Next new pattern release - Nettare

If stranded colourwork is your thing, then you' might be interested in this new pattern, due to be published this coming Thursday, 27th October.

It’s been a while since I designed a stranded Hat. This one jumped onto my needles earlier in the year, then got left by the wayside as I worked on other things. It’s colourwork pattern is a self-contained motif - it doesn’t grow out of the brim and it completes itself during the crown shaping. This concept led to a few challenges, especially as, as always, I wanted to the motif to be all-over and uninterrupted, which meant the use of moving markers.

When using fairisle and stranded knitting patterns in garments there are tricks you can use to ensure the motif remains central and incorporate any shaping. But you can’t get away with those kinds of tricks in a Hat as the shaping occurs in different places, and there aren’t any side or shoulder seams to work motif steps or changes in to. So the only way around it is moving markers.

They’re not as difficult at all, I promise! And it’s all covered in the written instructions and chart, which indicate where to move the marker and how many stitches to slip. And I’ll re-iterate that it’s important to slip the stitches when moving the marker, not knit them, as that’s what creates the jog.

Sure, you get a small float where you move the marker and slip the stitches but this is stranded colourwork - the wrong side of the work is nothing but floats! And so it gets hidden.

Nettare went through several rounds of tech editing to make sure all the challenges the design threw up were ironed out! And it’s in mighty fine shape.

The pattern is graded by gauge, and two sizes are written into the pattern. However, armed with a gauge swatch you can adjust the sizing to your own needs by tweaking either your needle size, yarn weight, or both. The sample is shown in Malabrigo Arroyo knit to a 4ply gauge. Although Arroyo is listed as a sport weight I find it a creates a lovely dense yet drapey fabric over 2.75mm needles, which is perfect for making a cosy stranded Hat.

The pattern is provided in both written and charted format, and will include download links for the relevant tutorials. We’re also tidying up some of my old video tutorials over on Instagram should folks prefer to learn the methods that way.

Members of The Woolly Hat Society will get a newsletter on Thursday with their exclusive discount code, so keep an eye out for that! I do hope you enjoy this Hat, it reminded me that I can have fun with stranded designs and that I probably should design more of them….