A Hat to Knit When You Don’t Want it Totally Chill

I’m the sort of knitter who loves a really basic pattern every now and then. Give me miles of garter stitch or stockinette stitch (especially in the round) for working on while watching TV so that I don’t have to pay any attention to it at all.

But every now and then, even for TV knitting, I want something a little juicier. Something that might require a little bit of attention, but not so much that I don’t know what’s happening or can’t read that suddenly appearing text I need to take in.

Fatimah Hinds likes her easy knitting with something a little extra, too, which is why they designed the Cable and Chill hat pattern.

It’s worked from the bottom up with bands of ribbing and little cables thrown into some of the ribs as you go around. It’s worked in worsted weight yarn and comes in one size, but can stretchy to fit a man or a woman.

This pattern was originally released as a free pattern on Instagram, but you can also buy a copy of the pattern on Ravelry. This would be a great relatively quick knit to make for yourself or gift to someone with a winter birthday (or even to start your gift stockpile for the year).

Looking for more easy hat knitting patterns? Check out my collection of worsted weight hat knitting patterns. These easy hat knitting patterns are great ones for your first knit in the round project (though I also have collected some flat hat patterns, too). Or if you don’t want to use worsted weight yarn, check out these patterns for hats made with sock yarn. (Not to mention the many individual hat knitting patterns I’ve shared lately if you want to do some scrolling. There’s something for everyone!)

[Photo: Fatimah Hinds]

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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