Spring is Springing. Part 2: Spring Green Cloche

Buy The Spring Green Cloche Knitting Pattern for $2.00 US

My mother will be thrilled to see this post.

You see, I made the purple version of this hat last spring, and finished right about on Mother’s Day. My Mom claimed it before it even came off my needles. So, almost a year later, less a season or so, and at Christmas, after all the gifts were opened she was looking around for one more. I asked her what it was, thinking it was one that she’d brought that went missing, to which she replied, “I thought I was getting that purple hat?”

Alas, no. I had to complete one more sample, and take pictures, and then finally, the purple hat would be hers.

The purple version is in the color “lilac” which is discontinued, Knitpicks Comfy Sport. I just didn’t want to publish a pattern with a discontinued color as the only shown colorway. But what other color to pick?

I knew I needed something for spring, as that is exactly what this hat felt like it was made for. How about that Honeydew color? Shocking, I know, but I have never knit anything in Green. It’s not really my color.

So, come the end of January, I decided that I NEEDED to get this puppy done. Into the queue it went for my big “FebOne” deadline. I knit the entire light-green cloche in a day, finding that I needn’t make any adjustments to my pattern. Hooray!

The buttons were the big problem though. See, I didn’t have any, and ANYONE who has tried to pick out buttons knows, it is almost IMPOSSIBLE to find good ones. I trekked over at almost 9 pm on a Thursday night, leaving the baby with Daddy and dinner at home. After twenty minutes of sitting on the floor and button-hunting, I chose the same buttons used in my purple hat. Thank goodness that the place I bought them from still had a few left. They’re cute, and with the Green hat they’re tone-on-tone, which, as we have already established, is my current obsession.

Sadly, the pattern didn’t get published by FebOne. The kink in my neck and lack of time to take pictures is what held this one—and really all of the others—up. In the long run, however, I think that it worked out for the best. When I put it on this week, during my new-found spring motivation I found that I LOVED the color. When I finished it two weeks ago, I was in such a mad rush to get everything done I didn’t take the time to stop and smell the roses. I am not sure that I even put it on after I finished it.

Thank goodness Ramon opened all of the windows on Monday morning. When I felt the spring breeze waft in and heard the little birds-a-chirpin’ out there everything about this hat just felt right. Pattern done, I only needed the pictures and I find it is ALWAYS easier to take pictures of my hand-made things when I am happy. And then, the HARDEST part, the name. It just came to me in all of the day’s spring glory. So simple!

Spring Green Cloche, Avalible through my portfolio site, Feather Press Knits.

A fun and quick springtime knit.

In Northern California our winters our mild at best, but this doesn’t stop the urge for prolonged days of knittery during those blustery months and beyond. Wool only goes so far in these warmer climates, and by mid-march it is often already to warm for fleece and other natural fibers from our furry friends. But where there is a will there is a way. As the days grow longer and I find that I am just not ready for the warm and wooly knitting season to be over I am falling head over heals for spring-time knits.

To be honest, cotton is not my favorite fiber to knit with, that was, at least, until I found Knitpicks Comfy Sport: a soft, friendly to knit 75% cotton & 25% acrylic blend. With the Easter Bunny soon to be hopping our way, I am already finding myself enjoying my Spring Green Cloche! Even with smaller needles this hat is a quick knit, with a fun, rhythmic textured pattern, and decreases that create a beautiful hexagon. Light as a feather, and cute as a button.

With the unusual horizontal ribbing, I have included a tutorial for how to integrate the finished ribbing with the beginning of the rest of the cloche with both written instructions and pictures. This cloche is worn with a slight slouch, and the soft hand of this textured stitch and cotton blend yarn it has a wonderful drape.

So Mom, you can enjoy your spring now, too. Your purple hat is ready for you, and for the bright-cheerful spring ahead!

Buy The Spring Green Cloche Knitting Pattern for $2.00 US

Spring is Springing. Part 1: Cowell Beach Beret

Buy The Cowell Beach Beret Knitting Pattern for $4.00 US

I do believe that that silly old groundhog was right this year. Yesterday I woke up and Ramon and the windows in the kitchen open. Light was pouring in and the birds were chirping. Holy cow, it is already spring. Then, I stepped outside to put my basil plant on the table for some of this lovely weather, and boom, 45°F.

