Presenting…JODIE.

I am pleased to show you my latest design: the Jodie hat.

This whimsical hat features colorful purl ridges and ear-flaps with duplicate-stitched hearts.

I had a hard time coming up with a name for this one.  Many of the names I like have either been used a lot on Ravelry (Lauren)  or don’t capture the spirit of the design (Wendy, the name of one of my dear friends).  But Jodie seemed to fit the bill here — it’s also a little wink to Jodie Foster, who I think is terrific.

One of the most exciting things about this design is that I created two how-to videos to accompany it:  one is on duplicate-stitching and the other is on knitting an applied i-cord.  These are easy techniques but they intimidate some knitters, so I created short videos to demonstrate how truly easy they are.  (You don’t need to purchase the pattern to see the videos.  They’re here and here.)

Another funny thing about this hat.  My husband confessed, “I’m not really wild about that design” and I got kind of insecure about whether it was at all cute.  But a few hours later, when I went to check on my daughter late at night, I found her sleeping in the hat!  So I grew confident that the design WAS cute and would appeal at least to kids.  🙂

Here’s the relevant pattern information:

Materials:

2 colors of worsted weight yarn.  I used Cascade 220 (color A – pink) & Knit Picks Swish (color B – red).

16” circular needle, size US 7 (4.5 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge (I am a loose knitter so I used size US 6) & additional needles for small-diameter knitting (DPNs, a second circular or a long Magic Loop needle).

Gauge:

5 stitches/inch in stockinette stitch.

Measurements:

Child-sized: 11.75” from point of ear flap to top of pom pom when measured flat; 7.75” from brim to top of pom pom.  Includes guidelines for sizing up or down.

I hope you like the Jodie hat.  It’s available here.

(Note:  The duplicate-stitching video would also be helpful to knitters of the Jake and Sammy hats.  The applied i-cord video would be helpful to knitters of the LuLu Kerchief.)

 

FREE Pattern: Sammy!

What do you get when you knit a basic beanie and embellish with a duplicate-stitched heart and a contrasting pom pom and braid?  Cuteness! 

I gave this an androgynous name because, like the Jamie hat, it’ll look equally great on a boy or a girl.  I made the first version of this hat for the craft fair at my kids’ school and decided to offer it here for free.  This is a great pattern for beginners and for anyone who wants to try their hand at the versatile duplicate-stitch method of embellishment.  Don’t worry — it’s not hard.  And it’s a great way to personalize knits.

Materials:

Two colors of worsted weight yarn.  In the example, I used Cascade 220 Superwash (yellow) and Knit Picks Swish (red).

16” circular needles, sizes US 5 & 6 (3.5 & 4 mm) or size needed to obtain gauge (I am a loose knitter so in the example, I used sizes 4 and 5) and additional needles in the larger size for small-diameter knitting (DPNs, a second circular or a long Magic Loop needle). 

Gauge:

5 stitches/inch in stockinette stitch.

Measurements:

Child-sized: 6.75” from ribbed brim to top when measured flat.  See guidelines below for sizing up or down.

Abbreviations:

*                      repeat instructions following single * as directed

K                     knit

K2tog              knit 2 stitches together

P                      purl

Rep                  repeat

Sts                   stitch(es)

Instructions:

With main color and smaller needle, cast on 81 stitches.  Join for working in the round, being careful not to twist.  Immediately after the join, bind off 1 stitch to help secure the join.  Place marker.  You now have 80 stitches.

K4, P4 for one inch.

Change to larger needle.  Work even (knitting every round), until piece measures 5”.    

Place a marker every 8 stitches. 

*Knit until two stitches before marker, K2tog, slip marker, rep from * around.  Decrease stitches in this way every other round (knitting alternate rounds plain) until 10 stitches remain.  (Switch to preferred method of small-diameter knitting when there are too few stitches to keep on 16” needle.)

K2tog around. 

K 5 stitches around once. 

Cut yarn, thread tail through remaining stitches and pull tight to fasten off.

Make a medium-sized, full pom pom in contrasting color (red, in the example), using a long strand in the same color and another in main color to secure.  Using two tails from the contrasting color and one tail from the main color, braid for desired length.  Sew braid to top of hat, securing tightly in the inside.

Weave in ends.  Block, if necessary.

Sizing Note:  For an infant-sized hat, cast on 73 stitches, ending up with 72 after the bind-off after the join; work for 4” before decreasing.  Cinch off when you have 8 or fewer stitches.  Sizing up is easy too: cast on 97 stitches, ending up with 96 after the bind-off after the join; work for 6” before decreasing. Cinch off when you have 8 or fewer stitches.

Using the contrasting color and a tapestry needle, duplicate stitch a small heart to front, slightly off center, using the chart below as a guide.

Note: The Internet is filled with wonderful tutorials on how to duplicate stitch; here are three:

http://knitting.about.com/od/knittingskills/ss/duplicat_stitch.htm

http://bellaknitting.typepad.com/bella_knitting/2007/08/duplicate-stitc.html

http://www.knittingdaily.com/blogs/howto/archive/2008/05/15/duplicate-stitch.aspx 

I also created a video tutorial on duplicate stitching: click here.

 

**Important: this pattern is the property of Leslie Gordon.  Please do not sell this pattern or sell any items you created using this pattern.  Thank you for respecting this copyright.**

Coming soon: an update on the scarf I’ve been knitting (you didn’t know I’ve been knitting a scarf, did you?) and, believe it or not, sock knitting!

 

Drumroll…A CONTEST!

I’ve been blogging long enough now that I thought it was time for a contest!  So here goes…

In a couple of months, I will be selling knit items in my kids’ school’s craft fair, my third year participating.  I usually make hats and, for the most part, I use leftovers of yarn from other projects, akin to what I do in my teeny tiny Etsy shop.  Lately, I’ve enjoyed embroidering embellishments and duplicate-stitching words.  Here are a few examples:

So to enter the contest, please leave me a comment with a suggestion of some short words to duplicate-stitch on the front of a baby, child or adult knit hat.  (One idea that comes to mind is “Brrr…” on a winter-y baby hat.)  I’m open to ANY ideas — funny, cute, tongue-in-cheek, whatever.   Alternatively, comments could suggest a graphic embellishment, as in the heart above.  (Along those lines, feel free to tell me your favorite color combinations — lime green and brown?  orange and blue?  pink and orange?)  The upshot is I’m looking for ideas that will sell hats! 

Please enter before Sunday, 10/25.  I will use a random number generator (I do not play favorites among my fabulous blog readers!) to pick a winner (first commenter = number 1, etc.).  Here’s what the number selected will win:

That’s the Shetland Triangle shawl from Wrap Style made from a skein of Sundara sock yarn.  I want to say right off the bat that I do not mind if you want to unravel the shawl to re-use the yarn for another project!  

I knit the Shetland Triangle several months ago when a) I wanted to try the famous Sundara yarn and b) I wanted to try a lace shawl.  The yarn was as lovely as I’d heard, but the process of knitting a shawl, for me, SUCKED.  I was a wreck worrying that I’d lose yarn-overs, etc.  I ran a lifeline after nearly every row.  That said, the shawl turned out quite pretty, if a tad small.  This was purely a process knit:  I am not a shawl wearer and those aren’t my colors so the completed project has remained unworn in a plastic bag since I bound off.  I’m thrilled to be able to share it with a reader.  

Here are two more shots:

THANKS for entering!  Good luck!