Hats Are For Summer!
It’s summer. It’s hot. I think I can speak for most knitters when I say the last thing we want is a heaping pile of knitting on our laps! However, we want to keep on knitting. A solution to that quandary is making hats!
Just think of it, hats are small and provide a good start to our holiday/birthday gift-giving stash! They are also a marvelous way of trying a new technique to see if it will become one of your favorites!
At My Sister Knits, we are always finding new hat patterns that we fall in love with. We have oodles on display all over the shop. Have you lingered on the landing halfway up the stairs lately to examine our hat collection on the shelves? New samples are always cropping up!
Trail Point, designed by Ruth Boelkins
Trail Point is one that we think will be quite popular this year due to its shape and unusual yarn. Its cleverly constructed brim and three-needle bind-off are good techniques to learn. Fortunately, because it uses multiple colors of yarn, we have kits! On the other hand, you could go stash diving, find some leftover yarn that you like, and add to it with something from the shop.
Julie Hoover has just released a hat pattern, Melrose Hat. It’s a classic pattern using stockinette stitch with a lovely brim detail! Look closely at the braid around the brim! Julie gives thorough, easy-to-read instructions on how to do this. Melrose has a different construction than usual as it is worked from above the brim to the crown. Then the stitches are picked up, the braid is worked, and finally the ribbing. Never fear, Julie’s directions are easy to follow! Our own Julie is currently making us a sample and it should be in the shop by the weekend!
Halibut Hat, designed by Caitlin Hunter
If you’d like to try your hand at some fun colorwork, Halibut Hat is for you! Can you see the halibut? If you like this design and want more of it, there is also a Halibut sweater and a Halibut cowl. This hat is a good example of using a smaller project as a swatch for a larger one, like the sweater! Check out the projects on Ravelry to see the color combinations that other knitters have used!
Musselburgh, designed by Ysolda Teague
Musselburgh is such an interesting pattern! Ysolda wrote it for multiple gauges using yarn from heavy laceweight to DK. It’s a two-layer hat so it starts at the top, increases quickly, then just knit away until you get to the bottom decreases. If you want a different color for the second half of the hat, just change colors when you’ve knit half the indicated length! This pattern looks a bit daunting until it’s been read over a few times; don’t give up and you will add to your pattern-reading skills! It isn’t difficult, merely find and follow the chart for your gauge! To find your gauge, the instructions say to knit for an inch at the beginning of the hat and then measure. There’s a photo that shows how it’s done! This pattern was released in 2019 and there are almost 7,000 projects posted! Check out this class for making Musselburgh in August!
Gr8 Gingham, designed by Jessie Maed Designs
Gr8 Gingham is another colorwork hat, perfect for the knitter who wants to try it for the first time! This pattern calls for a tubular cast-on. This cast-on is well worth the extra time it takes and creates a professional-looking finished edge. Andrea Mowry has an excellent video tutorial that will give you the confidence to work a tubular cast-on. Try it! You might decide to use it for all of your hats!
The next time you’re in the shop, we invite you to find these new hats and try them on!
July Knitting Day
Friday, July 29th is our next Knitting Day, from 10 until 4. These days are filled with laughter, good conversation, and new friends! We invite you to come to the shop and spend an hour or two or all day knitting on your current project. Give yourself the gift of knitting with no distractions for as long as you can stay! Prior sign-up is appreciated but not a requirement, just call the shop at 970.407.1461.
Happy knitting,
