The Fairy Party Book

The Fairy Party Book by Marina T. Stern (Red Wheel)
Art direction, hiring of freelance illustrator, production

Change Your Mind and Your Life Will Follow

Change Your Mind and Your Life Will Follow by Karen Casey (Red Wheel/Weiser)
Art direction, photo research, production

Free Pattern: EZ as Pi Lace Beret

A beret from the top. Starting with i-cord and progressing into a Miniature Leaf Lace from Barbara Walker, this beret increases based upon the principle of Pi.

Download a PDF now.

Free Pattern: Jean Beret

A new pattern...

This one is for my mom. She wanted a cozy, beret-style hat that was large enough to pull down around her ears to keep warm in Chicago (and up in the snowy wilds of Wisconsin sometimes). You can wear it down around your ears like a stocking cap, beret-style, or pushed back on your head, which seems to be all the rage these days. I knit it with two skeins of Crystal Palace Yarns Merino 5 Solid in Black, and a good sub would be Berocco's Pure Merino to get the same fabric, but Malabrigo Merino Worsted or Cascade 220 would work just as well (and only one skein!).
See the pattern now.

KSA: Yarndex

Inherited some label-less yarn? Just curious to see all the colors Kidsilk Haze comes in? (Thirty-three shades available as of this writing.) Yarndex is the place to explore yarns. While they may not have every yarn ever spun, they cover a staggering number of yarns, including many no longer in production, which could help you figure out if that thrift store purchase is really a treasure (and if you'll have enough to make a sweater). Color cards, yardage and gauge information, fiber content, price, and so on. This is a very helpful site to have at your fingertips.

Free Pattern: Jean Beret

A new pattern for you! This one is for my mom, which is why I named it Jean. She wanted a cozy beret-style hat that she could pull down around her ears to keep warm in Chicago (and up in the snowy wilds of Wisconsin sometimes). You can wear it down around your ears, beret-style, or pushed back on your head. I knit it with two skeins of Crystal Palace Yarns Merino 5 Solid in Black, and a good sub would be Berocco's Pure Merino to get the same fabric, but Malabrigo Merino Worsted or Cascade 220 would work just as well (and only one skein!).

Size/Finished Measurements
Adult Medium (22-inch head circumference/12-inch diameter)

Materials
Crystal Palace Yarns Merino 5 Solid (100% Superwash Merino Wool; 110 yards/100 meters per 50 gram skein); color: Black; 2 skeins
one set US4/3.5mm DPNs
one US4/3.5mm 16-inch circular needle
stitch marker
tapestry needle

Gauge
20 sts/28 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on US4/3.5mm needles

Abbreviations and Stitches
K = knit
P = purl
K1b = knit one in back of stitch
M1p-i-b = make one by lifting the bar before the next stitch and purling into the back of it
P2tog = purl two together
K2tog-i-b = knit two together in back of stitches

Pattern Notes
I used a smaller-than-usual size needle to create the cushy fabric I was looking for—this one was for my mom, and she lives in Chicago, where it gets cold. I imagine she will wear this down over her ears (see below) rather than on the back of her head (see left) or beret-style as shown on the first page.
Any woolly, worsted yarn will work in this pattern. If you can’t find Merino 5, try Berocco’s Pure Merino, as the composition and construction of the yarns are very similar.

Skills Needed
Casting on
Binding off
Knitting
Knitting in the back of a stitch
Purling
Knitting in the round
Increasing
Decreasing

