Softie Hat -- A FREE Pattern

It's exciting to introduce a new knitting pattern to the Graywood Designs knitting line. And, for the first time, one of our patterns is being offered as a FREE download on Ravelry.

Softie Hat is a a lightweight, fine gauge hat for women in one size. It is knit out of sock weight yarn, also called fingering yarn and uses almost all of a 100 gram skein of yarn.

The fit is snug around the ears, but loose in the body of the hat, so this is a design that won't destroy a hairstyle or flatten your bangs.

Softie Hat pulls down over the forehead for those really windy cold times. Or wear it casually tucked back for a stylish look.

The yarn that you choose will dictate whether the hat is sort of tight or a snug fit around the ears.

The Softie Hat design uses a small needle gauge for the ribbing. For the body of the hat, there are increases and a change to a larger needle to get the looser, softer fit.

Multicolored sock yarns (there are scads of these lovely yarns on the market now) knit up beautifully in this design and, for once, the yarn shows, for, instead of knitting two socks for your feet, you'll be knitting a special hat for your head!

Here's the LINK to the free Softie Hat download.

And here is a LINK to all of the sock yarns on our website, any of which will make a lovely Softie Hat for you.

Happy knitting,

Wanda

An Unlikely Stitch Marker

I found this unusually shaped safety pin attached to the last Vera Wang top that I bought at Target. The pin is sharp, but really stands out when I use it as a stitch marker for my knitting.

Isn't it neat to find something unlikely that works with knitting?!

Luscious Colors in Lanaloft Handpaints

There are some luscious colors in Brown Sheep's Lanaloft yarns. Made in both worsted and sport weights, this yarn is available in selected colors on our website.

Lanaloft is 100% wool and is single ply. It handles a lot like Lamb's Pride worsted which is also single ply, but Lanaloft does not have mohair so it has far less of the soft haze of Lamb's Pride.

Choose Lanaloft for your holiday knitting gifts. Lanaloft makes lovely hats, scarves, and mittens. Many of the colors coordinate well with the colors of outerwear that are worn in the winter. The yarn has a subtle striping effect, a lot like the sock yarns that knitters have come to love.

With the artful handpaint colors, you will have created a very special gift indeed.

Lanaloft worsted weight: 4.5 stitches per inch, US #8 needle; 100 gram,160 yard pull skein

Lanaloft sport weight: 6 stitches per inch. US #5 needle; 50 gram, 145 yards; pull skein

May we suggest a pattern?

The Zelda Hat, by Graywood Designs, uses one skein of Lanaloft Handpaint worsted.

Turn A Square Number Seven

Riff Blue color should be a tad bit more toward a denim-ish gray

I must be crazy about Jared Flood's hat pattern because I started another one. This Turn A Square is for Bill, my helpful friend who knows enough to repair my email disasters when I start tinkering with my laptop or a Kindle or mobile phone.

The main color yarn is Brown Sheep's Lamb's Pride Superwash worsted in Riff Blue (Color SW45). The accent color is Fortissima Socka Mit Bamboo, Color 103, used double. I like to do these hats on Addi Turbo 16" circular needles. Jared's pattern suggests two sizes, US #5 and US #7, one for the ribbing and one for the body of the hat.

The Riff Blue is available on our website (where I called it "Ruff Blue," by mistake!) Notice that the color is a tough one to photograph. It will not be as blue as shown in the photo. Think more denim. The light gray sock yarn is a leftover yarn. It is 60% superwash wool, 25% bamboo, and 15% nylon. It's in the Discontinued Yarn on the website, but there is only one ball left and it is 50% off the regular price.

Turn A Square Number Four

This hat will be the seventh one that I have knit. Max, Finn, Peter, Clay, and John all have Turn A Squares. The sixth Turn A Square, in pink for a girl, is in the decreasing stage. And this hat, for my friend Bill, is Numero Seven.

Turn A Square Number Five

I use the Lamb's Pride Super Wash because I absolutely love the feel of knitting this yarn and then, after washing the hat, the yarn plumps up and the hat is so soft and warm. The hat rolls up and tucks into a pocket so it is ready for windy or rough weather days. It's a great pattern.

