boucle' yarn does not knit up with the same stretchiness that worsted weight or even baby yarns have so I do have plans to modify the pattern further (and perhaps beyond all recognition) to a use a different knit pattern, such as a 1X1 or perhaps even a 2X2 rib to try and increase the stretchiness. I will update this post later on once Cottontail version 2.0 is complete to let you know how things turned out. In the meantime, this little hat is quite a fun number and my kids (ages 2 and 4) just love it. Since they are the target demographic for this hat, that is all that is important.