Practice Ribbing with this Hat and Mitt Set

I love a pattern with thoughtful shaping. Lots of times I think we try to hide the increases and decreases in a pattern, but sometimes that’s not possible and sometimes it’s great to make those increases and decreases a feature of the design.

A great example of this is Svetlana Volkova’s knitpurl mitts pattern. The gusset increases of this pair of ribbed mitts are just beautiful. I also like that they made them extra long so they’re almost mittens just without the shaping at the end (which you could totally add if you’re into that).

The pattern is worked in one piece from the bottom up and is available in five sizes based on the width of the hand (it’s meant to fit teens and adults). It uses DK weight yarn, and while it’s great in a solid color, there are some fun projects on the pattern’s Ravelry page showing it with stripes and color blocking that’s really nice, too.

And if that’s not enough for you there’s also a coordinating pattern for a hat. The knitpurl beanie is also a ribbed pattern worked in DK weight yarn with a classic beanie style, and it has pretty great shaping at the top, too. The four-point decrease really accentuates the shaping and gives it a nice fit.

This one is also worked from the bottom up and it’s designed to have a wide fold over brim, but you can make it shorter (or even longer!) if you like. It has four size options from 17 to 23 inches (that’s 43 to 59 centimeters) so it should fit a range of older kids, teens and adults as well.

This pattern is also available on Ravelry. You can make yours a matching set or use whatever yarn you have on hand to add stripes or make projects that coordinate but don’t exactly match. Totally up to you!

[Photo: Svetlana Volkova]

Have You Tried This? Ribbing with No Purling

Make Your Mittens with Colorwork

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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