Onward and upward with the Turn A Square hats!

Copyright 2013
Wanda Hayes Eichler

Turn A Square -- a FREE pattern on Ravelry

Another Turn A Square Blog Post

A Pause in the Blog

Dear Graywood Knits blog readers,

I want to let you know, in a few words, that I have been away from the Graywood Designs website and Graywood Knits blog for almost two months now, due to the death of my father, Stanley C. F. Hayes, in early May. Dad died on May 6th, a Monday, and the funeral was the following Saturday.

I am one of seven children and we all made it home to Wisconsin to be at Dad's side in those last few days. Dad had just turned 92 and was living alone, but with daily assistance for personal care and meals. We are fortunate to have had him through all of these years.

Some of you know that I write a daily blog that has been focused on my Dad. Since January of 2010, Dad received a daily email with the blog post. I would write a bit about something that I thought he might enjoy reading about, and I always included a photo. It was my way of staying in touch with him, even though I am in Michigan and he lived in Wisconsin.

You can find those posts at the blog, "From Under The Willow." In these days after Dad's death, I am still writing the Willow Blog. I am not sure where it will take me, but the daily discipline of putting words together with photography is an enriching experience.

I can testify, too, to the comfort of knitting in the midst of sorrow. I knit several baby hats during my weeks in Wisconsin and kept a summer scarf design on my needles. There have been several weeks in June now when I laid knitting aside in favor of gardening and art journaling. But the knitting always beckons and soothes.

Just the other night I took another hat off of the needles and worked in the ends. It's good to get done with a knitting project and move on to something new. I'm waiting for that "moving on" time as I grieve for my father. Knitting, I can finish. This weight of emotion moves more slowly.

So, I am back at the blog. There is a new Knit Along coming up on July 4th. That's what the next post will be about.

Again, thanks for following my knitting endeavors. I hope you will look at the website and, gee, maybe even place and order now and then.

Regards,

Wanda

A Lace Edging: First Week of KAL

Ridgely Shawlette -- A Knit Along -- 3 repeats done

The first few repeats of the lace edging on the Ridgely shawlette proved to be an exercise in lace edging. I have done a lot of lace knitting before but have not attempted a garter stitch edging.

I'm tickled with the results of my knitting so far. I'm using the CoBaSi yarn on a US#6 needle. My colors are gold and camel, since I'm planning to wear the scarf in the fall. Michelle Hunter's pattern uses one ball of main color for the lace edging, while another ball of main color and the contrasting color are working into a garter stripe shawl.

You can see the three balls of yarn in the top photo, as well as the slight increasing that is already building in the shawl part of the knitting. This is fascinating knitting. You'll have to concentrate and mark off rows. The Knit Along makes for a great way to learn something new and add to your "bag 'o' knitting tricks."

Nine repeats finished

Here's the shawlette after seven repeats are complete. The knitted fabric has wonderful drape and I am looking forward to wrapping up in my lace knitting very soon.

Happy Knitting!

Wanda

The Forever Scarf

I started a ribbon lace scarf using a design from Knitty several years ago. I would work on it and put it away; get it out again; put it away. You know the story of unfinished knitting projects, I'm sure.

The scarf is finished! I took the knitting along on a trip to Disney last month and got really, really motivated. Here I am, knitting on the scarf at our Disney hotel. Yes, that is my Element wrap that I am wearing around my shoulders as I knit in the cool outdoor Disney setting.

And here I am, wearing the scarf with a jeans jacket, linen pants and my usual black travel v-neck for an outdoor barbecue event at the convention we attended. I have probably pulled this scarf around my neck fifteen times since finishing it. I absolutely love this piece of knitting and am so glad that I took the time to make it.

I have a skein and a half of Sterling Silk and Silver yarn in this scarf. I used a set of vintage Boye metal needles, needles that I have had since high school days. The pattern is Lace Ribbon Scarf by Veronik Avery from the Spring 2008 issue of Knitty.

Great pattern, compelling knitting, lovely scarf.

Free lace ribbon scarf pattern is HERE

Sterling Silk and Silver yarn is on SALE HERE.