This is the Anstruther Hat by Erica Smith on Ravelry. I loved knitting it and love how many different combinations are available with fair isle. I also purchased the mitten pattern as part of the “E Book” and I have been wanting to knit them. Hopefully soon. I definitely recommend this pattern.
Love this pattern, so much fun to knit!
I purchased this hat pattern this spring after seeing it all over Instagram last winter. This summer I finally got around to knitting it. I love this hat pattern so much! I used the suggested needle sizes- which doesn’t usually happen for me to get gauge. The designer used Brooklyn Tweed Quarry which is what I used too. Definitely said YES to adding the pom pom. This was a quick knit and I finished it in two sittings. This hat features a two inch twisted rib cuff. Wouldn’t this hat make a cute gift? A friend dubbed it a “snow bunny” hat- definitely! This pattern is available on Ravelry from Gundrun Johnston.
I knit this sweater earlier this summer; it’s the Togue Pond Tank by Pam Allen that was part of the 2015 Kestrel Collection by Quince & Co. I purchased the whole pattern collection online for only $15 (It’s much more to buy individual patterns).
I love this kestrel yarn! As you can see in the first photo it has a “tape yarn” like quality- it’s flat and wide. It also has a nice sheen to it which linen doesn’t always have. The only downside to knitting with this yarn is that its a little more expensive but I ended up using one less skein than anticipated. I wasn’t able to exchange the extra skein so I’ll have to figure out a use for it.
The first part of this sweater was fast to knit. I modified my sweater to have a tubular cast on which takes a little more effort but it’s so worth it! The hem has short rows to make the back longer. It’s knit in the round and I knit the second size. The only challenge was that I was concerned about fit and it was difficult to gauge the size in the round but it ended up fitting well. I also added the ribbing to both armholes only to discover that they were too small :(. I was bummed but set it aside for a week and then re-worked the armholes with 6 extra rib stitches. Much better! I loved this sweater project and hope to knit another one someday soon maybe for myself next time.
Love this color!
Completed sweater: Modern details but very classic
I saw this sweater in a FAM (Fatto a Mano) book 232 at a local yarn store and loved the way it looked on the model. It looked effortless and had a longer back and slit at either side. The book also had some other cute designs and was only $14.95 for several patterns. I bought 8 skeins of “Amira” yarn by LANG but only ended up using 6 and was able to exchange the extra. This yarn was 93% cotton and 7% nylon and so nice and soft to knit with.
This ended up being a speedy project and I finished it in under a week. At the very end I was slightly delayed because I wasn’t sure how to do the tubular bind off (also has several other names) but finally found good instructions here. The Tubular bind off gives the edges a smooth and professional look.
Love this yarn!
Getting closer
I came across these hand-knit baby bloomers on Instagram recently and had to knit them because they are too sweet! They are from a wonderful, easy-to-follow pattern purchased at studio Misha & Puff. I knit two sizes so far and they required about the same amount of yarn as an adult hat. The pattern calls for Madelinetosh Vintage (super wash) yarn or something similar. I’m looking forward to knitting their “popcorn bonnet” next.
Size 6-12 months in Madelinetosh Vintage “Modern Fair Isle” color way -a favorite!
I recently found several skeins of nice yarn at a local thrift store- it was enough for a sweater. Some of the yarn seemed un-used and some had obviously been knitted and then re-round into a ball. I wanted to get the kinks out so I made skeins on my swift (if you don’t have one you could use a chair).
As you can see in the photos I used fabric scraps to secure the skeins in two places. I then submerged each skein into cold water with a gentle detergent- I used “The Laundress” wool wash. I let the yarn sit submerged for an hour or so and then used plastic clothing hangers to hang each skein from the shower to dry. I like to weigh the skeins down a little with a hanger at the bottom. After these were dry I put them back on the swift which was made possible by the two fabric ties (very important, otherwise tangles!). They were easily wound and are now ready for their second project.
Yarn on the right in original form and on the left 3 skeins knitted and de-knit again.
After unwinding via the swift (such a good investment if you knit a lot)
After hanging from the shower- the yarn is without kinks now!
After! I will feel a lot more confident knitting with this kink-free. What to make!
After the holiday season I decided to take a break from knitting as much as possible as fast as possible. I’ve been knitting a lot of new projects like these easy leg-warmers. This pattern would work for sock and fingering-weight yarn.
To knit this pair in a size small I divided the available Madelinetosh “Tosh Merino Light” yarn in two by weight. Cast on 84 stitches using size 1 double-pointed needles. Join work for knitting in the round and continue in a 2 x 2 rib. Knit until enough yarn remains for casting off. Repeat for second piece and use a ruler or count stitches to make sure they are the same length.
I picked this pattern and yarn up last fall at the “Vogue Knit Live” event in Chicago. A vendor from St. Paul, Minnesota had a sample of this chic hat and I wanted to knit it. I finally got around to making it this summer. I do not bother with knitting a test swatch because I know that my gauge is bound to be off from what a pattern says. For this reason I generally size down in knitting needles. As I knit this I could tell it was going to be huge but didn’t worry because with wool there is always felting. After finishing the hat I took a before felting picture and then an after. It’s still very cute but has a slightly different look and drape. I imagine that one would have to knit very tight in order to achieve the gauge of the pattern. Most of the hat was 184 stitches in the round which is a lot! I like to knit looser with smaller needles.
The pattern and wool from Brooklyn Tweed- so cute! Must knit.
Work in progress. The back has this interesting slipped section and is perfect to camouflage color changes.
Huge! Love the decreasing detail.
Another nice detail- twisted rib cuff.
Before felting. It’s an animal? It’s alive?
After felting. It has a different look but is still cute.
Side by side comparison. Before and after felting.
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I knit with a lot of 100% wool which results in many wool scraps. I finally discovered the perfect use for them with this acorn tutorial from the HonestlyWTF blog. In the following photos I’m sharing how I break down the wool scraps to prep for felting. Making these felted balls can be tricky because a lot of cracks form and they can be difficult to cover. I recently tried to make these with roving that I had purchased from the craft store that didn’t require combing and it seemed to work pretty well but then you aren’t using your scraps. I scavenged some of the acorn caps but some I purchased on ETSY.
I could knit with these scraps but I needed this color. For whatever reason this light tan color seems to be easier to work with- fewer cracks in the finished product!
Trim the yarn into shorter pieces and place onto the comb.
Yarn will begin to fluff. Remove, replace on the comb and repeat.
Ready for felting.
My finished products. These were all made from yarn scraps.
This hat was knit using Flicker yarn from Berroco that I purchased at the Knitting Tree in Madison. This is my own pattern using a stitch from one of Barbara Walker’s books (some of my favorites). I knit 3 identical hats and one has already been purchased for a Christmas gift for next year!
This yarn has a subtle sparkle in it which I was drawn to. It’s fun to try out different yarns especially when I knit with the same yarns over and over for my knit business. This yarn is stretchier than most and makes for a very comfortable hat in a refreshing color. This pattern will be available for purchase soon and these samples will be listed in my ETSY shop soon.
That’s me, Laura. Photographs by Mom.
pointelledesign 
