Currently browsing: autumn

Cornflower Garden Hat

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CORNFLOWER HAT PDF PATTERN – £3.00

WATCH THE TRAILER | WATCH THE VIDEO TUTORIAL
QUEUE IT ON RAVELRY

Many thanks to my Technical Editor, Akshata Dhareshwar!

Cornflower is my idea of a carefree hat; a hat you pull on without even thinking as you head out to do a spot of gardening. Or perhaps you keep it hanging on a nail in the greenhouse, for convenience. And if your ribbing starts to sag a little because you’ve worn it so much, well, just tie it up a bit tighter! When you get back inside you can sit down with a well-earned cup of Lady Grey. It has cornflowers in it, you know!

Cornflower is knit from the brim up in a deceptively simple & fun stitch pattern that is a combination of eyelets and elongated stitches (watch the video to see for yourself). The ribbing transitions neatly into the main stitch pattern which decreases into a very satisfyingly symmetrical crown. The tie is braided herringbone-style and threaded through the yarn over holes in the brim. Like all good hats, it will knit up in a day.

things i love about this hat, in no particular order

I can use the braided tie as a bracelet, to stop a door slamming, to tie up drooping plants, or for various other stringy purposes.
It gives people behind me in a queue something pretty to ponder.
I can use it as a pouch with a drawstring.
I can stick all manner of found objects into the tie.
I can tie it onto my coat / bag / wrist so I don’t lose it! The number of hats I’ve stuffed in my pocket & subsequently lost on walks doesn’t bear thinking…
It’s lacy & textured at the same time.
It can be beribboned.
The tassels mirror the stitch pattern. Details make me happy. :)

On a side note, if you like lists like this, you really should read the 101 Reasons Why I Love Knitting.

details

YARN
‣ 1 ball Alize Cashmira [100gr; 100% wool; 300m / 328yds] or approx. 170m / 186yds of DK-weight yarn (including yarn needed for braided tie).

NEEDLES
‣ 3.5mm (US 4) double pointed needles or 40cm/ 16in circular needles for ribbing,
‣ and 4.5mm (US 7) double pointed needles,
‣ or size to get gauge.

GAUGE
‣ 16sts / 20 rows over 10cm/4in in blocked ribbing.
‣ 1 pattern repeat (18 rounds / 20 sts) is 7cm/2.75in x 7cm/2.75in when stretched.

SIZE
‣ Finished size will be 51cm/20in around the brim (to fit a head 56cm/22in),
‣ 21cm/8.25in from cast-on edge to tip of crown.
‣ The pattern includes instructions both for altering gauge for a tighter-fitting brim, and for making the hat slouchier.

PDF PATTERN – £3.00

QUEUE IT ON RAVELRY

21st September, 2011 // 5 O'Clock, Hats, Roundelay // tags: autumn, cornflower, hat, lace, spring.

The Sights & Sounds of Autumn Knitting

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Being without an internet connection wasn’t all bad, you know. I did an unusual amount of reading, splashed some watercolours around, managed to connect my Strat to my Macbook, and even ventured into a bank. Oh, and I made this trailer for the Cornflower Hat. It’s a bit better than my last attempt, I think, but hopefully not nearly as good as my next. :)

(click here if you can’t see the embedded video)

I think the work you put into your knitting will reward you richly, not just in the beauty of the final piece, but in more profound ways, just like the pretty spring blossoms bear fruit in autumn. That’s the story I tried to tell in this video. Also, of course, that a hat with a drawstring is an excellent place to keep your lunch, perhaps Paddington-style marmalade sandwiches?

You can also amuse yourself by spotting all 5 types of fruit in the trailer, and identifying the following quotations that were going through my head as I shot the clips:

“…sloeblack, slow, black…”
“…it is only flowers, they had no fruits…”
“nobody in the lane, and nothing, nothing but blackberries…”
“the pears are not viols…”
“hope is the thing with feathers…”
“when I am an old woman I shall wear purple” (I might start now!)

Many thanks to Granddad’s orchard, Grandma’s greenhouse, Dad’s camera, providential butterflies, birdsong and the D chord.

The pattern will be released this week, knitters! I hope you enjoy it…

12th September, 2011 // Inspiration, Roundelay // tags: autumn, hat, video.

British Blues

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Dear Lovely Knitters & Lovers of Lilacs,
I’m terribly sorry for having been away (still being away, alas). I’ve been without regular internet access for weeks & I’m therefore far behind on correspondence. Many apologies! I’ve been knitting & writing & travelling though, and I have lots to share with you, once my connection is re-established. I’ve also been experimenting with vlogs and book reviews, so look out for those!

Yesterday I went on a beautiful boat ride down the River Severn in Shrewsbury. We had tea and watched all the familiar buildings drift by (from a new angle), and waved back at all the landlopers. Seeing the riverside houses with their little personal jetties made me wish I lived by the river & could boat & not have to get entangled in all the road traffic. Didn’t Pepys use to commute by boat?

On Wednesday I rode my favourite train route to Aberystwyth & had ice cream & did the crossword on the prom. I love trains because they’re the only mode of transport (that I’ve so far discovered) that doesn’t make me motion-sick and on which I can read and knit as I please. Commuter trains aren’t very nice, but the old diesels that coast up and down the countryside are the best, for their views and their less-hurried passengers. The blue ice cream (bubblegum flavour) was quite disgusting, by the way, but the colour was very satisfying. The light in the UK makes colours look so much better than in Turkey. Even the contents of Grandma’s wheelbarrow look photogenic…