Cuboidal and the Community Pattern Fund

With the release of the new Cuboidal collection just around the corner, I’m hoping that with your help we can boost the number of free copies available.

If you’re not familiar with my Community Pattern Fund project you can read more about it by clicking through to it’s page, but in short it’s a way for folks to pay it forward and help knitters who can’t stretch to buying a full eBook right now.

The mechanism is fairly simple - a selection of free patterns have been made into eBooks that also include the relevant premium tutorials. All of the content is available for free on this blog, yet by putting it all together in a handy eBook format folks can have the convenience of a PDF whilst also paying it forward by buying CPF credits. The CPF patterns come in a range of price points - full single pattern, 1/3 eBook, 1/2 eBook, full eBook, and so on - and each time one of these is purchased it gets converted to a credit of the same value. When there’s a new release, in particular a new collection, those credits can then be redeemed via exclusive discount codes that go out in The Woolly Hat Society newsletter. It’s all done anonymously because I know what it’s like to not be able to afford stuff.

The CPF patterns can be purchased on Ravelry and Payhip, and you don’t have to buy them for yourself - you can gift them to a friend, too, should you wish.

The credits always get used very quickly, and I hate disappointing folks who get in touch to ask whether there’s a problem with the code - there never is, it’s simply because the credits will all be redeemed within an hour or less. In the latest newsletter I gave folks a heads up so they can look out for it.

Cuboidal is perfect for using up oddments of yarn and leftovers in different weights and gauges, making it suited to tighter budgets. With your help I’d love to be able to offer more CPF copies, so that fewer folks miss out, so I’m going to match any credits purchased between now and release day.

For each copy of the Alata CPF file that's purchased - $23 = 1 eBook credit - I'll donate another copy; for each copy of the BibBob CPF file that's purchased - $12 = ½ eBook credit - I'll match that and make it a full credit. In short, I'll double the amount of credits, in turn doubling the amount of free copies, that are purchased between now and when Cuboidal is published.

Purchase eBook credits:
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/alata-2
https://payhip.com/b/W6sm3

Purchase ½ eBook credits:
https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/bibbob
https://payhip.com/b/8I90Q

If you’re able to help, it’s very much appreciated - thank you!

The layout is done, we’re just making final tweaks to optimise it’s readability and usability. My two tech editors have started doing their final edits and once they sign off, we’ll be ready! I’m expecting that to be next week now, and I’ll be sending out a newsletter with a member-exclusive discount and details of how many free copies have been made available via the CPF scheme. If you’re not a member yet you might wanna join now!

It’s getting exciting, I can’t wait to hear what you think of the book and what projects you make from the patterns.

Project Spotlight - Bronwen's Bedrock

The Bedrock pattern from the (forthcoming!) Cuboidal collection is one of the Hats in the book that can be worn in different ways. Bronwen has kindly permitted me to share her photos here of her son modelling her beta knit project.

You can find Bronwen’s project on Ravelry and explore more of her knitting adventures on Instagram. Photography credit goes to Bronwen, she’s a photography account on Instagram too!

This Hat was finished with an I-cord edge, which isn’t something that’s written into the pattern but it’d be easy enough to add should you wish.

Doesn’t it look great worn both forward, for a flat-cap look, and back like a lot of berets are worn? I’d really like to get more photos of berets being worn in different ways, and I’m glad Bronwen took these shots and let me share them.

Project Spotlight - Molly's Scarlite

I love seeing what folks with my patterns, and sharing those makes with you doubly so!

Hashtags on social media are might helpful as you can see what someone else has made from the same pattern - the colours they chose, the modifications they made, how the style fits and suits them - and that’s even more important in this post-Ravelry age.

Sharing your projects here, with the ‘Project Spotlight’ feature is an extension of that. Honestly, I reckon it’d be wrong of me to not show off the amazing Hats my knitters make from my patterns!

This is ‘Scarlite’ from my Cuboidal collection. The Hats is knit and modelled by Molly Tebo, photographed by Craig Ringer.

Molly was a beta (preview) knitter for the Cuboidal Hats and she was assigned the helmet design. Rather than work the squares as given for that pattern, she wanted to give rainbow stripes a go. She followed the construction as given, which was the most important thing for the beta knit, and I’m rather glad she did experiment a little because doesn’t this Hat look amazing?

Molly modified the Hat slightly to add a chin strap, and continued the rainbow striped pattern throughout. This is the fun thing with mitred squares and this whole collection - you can mix and match the square patterns and go with a striped square instead of a half-and-half should you want to. You can use up stash oddments to create a whole range of different effects or stick with one or two variegateds - it’s up to you.

What Molly has noticed, and I’m really glad she was happy to let me share her project photos as it gives me the opportunity to talk about it, is how the depth of the border finishes the Hat!

The ‘Scarlite’ and ‘Basalt’ patterns both rely on the depth of the border being half that of a square. They don’t have to be, but if they’re not, the rest of the Hat won’t be quite proportional, and it may not fit as intended. This very much depends on your own head measurements of course, as the depth of your head, and thus Hat, is not proportional to the circumference. However because ‘Scarlite’ is only one row deep before it splits, it needs the extra depth from the border to sit more comfortably over the forehead. Working a deeper border can still keep the Hat in pattern, especially with one of the striped square styles.

Thanks for sharing your brilliant Hat, Molly! Find more of Molly’s yarn adventures on Instagram.

Cuboidal - the cover revealed!

Choosing which Hat should be the cover Hat wasn’t hard… to me, Basalt is the most visually striking Hat in the Cuboidal collection and it’s a personal favourite. And funnily enough my graphic designer went straight for the same Hat without a word from me! But choosing which shot? That was much trickier.

