Hats Off (Or Should that Be On?) for Warmth

I have been feeling the desire to knit a lot of hats lately, which is kind of funny because I don’t wear hats all that often. I usually only wear mine when my daughter makes me go out and play in the snow, or the cold, but I have to know I’m going to be outside for more than a couple of minutes to make it worth my while.

Maybe I need some prettier hats (though I do really love the funky flat hat I wear most of the time) to encourage me to keep my head warm. Maybe you do, too. Here are some projects to help all of us out.

The Dibdin hat by Amanda Keep Williams for Berroco uses a fuzzy and warm mohair/merino blend yarn and a relatively easy openwork pattern with a sort of cloche shape. Classic and pretty. Gyr from Berroco (this one is by Brenda York) is an earflap hat with a subtle textured stitch pattern.

Tahki Yarns has a great hat and scarf combo (PDF) by Teresa Chorzepa that uses a casual cable pattern and two strands of yarn held together for extra warmth. For the hat the cable is worked sideways in a band, from which stitches are picked up to form the top of the hat. Their Loretta Hat, worked in a fur-like yarn, is easy but also really dramatic.

Plymouth Yarns has a great little mistake rib hat (PDF) worked in super cozy Baby Alpaca Grande that is sure to keep even the coolest head warm. I actually have a bit of this yarn left over from a sweater I knit so I may be adding this one to my list soon.

The Ombre Pom Pom Beanie from Things We Do is super cute and easy, and a great way to use up bits of bulky yarn you might have lying around.

Mirasol’s Llama Una hat is a pretty two-color hat with a really simple colorwork pattern that makes the hat that much warmer. I love this color combination, too.

Have you knit any hats lately? I’d love to hear about it!

Looking for more knitted beanie patterns for Babies? Check these out on Etsy.

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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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Have you read?

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