whatifknits

Bulky Tam Pattern (and Bad Kittens)

Here is the bulky tam pattern I designed, based on Kathryn Connelly’s beret pattern in One-Skein Wonders. She’s generously allowed me to publish this version of the pattern. There’s now (or will be at any moment) a One-Skein Wonders web site. The link is here. Though I haven’t had luck getting there yet, I expect it will be working soon (and I’m looking forward to seeing all the patterns it offers). Kathryn works at Hilltop Yarn, which has both a web site and a blog.

Bulky Tams in Chache by Moda Dea

Bulky Tam
Yarn: Moda Dea Cachet or similar bulky weight yarn, approx. 110 yards
Needles: 16″ US 10.5 circular and double points

Note: This pattern produces a small woman’s size hat. If you would like a larger or floppier/more dramatic hat, simply add 1 or more additional decrease/increase sets and knit the body to 4.5″ inches before beginning decreases.

Abbreviations:
Kf&b: Knit into stitch twice, first from the front, then from the back
K2tog: Knit two stitches together

Cast on on 72 stitches, place marker, and close circle to work in the round.

Work three rounds of K2, P1 rib.

Work increases as follows:
Round 1 (and all odd rounds): K
Round 2: *Knit 7, Kf&b*
Round 4: *Knit 8, Kf&b*
Round 6: *Knit 9, Kf&b*
Round 8: *Knit 10, Kf&b*

Continue knitting around until piece measures 4″.

Work Decreases as follows, switching to double points when needed:
Round 1: *K10, K2tog*
Round 2: K
Round 3:*K9, K2tog*
Round 4: K
Round 5: *K8, K2tog*
Round 6: K
Round 7: *K7, K2tog*
Round 8: K
Round 9: *K6, K2tog*
Round 10: K
Round 11: *K5, K2tog*
Round 12: K
Round 13: *K4, K2tog*
Round 14: *K3, K2tog*
Round 15: *K2, K2tog*
Round 16: *K1, K2tog*
Round 17: K2tog around

Trim working end of yarn to 6″ or so, run it through the remaining stitches on needles and remove needles. Weave in ends.

On a completely different note, Sparky and Woody, the kittens, had an unfortunate breakthrough in the middle of the night. They are both quite interested in Bea, the adult cat who shares their home and who finds them both inconvenient at best and more often loathsome. Bea had worked out a sort of a truce with Woody, but was having a more difficult time with Sparky who’d become enamoured of her and followed her about chirping and rolling and waving his paws.

Well, last night the boys realized they could approach her as a pair, rather than individually. Horrors! We had any number of rounds of Bea backed into various corners or under different chairs, growling louldly while Sparky and Woody approached her from opposite sides. They played the innocents: “We’re not touching her. We’re just sitting here… and here. Why shouldn’t we be able to sit?”

At one point I put them out into the rain—which is not as cruel as it seems, as they have their own entrance and could just run around the corner and back in again—but this did nothing to cool their furry little jets. This morning when Melissa and I headed off to breakfast Bea was hiding under a nightstand and the boys were watching her from up on the bed. I’m afraid the boys won’t tire of this game for quite some while.

February 10 2007 | Beatrice and Bulky Tam and Bulky Tams and Cats and FOs and Patterns and Spartacus and Woodrow | 8 Comments »

Pics

This weekend, I’m reading a set of student essays, so I can’t spend as much time as I’d like thinking and writing about knitting. But with Melissa’s help, I am going to get some pictures posted so you can see what I have been/am doing in those moments I can squeeze out for myself.

I’ve completed two of my bulky tams in Cache. (Pattern adapted from One-Skein Wonders.)

As you can see the mossy colorway (”Smartie”) knits up into much clearer stripes than does the more neutral colorway (”Serengeti”). I’ve still got two skeins of the “Siren” colorway to play with—I’ll post info on its stripe-ability (or lack thereof) when I get some results.

This is Sparky, our aspiring yarn reviewer.

He feels he should have been asked to test the Serengeti Cache, since it compliments his personal colorway so well. He would have made something very interesting out of it—maybe a free-form bathtub liner.

Here are the wrist warmers with the new matching hat.

All that from one $3.99 ball of yarn!

Last of all, Here’s my current work in progress—

—the “Urban Trekker” from Lion Brand Yarn’s Just Hats (it’s the cover project). I’m knitting it in Cherry Tree Hill’s potluck bulky wool in the “Earthtones” colorway. (Note that contrary to my claims of seldom using patterns, I am using a pattern—perhaps I’ll have to rethink my self-concept a bit.) I chose this pattern because a) I think it’s darling and b) I wanted to practice top-down hat knitting using a substantial yarn in order to minimize the wiggliness of the first few rounds.

Now, I’m back to the land of student essays. Melissa will add the photos and post this when she finishes playing with her new etching press. Whee!

January 27 2007 | Basic Wrist Warmers and Bulky Tams and Cache and Cats and FOs and Moss-Stitch Hat and Spartacus and Yarn Reviews | No Comments »