Irving Park

Irving Park is a slouchy beret with ruching detail; ruching is one of my favorite techniques because it’s dead simple to do and produces spectacular results. The end result is a hat that’s perfect for those of us with bangs, or for days your mother would tell you to wear a hat but when you don’t want to squash your hair.

Size: Adult
Gauge: 7 sts/8 rows per inch
Materials: 250m/273y of fingering weight yarn, shown in Cherry Tree Hill Supersock
Needles: 16″ US #3/3.25mm circular needles, 1 set US #3/3.25mm double pointed needles
Notions: Tapestry needle
Skill Level: Advanced beginner

Download Irving Park (PDF)

Gehry

Despite the snow and gray skies that come with living in Chicago, Millennium Park always holds its charm.  A few weeks ago I was struck by the contrast of the BP Pedestrian Bridge against the snow, winding its way across Columbus Drive like a giant metallic snake.  The bridge was designed by — and this hat is named for — architect Frank Gehry, who is better known for deconstructivist buildings like the Guggenheim.

The large cables in this hat evoke the same feeling as the sinuous curves of the bridge, and provide a beginning knitter a starting place for learning how to cable. Gehry is made from aran weight yarn and knits up quickly, making a beautiful hat with instant gratification.

Size: Adult
Gauge: 3.5 sts/5 rows per inch with larger needles
Materials: 100m/110y of Aran weight yarn, shown in Debbie Bliss Rialto Aran
Needles: 16″ US #9/5.5mm circular needles, 16″ US #10.5/6.5mm circular needles, 1 set US #10.5/6.5mm double pointed needles
Notions: Tapestry needle, cable needle
Skill Level: Advanced beginner

Download Gehry (PDF)

I’ve been thinking about knitting a sweater with a counterpane lace motif for a while, but haven’t seen any patterns that call to me.  To be honest, I haven’t seen any patterns at all that have really captured what I had in mind.  Yesterday I was flipping through catalogs looking for good magnet images when I found the Alpine Bell-Sleeve Sweater from Garnet Hill.

The front of this sweater is almost exactly what I had in mind.  I wish there were a shot of the side and back of the sweater so I could see what they did with the seaming and shaping. Hats off to the anonymous knit designer who created this pattern!

Wow.  I am absolutely blown away by the Kowloon Cardigan, a new silky lace cardigan pattern from PhysicsKnits.  I can’t think of a single thing that I’d change about  it, and I usually end up tweaking every pattern.

The drape of the Handmaiden’s Flaxen looks amazing.  I’ve never knit with it, but I’m sure that the silk helps soften the feel of the linen during knitting.  The yarn is not cheap, typically in the $37-39 range for 250 meters.  If I find myself with something noteworthy to celebrate this summer, I may splurge and buy a kit from One Planet Yarn and Fiber.