Pattern
With circular needle cast on 108 stitches. Place marker and join to begin working in the round, being careful not to twist.
Rounds 1-6: [K1b, p1] to end.
Round 7: [K1b, p1, m1p-i-b] to end. 162 st.
Rounds 8-13: [K1b, p2] to end..
Round 14: [K1b, p2, m1p-i-b] to end. 216 st.
Rounds 15-20: [K1b, p3] to end.
Round 21: [K1b, p3, m1p-i-b] to end. 270 st.
Rounds 22–27: [K1b, p4] to end.
Round 28: [K1b, p2, p2tog] to end. 216 st.
Rounds 29–32: [K1, p3] to end.
Round 33: [K1b, p1, p2tog] to end. 162 st.
Rounds 34–37: [K1b, p2] to end.
Round 38: [K1b, p2tog] to end. 108 st.
Rounds 39–41: [K1b, p1] to end.
Round 42: Switching to DPNs [K2tog-i-b, p2tog] to end. 54 st.
Rounds 43–45: [K1b, p1] to end.
Round 46: [K2tog-i-b, p2tog] to end. 27 st.
Rounds 47–49: [K1b, p1] to end.
Round 50: [K2tog-i-b, p2tog] to last stitch, k1b. 14 st.
Round 51: [K2tog-i-b, p2tog] to last stitch, k1b. 7 st.
Break yarn, draw through remaining sts and pull tight. Weave in ends securely. Block over a plate.

About Kathleen Dames
I knit and design in New York City and Bath, Maine. You can find more of my work at kathleendames.blogspot.com and contact me at kathleendames at gmail dot com. I’m Purly on Ravelry.

I'm working on some other patterns, so watch this space :)

Pattern: Jean Beret

Size/Finished Measurements
Adult Medium (22-inch head circumference/12-inch diameter)

Materials
Crystal Palace Yarns Merino 5 Solid (100% Superwash Merino Wool; 110 yards/100 meters per 50 gram skein); color: Black; 2 skeins
one set US4/3.5mm DPNs
one US4/3.5mm 16-inch circular needle
stitch marker
tapestry needle

Gauge
20 sts/28 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on US4/3.5mm needles

Abbreviations and Stitches
K = knit
P = purl
K1b = knit one in back of stitch
M1p-i-b = make one by lifting the bar before the next stitch and purling into the back of it
P2tog = purl two together
K2tog-i-b = knit two together in back of stitches

Pattern Notes
I used a smaller-than-usual size needle to create the cushy fabric I was looking for—this one was for my mom, and she lives in Chicago, where it gets cold. Any woolly, worsted yarn will work in this pattern. If you can’t find Merino 5, try Berocco’s Pure Merino, as the composition and construction of the yarns are very similar.

Skills Needed
Casting on
Binding off
Knitting
Knitting in the back of a stitch
Purling
Knitting in the round
Increasing
Decreasing

Pattern
With circular needle cast on 108 stitches. Place marker and join to begin working in the round, being careful not to twist.

Rounds 1-6: [K1b, p1] to end.
Round 7: [K1b, p1, m1p-i-b] to end. 162 sts.
Rounds 8-13: [K1b, p2] to end.
Round 14: [K1b, p2, m1p-i-b] to end. 216 sts.
Rounds 15-20: [K1b, p3] to end.
Round 21: [K1b, p3, m1p-i-b] to end. 270 sts.
Rounds 22–27: [K1b, p4] to end.
Round 28: [K1b, p2, p2tog] to end. 216 sts.
Rounds 29–32: [K1, p3] to end.
Round 33: [K1b, p1, p2tog] to end. 162 sts.
Rounds 34–37: [K1b, p2] to end.
Round 38: [K1b, p2tog] to end. 108 sts.
Rounds 39–41: [K1b, p1] to end.
Round 42: Switching to DPNs [K2tog-i-b, p2tog] to end. 54 sts.
Rounds 43–45: [K1b, p1] to end.
Round 46: [K2tog-i-b, p2tog] to end. 27 sts.
Rounds 47–49: [K1b, p1] to end.
Round 50: [K2tog-i-b, p2tog] to last stitch, k1b. 14 sts.
Round 51: [K2tog-i-b, p2tog] to last stitch, k1b. 7 sts.

Break yarn, draw through remaining sts and pull tight. Weave in ends securely. Block over a plate. Enjoy!


26 October 2009

© Copyright 2009 Kathleen Dames. All rights reserved. You may print this pattern for your own personal use only. You may not distribute this pattern in printed or electronic format, for free or for resale.