Knit a Hat with Stripes on Stripes

I love a good self-striping yarn. It’s an easy way to make a project look harder than it was, because all you have to do is keep knitting and you get these great color changes without any work on your part.

But did you know you can make self-striping yarns even more interesting by combining them? Using a couple of different colorways of self-striping yarn together can give you even more fun stripes, and the combination comes out looking a little more random because they aren’t colors that were planned to go together in the same skein.

That’s the idea behind the Stripes on Stripes Hat, designed by Lee Meredith and available on Knit Picks.

But to add to the mixed-up fun, you actually use two different colorways and start with the brim holding four stands of yarn together to make a super squishy and warm brim. Then the two strands of each color are separated and worked together so that you have a heavier hat than you otherwise would working with sock yarn.

The color you are working with changes every round, so you get these little mixed up stripes that are just so cute.

This would be a great way to use up some of your sock yarn scraps (even if they aren’t self-striping) and make a unique colorway that’s also a great way to use those little bits that are always left over after knitting a pair of socks!

You can download the free pattern from Knit Picks.

[Photo: Knit Picks.]

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Knitters are always looking for ways to continue to knit and to wear their knits even when it’s hot outside, so there are tots of great T0shirt knitting patterns to choose from. I love knitting short-sleeved shirts because they feel so much faster than sweaters, and you can wear them on top of dresses or even longer-sleeved items when it gets cooler.

There are lots of different styles of knit tops, from the basic to the more detailed. On the more basic side are things like the Perfect T-Shirt from Originally Lovely, a basic raglan tee with nine sizes and worked in worsted weight yarn; Paper Bloom by Yvonne Hugo (free on Ravelry), available in six sizes and worked with cotton and silk yarn for extra coolness; or Iris H’s Amelia Top, also on Ravelry, a slim fit, DK weight top with nine size.

Jazz it up with a bit of lace like on the Athens Lace Hem top by Sarah Hatton (Ravelry). This otherwise simple project has a bit of lace at the bottom, which is an easy way to make a project more interesting without a ton of work. This one uses fingering weight yarn and comes in nine sizes.

Another simple embellishment is to emphasize the lines of your top with different stitches. The Spring Lines top uses twisted ribbing at the center front and V-neck and along the raglan lines to give it a slimmer fit and more interest. This design from Turquoise Toque Designs has 11 size options and is available on Ravelry.

Silfurberg by Joji Locatelli uses both of these elements, with lace panels at the center front and back and purl ridges throughout to make it a little more fun to knit and to wear. The pattern uses fingering weight yarn and comes in 10 sizes. Learn more on Ravelry.

Keep it simple or add puffed sleeves (and/or long sleeves) to the slim fit Knitty Committee top by Lily Kate France. This one has two length options, waist shaping and optional bust darts to fulfill all your curvy top dreams, and it comes in nine sizes. You’ll find it on Ravelry.

Take it even more romantic with the Daphne Top from Friday Knits, which has puffed sleeves and applied I-cord to emphasize the bust and sweetheart neckline. It comes in eight sizes and uses DK weight yarn.

Or add some sweet flowers with the Gigio pattern from Emilie Luis. This pretty pattern found on Ravelry has cable panels running up the front with the option for adding sweet embroidered flowers. You can also add decorative buttons if you like. It comes in 11 sizes and calls for sport weight yarn.

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