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]

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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