Pin of the Week: Citadel Hat Pattern

I’ve from time to time shared a Pin of the Week, which usually has just been something interesting I came across on Pinterest the week before, but I thought it might be fun instead to share some of the more popular — in terms of repins that I’m seeing — pins on my knitting boards instead (by the way, you can find me at sewwriter on Pinterest and I have several knitting-related boards).

This week that favorite pin would have to be to the Citadel pattern by Beata Jezek from Hedgehog Fibers. This pretty hat uses a striking slip stitch pattern that looks like arrows on the surface of the hat.

It’s also double-layered, and the inside layer on the sample was worked in a bright contrasting color and a cashmere yarn for extra luxury and warmth (you could wear that side out, too, if you wanted).

This is a really lovely, fun pattern and it’s free, so if you’re in the market for a new hat pattern you ought to check it out. Keep it for next fall, or knit it now if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere.

[Photo from Beata Jezek bia Ravelry.]

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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