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I Want, I Want, I Want…

by

It’s not my birthday. It’s nowhere close to my anniversary. The best I can hope for is Christmas.

This is what I want, I might even trade my next few breaths for it:

rowan30 years of great patterns. 30 years of their most popular designs, and 80 photographs!

Rowan — a name synonymous with quality. Originating in England in 1980, Rowan has achieved world-class status for its fine knitting yarns as well as its knitting publications and classic fashion patterns.

A 30-year retrospective. Rowan’s Greatest Knits brings you 30 of its most popular knitwear patterns from the 80s through today — all in one big, beautiful book. Here, you’ll also be treated to 80 stunning color photographs from the original pages of Rowan magazine.

Classic knit patterns. With clearly written instructions, knitters of all skill levels can reproduce these enduringly beautiful patterns for knitted sweaters, vests, scarves, mittens and socks. Patterns include helpful yarn replacement suggestions.

Inspiration from top designers. Some of today’s leading designers have partnered with Rowan to produce outstanding knitwear. Kaffe Fassett, known for his brilliant designs and use of vibrant color, wrote the introduction to this book. And the works of Jean Moss, Sasha Kagan, and Annabel Fox, among others, are also featured.

This book is truly a “keeper”. It’s perfect for anyone who loves to knit and enjoys creating classic fashions with style.

<swoon…> I knew you’d want it too. Here’s the link to get your own directly from Taunton Press: http://store.taunton.com/onlinestore/item/rowans-greatest-knits-kate-buller-071298.html

Must. Go. Knit!

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Textured Hat Knitting Patterns

There are all sorts of knitting techniques you can use on hats, but some of my favorites are textured stitch patterns or cabled hats worked in a single color. Check out these great textured hat knitting patterns and find your next fall favorite. 

The K?pekapeka hat from The Practice of Fibre was the one that got me started thinking about textured hat knitting patterns. This one has a simple zig-zag pattern worked with purls. This hat uses centered double decreases for shaping to help keep the pattern going as you finish the top of the hat. It uses worked weight yarn. 

Little Totz Designs has this simple knit hat that uses worsted weight yarn and an allover knit-purl stitch pattern that’s easy to memorize. This one would be a great first hat in the round pattern if that’s something you haven’t tried before. 

The Fia Beanie from Honey and Grace Fiber Co is another simple stitch pattern that’s full of texture. It calls for bulky yarn so it should stitch up in no time in this great textured diamond design. 

Kalurah Hudson’s Cindersmoke hat is an interesting stitch design that uses double moss stitch and bands of slipped stitches throughout the pattern, which is where the decreases are worked, keeping the rest of the pattern as established. It uses bulky yarn and is sized for adults, and you can find it on Ravelry.

Benjamin Matthews has such pretty designs that often turn out to be simpler to knit than they look. The Snow Carved Beanie (find it on Ravelry) for example only uses knits, purls and slipped stitches, but it has a design that looks almost like cables. The pattern uses worsted weight yarn and has a foldover brim for extra warmth. 

While I wanted to keep the focus in this roundup on simple stitch patterns, basic cables are not that much more difficult than regular knitting, and the lattice pattern on this CrissCross Hat form the Purling Princess is so charming I couldn’t resist sharing. This hat comes in three sizes (baby, child and adult) and uses worsted weight yarn. It would be a great gift to knit if you’re thinking about that.