Pattern Spotlight: Erba

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Erba is a hat and cowl set that is super fun to knit and to wear. You get both in this pattern. The cowl is worked from the bottom up starting with the bottom ribbing, then transiting to the easy slip-stitch colorwork then back into ribbing. Button bands and buttonhole bands are worked last.

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The bonnet shaped hat starts with an icord edge. Stitches are picked up for the slip-stitch edge worked flat, then transitions to the crown worked in the round. An applied icord is then worked along the bottom edge to finish things off.

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You may not have worn a bonnet before but the advantages are plenty. These hats don’t mess up your hair like a traditional beanie. You won’t get the traditional “hat hair”. They also cover your ears, keeping them nice and toasty. Plus, they are super cute.

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I added mini faux fur pom poms to the ends of each tie. You can make your own pom poms if you like, or use faux fur poms here too. I found my poms in the craft store as a key chain. I just removed the hardware and used the poms for my own purpose. The poms I found were on sale and cost $2.50, normal price was $5 for the pair.

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The new Anzula yarn, Gerty was such a pleasure to use for this project. I was honored to get a chance to use this way back in January when it premeired at the Winter TNNA show. It’s a sproingy Targhee wool. The twist makes it bouncy and light and it takes Anzula’s vibrant color palette beautifully. I used Charcoal, Madam, and Paprika for my set, but with Anzula’s huge selection of colors, you have an unlimited palette of colors available to make this set your own.

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You can find the Erba pattern on Ravelry here. 

Keep up on all things Heather:

Ravelry - www.ravelry.com/designers/heather-zoppetti
Blog - hzoppettidesigns.com/blog
Facebook - www.facebook.com/HeatherZoppettiDesigns
Stitch Sprouts - stitchsprouts.com

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Gerty is available in the shops listed below, all of whom are happy to ship!

Baskets of Yarn - Charlotte, NC - (704) 733-9053
Wasatch and Wool - Park City, UT - (435) 575-0999
Yarn Refuge - Reno, NV - (775) 384-1600
Knit One Purl Two - Rockford, IL - (815) 904-6030
Harps & Thistles Yarn Emporium - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - (234) 208-9482
Avenue Yarns - Albany, NY - (510) 526-9276

Special orders only: Swatches - Fresno, CA - (559) 435-2813
Special orders are dyed to order and are typically ready in 3-5 weeks.You can place a special order for Gerty (or any of our yarns) at your favorite local shop. See a list of shops here and our map here. 

Pattern Roundup: Hats, hats, hats!

It's getting late in the year, which means we're quickly approaching a slew of gift giving holidays. And you're probably realizing that you should have started knitting and crocheting gifts in January in order have something for everyone on your list off the needles/hook, washed, blocked, and if you're really good, dry and wrapped in pretty paper. 

One of my favorite gifts to give is hats. Soft hats. Ones that people will actually wear because they don't feel itchy. Washable hats, because you know it doesn't matter how you much you label/instruct/beg, people are gonna throw that thing in the washer. And most importantly, hats that are than any hat the receiver has or will ever have, because it's hand made with beautiful yarn. As a bonus, most hats only take a couple hundred yards, require little blocking, and are quick to make. 

Here are a bunch of my favorites!

Owl In the Thicket Hat by Sara Burch

Oak Way by Taiga Hilliard

Fiona Hat and Fingerless Mitts by Mary Beth Temple

Sour Hat by Stephannie Tallent

Alexin by Janet Brani

Kara-Kum by Faina Goberstein

North Lyme by Woolly Wormhead

Cosset by Jennifer Raymond

Raleigh Brin Hat by Gina Kanouse

Tekstur by Angela Tong

Dear Baby Francis by Carrie Sullivan

Fractals Hat by Olga Buraya-Kefelian

Tectonic Hat by Benjamin Krudwig (There's a knit version too!)

Winnimere by Becky Herrick

Cinnamon Sticks Hat by Lindsey Stephens

St Jean des Briques Tam by Mona Zillah

Cables n' Lace Hat by Kalliopi Aronis

Barry by Lee Meredith

I know, it's a lot of hats. And if you can believe it, there are even more. Here's a link to all the great hats designed for Anzula yarns - Anzula Hat Land.

Do you have a huge gift list to fill? What are you planning to make? Tell us all about it in the comments below!

Pattern Spotlight: Equal Measure by Emma Welford

This week designer Emma Welford joins us to tell the creation story of her newest design:

Some designs start with an inspiring image, others are born from a pretty stitch pattern, and sometimes the yarn itself takes center stage and tells you what to do. Such was the case with Equal Measure, which started way back in 2014 as three beautiful skeins of For Better or Worsted I took home with me from Anzula's TNNA booth. I couldn't decide between Avocado, Sexy and Hyacinth so I took one of each. These colors could go together....right? I told myself. Or am I just crazy? (The jury's still out on the crazy part.)

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Photos by Lindsey Topham

I knew I wanted to use all three colors in the same design and craved something textural to elevate them past simple stripes. The crisp stitch definition of For Better or Worsted looked fantastic when I added a cable to my swatch. Garter stitch and an accent cable it is, then! Originally I planned on making all three pieces have the same color placement, but then it hit me. 

1. I wanted to use all colors equally, rather than having excess yardage leftover on some colors.
2. This was already shaping up to be a...funky design. Why not go all the way and play round robin with the colors?

I toyed with the debate of knitting flat vs knitting in the round. The cable on the hat spans 12 stitches, which is longer than I like any floats to cross, and to tell the truth working garter stitch in the round is not one of my favorite knitting activities. But who wants to knit small accessories flat and seam them up? Not to mention a seam would be more obvious due to the stripes, unless you really wanted to shoot yourself in the foot and alternate stripe colors as you seam. Didn't think so!

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While I've done plenty of traditional intarsia, I wanted to see if it was possible to work intarsia in the round. Off a-Googling I went, and I discovered yes! It's not true circular knitting, since you're knitting back and forth in rows and joining them seamlessly as you go, but it would do the trick just fine for me with the added bonus of getting to learn a fun new technique. Don't worry, dear knitter—I whipped up a photo tutorial, included in the pattern, so you have your own personal reference! Equal Measure is sized to fit toddlers through adult large, making it the perfect set for your whole family. Pick your favorite colors of For Better or Worsted and let 'er knit! 

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What new techniques do you want to try? What's your favorite way to learn new techniques? Let us know in the comments below!