Add Easy Texture to Your Hat

I am not really a person who wears hats, but there’s something about the depths of January that makes me want to knit hats. They’re great fast projects and actually are really helpful to keep you warm (I’ve lately taken to wearing one inside the house when I’m super cold, which is often when it’s actually cold outside).

If you’re in the market for a new hat to knit this year, allow me to offer Winter Dusk by Andrea Tong.

This DK weight hat is worked from the bottom up in the round and uses puff stitches to add easy texture, and it comes in four sizes. A DK weight hat would actually be great for wearing in the house (or office, or wherever you happen to be these days) because it’s not too heavy. Or if you have a lot of hair and don’t like to wear full hats, you can leave off the very top of the hat and make it a messy bun hat instead.

The pattern is available on Ravelry, or you can check it out at Two Sheeps. Apparently this pattern was part of their yarn calendar last year (which I did not know was a thing; this year’s calendar is a PDF only but you can check it out here).

You can also buy a kit from Two Sheeps that includes the pattern and the yarn. The yarn is from Hidden Pond Yarn and it’s called Ski Lodge at Dusk. It’s a baby alpaca, silk and cashmere blend, which sounds just like the sort of thing I’d like to have on my head right about now.

No matter where or how you buy it, the proceeds from the pattern sales will be donated to Knit the Rainbow, a charitable organization that provides handmade garments to unhoused LGBTQ+ youth. You can learn more about that organization here.

[Photo: Andrea Tong]

Stitch a Sweater with Stripes of Color and Texture

Stitch a Textured Cardigan with Nydia

Striped Textured Hat Baby Knitting Pattern

Next Pattern:

Craft retailer Michaels has acquired the intellectual property and private label brands of now-defunct retailer Joann, according to a media release, and the Joann website now forwards to Michaels.

The releases states that Michaels will be developing the “beloved Big Twist® brands as part of the Michaels portfolio.” It also notes plans to expand its offerings in the fabric, sewing and yarn categories, with more than 600 new products being added.

“We’re honored to have the opportunity to welcome JOANN customers into our creative community and are committed to delivering the selection, value, and inspiration they are looking for at Michaels,” David Boone, CEO of Michaels, said in the release.

Specific to yarn, the company notes it has plans to expand its yarn selection by 25 percent this year, including releasing more than 60 new private-label Loops & Threads products beginning this month, expanding offerings of Lion Brand and the Yarnspirations family of brands, and welcoming Big Twist yarns.

The release specifically mentions Big Twist Value Plus, Big Twist Twinkle, Big Twist Posh and Big Twist Baby Bear, and notes that the offerings are “now being developed as part of Michaels portfolio of brands and will be available in-stores and online later this year.”

No word on what this means for Herrschners, which previously announced it would carry Big Twist. Its page announcing the news still says “at this time we are not able to release details on specific Big Twist varieties or colors, or the exact date the yarn will be available to order” and encourages signing up for email updates.

This news comes just days after the final closing of the last Joann locations and the appearance of a message on their website talking about “stitching up something new.” The Joann website now forwards to a landing page for craft retailer Michaels.

“Welcome Joann customers,” it says at the top. “We’ve got your go-to essentials and so much more.” The page also notes “everyone is welcome at our craft table” and says the website is a source for “fabrics, yarn, notions & more.”

Further down the page it says “With JOANN stores closing, Michaels is excited to welcome new makers, crafters, and sewing enthusiasts into our community” and has a string of links to product categories these shoppers might be looking for. It says Michaels carries “many of the favorites that Joann customers love” including patterned fabric, yarn, ribbons and notions.

The release calls this a “dedicated landing page” with a “curated assortment of products” they think are relevant to the Joann shopper.

If you go directly to Micheaels.com, you see their regular website but there is a link at the top of the page for Joann customers that leads to the same page linked above.

The release doesn’t mention opening any new stores in towns left without a craft store thanks to the Joann closure. It does note they have 1,300 stores in 49 states and in Canada, and they have both US and Canada-facing websites.

What do you think of this news? It’s not the exciting future I’d hoped for with Joanns cryptic announcement, but I know legions of knitters and crocheters will be happy to know Big Twist will live on, and other crafters will probably be happy about expanded selection at Michaels.

Next Pattern:

Have you read?