Okay, so it’s not quite spring yet, but I do tell you, Spring is Springing out there!

Back when I created Cowl Beach, I also had in mind a Beret. Well I started it last fall using my final skein of Spud and Chloe Sweater in Beluga, the same yarn as the cowl. And then it accidentally fell off of my radar. until January. I only had the decreasing left, which was quickly completed. Originally, my goal was to have this published on February 1st, or 12 days ago. Alas, I just couldn’t fit all of this in. Mommy-time came first. I was able to get three of my 7 patterns published by that date, and then the gloom of cold of a few rainy days and February weather stopped me from from staying very long in Motivation-Town.

I finished the hat on the eve of January 30th. It looked like it would be in time for my deadline. I updated my pattern with my final notes, but I still had that darn tutorial to do for how to pick up the stitches from the horizontal, ribbed, overlapped brim. I didn’t want to just explain how to do it. Often, instructions can be confusing. I am a visual person, and like to have things explained both ways when I come across something now. Right after finishing the hat I threw it in my washing tub, and then pulled it over a plate, and into the oven it went.

Wait. What?

Yes, the oven. I set the oven to just over 130°F to dry some of my knitwear after washing. First of all, I ABSOLUTELY DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYONE ELSE DOING THIS, OR CONDONE IT IN ANY WAY! Secondly, with the move going on, I really just don’t have anywhere else to block my work. Third. I was on a time crunch, and with no sun out, and short days wool takes FOREVER to dry. The dry heat of the oven on super low helps me speed things up a bit. I keep a super accurate thermometer going at all times to make sure that I don’t put anyone in any danger, but again, let me stress, Kids, DON’T do this!

The next morning the hat still had quite a bit left to dry. With the plate in there, not all of the moisture could escape and evaporate, so I flipped it over, and decided to revel for a moment at how proud I felt about having so little yarn left. It is no secret that I like to try to use my materials to their fullest potential. I am VERY happy that I finished this hat with only one skein of Spud and Chloe Sweater, and had just a tiny amount left! I put it next to this lego for a size comparison.

Okay, it was really a little more than that. That is really a Mega Block. But still, that is very little left, and something to be proud of.

Please note the the strawberries on the Little Buckaroo’s face. Strawberries are his favorite.

After publishing my Twenty for Five Pullover, Levieva Sweater, and Carried Away Cowl I ran out of steam.

Then, this week started out on a truly great note!

On Monday, we just had the most fabulous day ever. Ramon stayed home from the new house remodel for the first time in two and a half months. He took the baby and I over to Santa Cruz for breakfast, and to enjoy the beautiful day. I was hoping to get some pictures of this hat then, but it was so bright, and so sunny picture taking was pretty much impossible.

Please note the crashing wave on the rocks in front of Ramon and the Little Buckaroo’s baby hand holding the stroller.

We went for a walk past beautiful Cowl Beach, and up past the light-house. The waves were huge, and there, amongst the seagulls and surfers I found my motivation again.

Perhaps it was from having a day off from the usual routine. Perhaps it was having Ramon home, and knowing that I could take “the long shower” without worrying about Little Screamy-Pants. Whatever it was when we got back I was able to get to work, and now we have Part 1 of Spring is Springing, at long last my new Cowell Beach Beret Knitting Pattern.

As a tribute to one of my favorite places, I have created a cowl named Cowl Beach, with continuous crashing waves of its own. As a companion piece, I have created this beret, which uses exactly 1 skein of Spud & Chloe Sweater. With the unusual horizontal ribbing, I have included a tutorial for how to integrate the finished ribbing with the beginning of the rest of the beret with both written instructions and pictures. Also included, is the same tutorial that I diligently developed for Cowl Beach (the Cowl), showing how to create the waves seamlessly in the round. A feat which I worked very hard to figure out and accomplish and feel very proud of.

Buy The Cowell Beach Beret Knitting Pattern for $4.00 US