Kay's Korner - A Knitters Notes

This last October, my eldest son, Will, and his beautiful bride, Vanessa, tied the knot. For the blessed occasion, I had several projects on my needles that needed to be finished by the big day. After all, our family owns and operates a specialty yarn shop, so I was doing my best to make hand knits a part of the blessed event. As the newlyweds were honeymooning in London with a side trip to hike in Scotland, I knew they could both use a warm hat. Great Britain is cold and rainy in mid October and this couple resides in sunny Southern California. I decided to design a hat for each newlywed and name the pattern to honor their U.K excursion - the Honeymoon Hiker Hats.

The happy couple in Scotland

Both Will and Vanessa usually opt for classic fashions that are tailored and practical, so with that in mind, I pulled out my sketch pad. I wanted the "for her" version to frame Vanessa's classically beautiful face in a simple, non-fussy, ivory lace. As my Will is a no frills sort, I decided to knit his hat in "blue jeans" blue, with the only similarity between the two hats being the choice of yarn, Calm Wool from Elsebeth Lavold's Designer Collection. The wool/alpaca/camel blend yarn is packed with luxury. If merino is butter, this aran weight, 3 ply blend of fibers is thick cream, rich and yummy! Dense but with a nice hand, this heavenly yarn quickly knits into plump stitches with great definition. (For more information on this specialty yarn, see the Kay's Korner archives for my previous post "Excited About Calm Wool.")

Calm Wool article.

The handsome blue "for him" version starts with a twisted rib band that changes to rows of garter rib before decreasing to the crown. Yes, Will appreciates simplicity and this design fits the bill. That their honeymoon photos show that he wore the hat often (as captured in some great photos from Scotland,) I know that it was comfy, warm, and appreciated.

Will in his Honeymoon Hiker Hat

The "for her" version of the Honeymoon Hiker Hat is knit in a lovely winter white. The camel and alpaca softly halo on the openwork band. Stitches are picked up from the Old Shale lace band to form the crown of this lovely, yet practical hat. Vanessa actually preferred the nonpublic side of the design which shows reverse stockinette with the edge rolling outward. As you can see in the photos, this is a very nice look, as well. The lace band of the "for her" hat serendipitously inspired a Honeymoon Hiker Headband - a design two for!

Vanessa sporting the nonpublic side of her hat

Old Shale lace band that inspired a second project

The final wedding project was a shrug for my sister, Cathy. Her birthday was the day before the wedding and I always like to give her a special hand knit gift for the occasion. That she needed a black shrug to wear at the wedding, took any guess work out of what to knit. Her wedding outfit, a sleeveless Oscar de la Renta dress, needed a topper for the upcoming cool, fall evenings. As I did not think I had enough time to both design and knit a shrug, I sent Cathy several options from Ravelry that I thought met her parameters - cropped to just above her natural waist, half sleeves, and with a 2 inch gap between the front pieces. We decided on Kaya Cropped Shrug by Dawn Leeseman, a popular project among the gals in our Friday Knit Night group. A great basic piece, I knew the top down, seamless, raglan design would work up quickly on #11 needles, a must if I was to meet the wedding day deadline.

Kaya shrug on needles

After swatching a few yarns, I again decided on Lavold's Calm Wool. The gauge was spot on and from earlier projects, I knew it would knit up beautifully. Cathy, though a good seamstress, is not a knitter, evident in her request that the shrug be worked in black yarn, a color that many stitchers avoid. To aid my aging eyes, I utilized the trick of keeping a white background on my lap while knitting, making it easier to see my stitches in the black yarn.

A white background enhances the black stitches

Also, I was fortunate that the project was knit primarily in good ol' stockinette, a stitch pattern I can pull off with my eyes closed. The top down design was easy peasy and worked up with no problems. The simple construction made it a snap to add some inches to the sleeves and body length, as requested. I finished the shrug just a few days before the wedding, handing it over to my sister only one day prior. Happily, the fit was great and Cathy looked lovely in her wedding ensemble! Her choice of black did amp up the formality of the hand knit and I overheard her getting several compliments on her outfit. (Of course, my far more fit sister always looks great, even in her scrubs at work.) We all had a fabulous time in Savannah and thanks to my friend Randie, have some great photos to help us remember the happy event.

Cathy, Luke, and Mum in wedding attire

To see details on the Kaya Shrug, go to RarePurls profile on ravelry.com. The patterns for Honeymoon Hiker Hats and Headband will soon be available on Ravelry.

Happy knitting!
Kay Mather
Copyright Nov. 2011