Easy Knit Gift: Snowy Earflap Hat

I saw the Snowy Earflap Hat from Red Heart Yarns on Twitter the other day, and it’s just so cute I had to share it. (I originally typed “I hat to share it” because my mind is ridiculous.)

Designed by Lorna Miser, the outside of the hat is a plain Stockinette earflap hat, but it’s edged with a fuzzy yarn that makes it look and feel like fur.

Despite the title saying it’s a child’s hat, the pattern actually has three sizes — 18, 20 and 22 inches — which means it will fit a child, a teen and a woman. Either way it takes one ball of each kind of yarn, which makes it a rather inexpensive project as well (the two yarns used in the sample would cost you just over $10).

The pattern is rated easy and is available free at the Red Heart website.

Who would you knit this hat for? I’m sure my daughter would love it!

[Photo via Red Heart.]

Not too long ago I did a test knit for another designer that was for a cabled cardigan. It’s really cozy and nice but it just about broke me in a ton of different ways. I couldn’t get gauge, which I suppose is my own problem, but mainly I was somehow both bored and forced to pay attention at the same time.

Because it used the same cable all over, I always had to know what row I was on, but nine out of ten of those rows, nothing in particular was going on. So I couldn’t stop paying attention, but what I needed to attend to was boring.

It may have ruined me for knitting cabled sweaters, but maybe I just need something that’s more engaging. Like this Modern Aran Cardigan pattern from Lion Brand Yarn.

This is a reworking of an old pattern from their archives, and you can tell that form the classic look of the cables and the oversized feel (nothing cropped about this one!). It has allover cables, but like a classic Aran sweater it’s not the same cable, so you’ll have to pay attention to what row you’re on and what cable turns happen for which cables on that row.

Because of this, it’s considered an intermediate knitting pattern, but if you’re comfortable working from multiple charts at once it shouldn’t be a problem for you. There are three different charts and seven different cable moves.

Also because the pattern is so big and boxy there are only two sizes available, with a finished chest measurement of either 49 or 63 inches (that’s 124.5 or 160 cm). It’s up to you to decide how much ease you would like and whether that will work for your body.

The pattern uses worsted weight yarn (and calls for another classic, Lion Brand Fisherman’s Wool). It calls for six buttons and includes pockets to make it extra cozy.

This one looks like a great winter project to make and to wear if you’re up for a bit of a challenge. You can grab the free pattern or buy a kit with the yarn needed direct from Lion Brand Yarn.

[Photo: Lion Brand Yarn]

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