Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
Lion Brand Notebook
News, Ideas and Information for Crafting with Yarn
It’s always great to see how many people are excited about sharing their designs with others, and with the advent of the internet, it’s easier than ever to share through Ravelry, your own blog or website, and online magazines. Still, there’s something great about seeing your design in a book.
If you’ve always wanted to see one of your creations in print, now’s your chance!
Our friends at Quarry Books are currently inviting knitters to submit their knit hat designs for a chance to be included in the forthcoming collection, 1000 Fabulous Knit Hats, presented by Annie Modesitt. There will be cash prizes for the top 3 designs, in addition to the excitement of having your work in this cool compendium.
Designs are due July 1st. Click here to see all of the details on their website [PDF].
Want to get more advice on taking your yarncrafting to the professional level? This August, Daniela and I will be giving a talk at the Crochet Guild of America’s Professional Development Day, a day for people who want to get involved in knitting and crochet on a professional level. (Click here for more info.)
Posted in Knitting, Yarniverse | 2 Comments »
We loved this hat and had to share it. This is a customer’s own design, made from her stash and felted. If you haven’t tried felting before, check out the amazing patterns for Lion Wool. As you can see from the water that beaded up on her hat . . . felt is amazingly water resistant. Try your hand at felting, you’ll love it!
Related links:
Posted in Lion Brand Yarn Studio | 1 Comment »
The cool winds of autumn have arrived, and that can only mean one thing: time to craft cold weather accessories! From the quirky to the classic, hats are a fast-to-make, fun way to show off your unique style.
Which hat above is most YOU? Tell us which hat you like best and why!
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Posted in Community, Quick Poll | 34 Comments »
My approach to most of my knitting and crocheting projects is to design it myself and to play it by ear — I like knowing the gist of how to make something, so that I can make my own version, customized to my needs. Earlier this month, I wrote about how to knit a basic hat. In today’s post, I’m going to give you directions for crochet a basic beanie. Of course, as with all things, there is more than one way to do it, but I think that these directions will give you a good basis.
You will need:
Here’s how to do it:
1. Measure around the head, above the ears, of the person who the hat is for and write down how many inches around their head your hat will need to be. (If you can’t measure their head–it’s for a gift or they’re not available–estimate based on your own head size.)
2. Crochet a gauge swatch in single crochet to find out how many stitches per inch you get with the hook and yarn you are using. (If you’re not sure what size hook to use, start with the size recommended on your yarn’s ball-band, and adjust up or down a size if you want a tighter or looser fabric.)
3. Multiply the number of stitches per inch you found in step #2 by the circumference of the head (from step #1) and write down the result. Save this later.
4. To start the hat, you’ll need to crochet a circle, using joined rounds. If you’ve never done this before, don’t worry. A little practice and you’ll be a pro. To do this, chain 2. Single crochet (sc) 6 times into the second chain from the hook, slip stitch (sl st) into the first stitch to close the circle. Now you have your first round, a tiny circle with 6 stitches.
5. For your second round, chain 1, sc 2 times into each single crochet, and sl st into the beginning of the round. Now you have a circle with 12 stitches.
6. For your third round, chain 1, *sc 2 times into the first sc, then sc 1 time into the next sc, repeat from * to the end of the round. Sl st int the first stitch. Now you have a circle with 18 stitches.
7. For the next round, chain 1, *sc 2 times into the first sc, then sc 1 time into the next 2 sc, repeat from * to the end of the round. Sl st int the first stitch.
8. This next round chain 1, *sc 2 times into the first sc, then sc 1 time into the next 3 sc, repeat from * to the end of the round. Sl st int the first stitch.
9. Do you see the pattern? For each consecutive round, the number of single crochets in bold above increases by one. (So the next round will be sc 1 time into the next 4 sc, then the next 5 sc, etc.)
10. Continue in this pattern until the number of stitches you have in your round is equal to (or very close to) the number you wrote down in step #3.
11. Now, for each of the following rounds, you will chain 1, sc in every sc to the end of the round, sl st to join. Do this until your hat is deep enough for you/your recipient’s hat.
12. Then fasten off and weave in your ends.
Following these steps, you get a solid hat, similar to the one above. A hat like this is also good for practicing working in the round, which is useful for many of our amigurumi animals.
