Baby Bear Hooded Cowl

Baby Bear Hooded Cowl
Size 7 - 12 (so it will fit more snugly on a larger child)

I think we've probably all seen some version of this hat, what with the ears, the hood, and the cute kid poking out and all. So here, by request, let me present my version: the Baby Bear Hooded Cowl, which knits up quickly on size US 10 needles and with chunky weight yarn. Of course, it's not just kids who deserve to look this cute, so I've also sized the thing from toddler to adult. Make one for your husband! He'll love it, I promise (note: my promise does not constitute a legal, binding agreement. In fact, make one for your husband at your own peril. Seriously.)!

Sizes: Toddler (Ages 4 - 6; Ages 7 - 12; Teen/Small Adult; Large Adult)

Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Encore Chunky Tweed (75% Acrylic, 22% Wool, 3% Rayon; 143 yards [131 meters]/100 grams); #T599 Brown - one skein (two skeins; two skeins; two skeins; two skeins)

A closer look at the face hole.
Filled by one of the cutest little faces.

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 9, one 16" circular needle in size US 10, one set of double pointed needles (dpns) in size 10, and one 24" circular needle in size US 10 if you're knitting size 7 - 12 or larger

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 14 stitches = 4 inches on size 10 needles 

So let's get started! Using your 16" size 10 circular needle, then, cast on 64 (68; 72; 76; 80) stitches, place marker, and join in round. Then we'll knit the following edging rows:

Edging Rows 1 - 3: purl

And once those bad boys are done, knit 2" (3.5"; 5"; 7"; 9") in stockinette. Switch to your size 9 needle, and we'll do a few ribbing rows before we move on to the hood, like so:

Interrupted Stripe Cowl

Interrupted Stripe Cowl

Sometimes I want to make a fancy-pants project with an intricate stitch pattern and a lot of shaping. And sometimes I just want to make a basic, straightforward cowl while I watch bad television and put up my feet. The Interrupted Stripe Cowl is just such a project, using three colors of worsted weight yarn and nothing more complicated than your basic knit and purl. And the best part is that it still looks (at least a little bit) fancy!

Yarn: Berroco Fuji (38% Silk, 25% Cotton, 22% Rayon, 15% Nylon; 125 yards [115 meters]/50 grams); #9203 Sandy - one skein (color A), #9247 Pacific - one skein (color B), & #9263 Deep Sea - one skein (color C)

A close-up of the stripes. Interrupted.

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 7

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches

So let's make a cowl! Using your color A yarn, then, cast on 110 stitches, place marker, and join in round. And then we'll continue like so: 

Row 1: using color A, knit

Row 2: using color A, purl

Ribbon Cable Socks

Ribbon Cable Socks

It's been days, at least, since I last mentioned my obsession with Malabrigo yarn. Therefore I'll this opportunity to say it again: I am obsessed with Malabrigo yarn. Especially this lovely Arroyo fiber, a sport-weight superwash that, for me at least, knit up slightly smaller than gauge. And speaking of gauge, these socks are designed for a sport-weight fiber, but you will, as always with something as finicky as socks, want to check your gauge. And remember that your dpn knitting will probably look better on a thicker fiber knit with smaller needles than the opposite, so I would definitely try to gauge down a slightly larger fiber before I'd try to gauge up a finer fiber. Am I making any sense here? Feel free to hit me up with questions in the comments; in the meantime, let's get to the pattern.

Update: Please note that I updated gusset rows 6 & 12 and body rows 2 & 8 on May 31, 2017. :)

Sizes: adult small (adult medium; adult large) (for the record, small corresponds to the following US shoe sizes: women's 5 - 7 and men's 4 - 6, medium corresponds to women's 8 - 10 and men's 7 - 9, and large corresponds to women's 11 - 14 and men's 10 - 13)

Yarn: Malabrigo Arroyo (100% Superwash Merino Wool; 335 yards [305 meters]/100 grams); #046 Prussia Blue - one skein

A better view of the ol' snockerinos.
Not that anybody calls them that.

Needles: One set of double pointed needles in size US 4, cable needle (cn) or dpn for cabling

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch holder or scrap of yarn for holding stitches

Gauge: 24 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

So let's make some socks! Of course, before we get to that, I should mention that I'm using Ann Budd's delightful Getting Started Knitting Socks (Getting Started series) for the sizing and basic design elements of these socks, as well as a couple of Ribbon Stitch cables from page 245 of Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns for the stitch pattern. And now that that's covered, let's actually make those socks!

First, then, using a Long-Tail or an Old Norwegian Cast-On (for stretch) and your dpns, cast on 48 (52; 56) stitches, divide between 3 dpns as follows: 15, 18, 15 ([17, 18, 17]; [19, 18, 19]), and join in round. And since we're getting straight to the pattern, we'll need the following notation: