Free Pattern: Stranded in Oz Tam/Beret

It may be hot in the northern part of the world, but that doesn’t mean it won’t cool down again soon. Some winter accessories make great summer knitting projects because they’re small and easy and fun to knit.

Case in point, this Stranded in Oz beret or tam knit by Melissa Deutsch Scott. It’s a super-simple pattern worked in pretty hand-painted yarn, with a carry along of prestrung sequins used on the body of the hat.

Simple increasing and decreasing means the yarn is the star, and it’s easy to alter the pattern to make it bigger or smaller, or to suit whatever beautiful yarn you have on hand that you want to have on head when it’s colder.

Do you knit ahead of the season, or are you like me, always getting caught without a new hat when the first cold snap comes? Spill it!

[Photo by Stranded in Oz.]

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Not too long ago I was seeing a crochet pattern for a glasses holder shaped like a bear all over the Internet. It was super cute, and also useful as a place to put your glasses on your bedside table instead of just throwing them somewhere random.

This project stewed in my brain for a little while and I decided I needed to make a knit version, but I didn’t want to make a bear. If you know anything about me you might know that I’m a cat person, so of course my version had to be a cat.

The base is just a basic little basic worked from the center out to the desired size, then up the sides as long as you want them. Knit some ears and add embellishments to make it whatever kind of animal you want.

The way I figured out to work the base from the center out was to use a crochet cast on, which gives you an easier way to pick up stitches from the back of the cast on than if you worked a more traditional cast on for a knitting project. It’s kind of fun to do things in a different way from time to time.

This little project is adorable if I do say so myself, and even as a plain little basket not made into an animal it’s a cute way to keep your glasses or other little things in one place. I’m tempted to make one for my desk to hold pens or even little little scissors and sewing needles that are always on my desk but somehow always seem to get lost on my desk.

If you need a little holder for your glasses on your table, check out the pattern at Our Daily Craft.

[Photo: Our Daily Craft]

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