The great thing about a basic pattern like this is that you can do so much with it. Make stripes instead of only using one color. Switch out the single crochets for half-double crochets or double-crochets. Alternate stitch patterns. Add a pom-pom on top. Add earflaps. Cross-stitch a design on top of your basic hat. You could even use these steps to create a beret by making the base circle larger than the circumference of your head , then decreasing until you get to the circumference of your head (that you wrote down in step #3), and then working a band in a contrasting stitch pattern for the brim. Now that you have the basic tools, get creative and make the hat that you’ve always wanted!
Of course, we always have many great hat patterns for knitters, crocheters, and loom-knitters available on LionBrand.com, for those who prefer traditional patterns. (You can also click on the Wool-Ease Thick & Quick hat pictured above, if you’d like that exact pattern.)
Related link:
Posted in Crocheting, Tips & How To | 7 Comments »
I’m the kind of knitter (and crocheter) who likes to make up patterns as I go along. I find that understanding the general idea behind how to make an item lets you be more flexible–and personal–in your designs. In today’s post, I’m going to take you through the steps needed to knit a basic, fitted hat for anyone. There’s–of course–more than one way to knit a hat, but I find that these are the basics that I keep coming back to.
As with any pattern, I recommend you read all of the directions below, before getting started, so you can get comfortable with the general idea. (And as always, all orange text is clickable for more help.)
You will need:
Here’s how to do it:
1. Measure around the head of the person who the hat is for and write down how many inches around their head your hat will need to be. (If you can’t measure their head–it’s for a gift–estimate based on your own head size.)
2. Knit a gauge swatch in stockinette stitch to find out how many stitches per inch you get with the needles and yarn you are using. (If you’re not sure what size needles to use, start with the size recommended on your yarn’s ball-band, and adjust up or down a size if you want a tighter or looser fabric.)
3. Multiply the number of stitches per inch by the head circumference (that you wrote down in step 1).
4. Round this number to the nearest multiple of 8 (for instance, if it’s 4 stitches by 21 inches for my head, it’s 84 stitches, but I round to 88 stitches so that it will be easier to decrease later), and then note what that number is divided by 8. (In my example, 88 divided by 8 equals 11; this will be important for decreasing later.)
5. Now you have the number of stitches you will cast on. Cast on, join, and divide evenly among your DPNs OR join on your circular needles, depending on which one you’re more comfortable with.
6. K1 p1 (to create a rib) until you have 2 inches of fabric.
7. Start knitting every stitch (creating a stockinette) for 5-6 inches. You can even put it on to see if it’s deep enough for your taste (or just your head!).
8. Now, based on the number we figured out at the end of step 4, place a stitch marker every [insert number here] stitches (in my example, 11 stitches).
9. For the next round, every time you get to a stitch marker, you will k2tog after the stitch marker.
10. The next round, knit every stitch.
11. Repeat steps 9 and 10 until you have only 24 stitches. (For those on circular needles, you may choose to switch to DPNs as the stitches get fewer.)
12. Stop knitting; use a needle to thread your yarn through your open stitches and pull them tight to form a finished hat.
13. Weave in your ends.
If you take these basic steps, you’ll get a hat similar to our intern Jessica’s or to Michelle Edwards’ pattern, Ed’s Hat.
The great thing about this basic pattern is that you can do so much with it. Increase the length of the ribbed portion, so that it can be folded up as a brim. Make stripes instead of only using one color. Replace the stockinette portion with some other stitch pattern (just make sure to make your gauge swatch in step 2 in the new stitch pattern). Add a pom-pom on top like the hat pictured above. Duplicate stitch a design on top of your basic hat. Use a ssk instead of the k2tog to create decorative, left-leaning decreases. I’ve even used these basic steps–plus some increases for a puffier look and knitting a longer hat body–to make a loose tam for my mom! The sky’s the limit when it comes to your creativity!
Next-time, I’ll go through the steps to crochet a basic hat–it’s also a great way to practice skills that are useful for many of our adorable amigurumi animal patterns.
And for those of you who prefer to follow a set pattern, we have tons of great hat patterns for knitters, crocheters, and loom-knitters available on LionBrand.com! (You can also click on the Wool-Ease Thick & Quick hat pictured above, if you’d like that exact pattern.)
Posted in Knitting, Tips & How To | 10 Comments »