One of the perks of Patreon membership is involvement in some of these decision making processes. In times gone past I’d post various options on this blog but it soon became overwhelming and unmanageable, and as much as I loved everyone’s input I had to change my approach. And so, when I need feedback on ideas, I post them to my Pateon blog. Gated spaces have their pros and cons, one particular issue being that membership involves payment, and I appreciate that. But what it does is create a safe space and that’s been really beneficial for both myself and my patrons - and it’s encouraged much more active chats about ideas and possibilities.

And so, some of the first few drafts of the cover where shared with patrons, and their input was invaluable. I was able to pull the positives about each image and bring that together in one central photo, and I really do think we’ve a winner here.

The other mighty helpful feedback, which initially I hadn’t asked for, was the sub-title. In my head, I’d already settled on that, but I soon realised that my choice of wording wasn’t optimal. Which isn’t a surprise really, 3D form and numbers are my thing, writing succinctly and summarising with words not so much! I had gone a much more mathsy route with ‘8 Polygonised Hats’, as that’s a word that makes me smile. In short, and in it’s mathematical sense, it means to break down a surface into small polygons - and that’s exactly what these Hats do. But it is a mathsy word, and not everyone would know what it means, and as much as I love a nerdy reference it could be alienating. I use the sub-title as a way to reference the concept behind the collection, which isn’t necessarily about the techniques or even the construction, and I think ‘Eight Hat Styles Squared’ strikes the right balance.

Phew - almost there!

I’ll be putting a call out for reviewers soon, so if you know of any podcasters, bloggers or influencers who may be interested, lemme know in the comments?

About the Cuboidal collection…

As with all of the patterns in this collection, the sample is shown in Malabrigo Arroyo. I find it gives me a nice firm squishy fabric on 2.75mm or 3mm needles, at a gauge of 28 sts to 10cm/4in, which is perfect for garter stitch. You don’t want a loose fabric with these Hats as they’ll stretch, and a firmer gauge ensures the Hat lasts longer before stretching out.

The whole collection is pretty much an any yarn, any size collection! I provide tables covering 8 gauges across 12 sizes, but armed with a gauge swatch and a bit of maths, you can achieve beyond the range provide - the construction of the Hat is the same regardless of the size you’re making or the gauge of your yarn. And the eBook will also include a chapter on head measuring and calculating yardage!

And in case anyone asks, this collection won’t be split into individual patterns. I talk about it more in length on this blog post, but in short the patterns are tutorial heavy and splitting them out just doesn’t work.

The collection will be $23/€19/£17 when published - September 2022 - and members of The Woolly Hat Society will get an exclusive new release discount!

Follow along with the #CuboidalHats tag on Instagram and learn more via the Cuboidal blog category.

Meet Aether, the eighth and final Cuboidal Hat

So far I’ve introduced you to 7 Hats and today I share the last one!

All of these Hats are constructed top-down, and this one is no exception. To achieve the crown of Aether we take the corners worked in Morph and Mellohi and work nothing but corners. It may be a little fiddly until you’ve got the hang of it, and it may not seem entirely plausible until you’ve worked the first corner, yet it’s a technique that will leave you feeling very clever! Feedback from beta-knitters favoured two things about these Hats - joining the mired squares in the round and working the corners.

The square style used in this Hat is a deliberate break from the styles that create solid borders or nested stripes. Similarly, the crown is worked plain to reflect the brim, with the broken brick pattern working it’s way around the body. To make this even more effective you could offset the squares using the method used in Nethere and I think that’d look really cool! There a few designs in this collection that need a non-offset pattern but several could be switched up, so why not try it?

I feel like Aether is one of the unsung heroes in this collection… folks don’t tend to make this kind of style often, yet it’s construction is pretty remarkable. It’s not sewn like a lot of my quatra peak Hats, or formed at the very end. The way the crown is worked is incredibly satisfying and I’d love for more folks to try it and feel mighty chuffed with that they’ve created! And I’ll say this forever and a day, but these styles are not just for kids - adults can wear fun and quirky Hats, too.

So that’s all 8 Hats shared! So many possibilities… so many square styles, ways of mixing up the border or brim patterns; the squares could be offset, or not, depending on the Hat and your desired result. There really is so SO much that you can do with them, before you factor in the wide range of sizes and gauges covered.

There’s still more I want to share about this collection so please do continue to follow along as we get closer to release day!

Which Hat would you make first? What’s your favourite Cuboidal Hat so far?

About the Cuboidal collection…

As with all of the patterns in this collection, the sample is shown in Malabrigo Arroyo. I find it gives me a nice firm squishy fabric on 2.75mm or 3mm needles, at a gauge of 28 sts to 10cm/4in, which is perfect for garter stitch. You don’t want a loose fabric with these Hats as they’ll stretch, and a firmer gauge ensures the Hat lasts longer before stretching out.

The whole collection is pretty much an any yarn, any size collection! I provide tables covering 8 gauges across 12 sizes, but armed with a gauge swatch and a bit of maths, you can achieve beyond the range provide - the construction of the Hat is the same regardless of the size you’re making or the gauge of your yarn. And the eBook will also include a chapter on head measuring and calculating yardage!

And in case anyone asks, this collection won’t be split into individual patterns. I talk about it more in length on this blog post, but in short the patterns are tutorial heavy and splitting them out just doesn’t work.

The collection will be $23/€19/£17 when published - September 2022 - and members of The Woolly Hat Society will get an exclusive new release discount!

Follow along with the #CuboidalHats tag on Instagram and learn more via the Cuboidal blog category.