Tag: beanie

Knit Lookbook Knitting

Favorite Cable Beanie by The Chesapeake Needle

by Kati
favorite cable beanie

One look at my Instagram and my designs, and it’s pretty obvious – I’m absolutely obsessed with cables! I love how versatile, beautiful and squishy they are, and how you can create so many different designs with simple cables. They’ve definitely always been my favorite knitting technique and I’ve been using them in all of my designs (Vilja, Hilla and Aava to name the latest!), and once you learn the tips and tricks on how to master cables I promise knitting them is like riding a bike!

favorite cable beanie

I purchased the Favorite Cable Beanie pattern from The Chesapeake Needle a few days back and I fell so in love with the pattern that I ended up knitting it in two days! I love the clever way Lindsey used the cables in the design: having the cable turns on different rounds creates such a beautiful, unique and interesting look.

favorite cable beanie

I didn’t have any medium weight yarn at home, but I obviously did have a skein of Phil Looping and 4mm needles, and after making a little swatch I was happy to see the gauge matched and I could get knitting right away! The yarn knits up beautifully with a smaller needle size, and I’m especially in love with the brim and the way the stitches aren’t too stretchy when wearing the hat.

favorite cable beanie

The only adjustment I had to make with the slightly heavier yarn was that I decided to make the hat a few rounds (that is 3 rounds) shorter to avoid making it too tall, and I couldn’t be happier with how the beanie fits! I’d definitely say this is the perfect cable project even for makers who are just getting into knitting cables, and the pattern also comes with clear instructions on how to use a cable needle so Lindsey’s got you covered. It’s a 3-sizes-in-1 -pattern so with one purchase you’ll get the adult, toddler and child version – how amazing is that!

In short, I fell head over heels in love with this beginner-ish friendly pattern and can’t wait to make many more of these!

xx, Kati

Knit Lookbook Knitting

Madeline Beanie by Kneedles and Love

by Kati
madeline beanie

This past spring I had the opportunity to test knit Kneedles and Love Kalley’s knit hat pattern, The Madeline Beanie, and it felt like the perfect design to continue my knit lookbook posts! It’s another beginner friendly knitting project full of texture, squish and simple stitches that combine into an amazing beanie. This one too knits up in no time and I made two hats in like one sitting!

madeline beanie

Yarnwise I went with Phil Rapido by Phildar, which is a bulky #5 yarn and so soft it feels like a hug. Lately I’ve noticed that my knitting tension has gotten a lot tighter than before, so I opted for my 8mm needles and they ended up being the perfect choice for this project (the pattern calls for 6,5mm)! I often knit bulky designs with double stranded Phil Looping, but it’s such a nice change to use a yarn that’s bulky enough as it is (that is, single stranded). The yarn also comes in some seriously delicious colors so it always takes an afternoon to choose the shade you want to take home with you!

madeline beanie

But back to the pattern! Like the two previous patterns I’ve introduced, The Pinecrest Beanie by Aspen Leaf Knits and The Linen Texture Hat by Steffer Knits Studios, this one is definitely an instant gratification project as well and once you get started, you could just keep knitting forever! The finished beanie is fun, the knit and purl stitches create a beautiful texture & feel, and it’s just beautiful in all its simplicity. I would 100% recommend this pattern for beginners and for anyone who’s looking for a cute and quick ready-in-an-afternoon project!

In other beanie-related-news, I bought a new pattern this morning and  couldn’t be more excited! I’ll be making the Favorite Cable Beanie by The Chesapeake Needle – absolutely can’t wait to get started already and show you guys the finished hat!

Love, Kati

Knit Lookbook Knitting

Linen Texture Hat by Steffer Knits Studio

by Kati
linen texture hat

Another day, another beautiful beanie! I can’t tell you enough how much I love quick and simple knits full of texture and fun stitch ideas. One of my maker BFF’s Stef from Steffer Knits Studios sent me her newest beanie design, The Linen Texture Hat and as soon as I’d finished Ginny’s Pinecrest Beanie I knew I couldn’t wait to get started on Stef’s gorgeous pattern! Luckily I had enough Phil Looping left and after last night’s classic just one more row situation I finally finished the hat this morning and ughhh is it a beauty!

linen texture hat

The Linen Texture Hat uses super bulky (#6) yarn that I, as usual, substituted with double stranded Phil Looping. I made the brim a little shorter than in the original pattern and used a *k1, p1* ribbing, and went for my 8mm needles for the brim. THIS was a total game changer! I feel like my brims stretch out far too much for my liking with the 10mm needles, so after knitting the brim with the 8mm needles I changed into the 10’s for the body of the beanie and it was smooth sailing from start to finish.

linen texture hat

I absolutely love the texture of this hat – it’s elegant, beautiful and despite the super bulky yarn it doesn’t have a heavy feel or overall look. The beanie is super soft, it fits nicely and feels soooooo comfy! It’s another beginner friendly design that knits up in no time and, if necessary, can in my opinion be easily adjusted to fit different size circumferences. The pattern comes with two sets of instructions for 2 different yarns which is always a big plus!

So to wrap up today’s beanie, you should definitely get a copy of the pattern and get knitting because you’ll absolutely love it!

Happy Monday!

xx, Kati

Knit Lookbook Knitting

Pinecrest Beanie by Aspen Leaf Knits

by Kati
pinecrest beanie

Hi thereee! I love coming up with original patterns and I’m totally a fan of the whole process that comes with it; the knitting, the tweaking, the testing, the typing and the picture-snapping, but sometimes it feels SO GOOD to just sit down with a beautiful pattern designed by someone else! Ginny from Aspen Leaf Knits was a total sweetheart and sent me the pattern for her Pinecrest Beanie and I wanted to show you guys a little how it looks and tell you what a wonderful (and relaxing) time I had knitting mine up!

pinecrest beanie

As I don’t live anywhere near to a yarn shop that would have Lion Brand in their selection, I always have to make the tiniest adjustments to patterns that call for Wool Ease Thick & Quick. So I relied, once again, on my go-to yarn aka Phil Looping by Phildar, this time held double stranded, and I also went for my biggest needles, the 10mm ones. And oh my gosh how weird did the big needles feel like in the beginning! It’s been a hot minute since I needed to dig out the good old 10s, but luckily after a few brim rounds things got a whole lot easier and smoother!

pinecrest beanie

Obviously matched my nails to the beanie…

I usually do something else while knitting – be it listening to music or a podcast, or watching Netflix – but this beanie had me in almost a trans-like knitting state (let’s say that’s a thing alright) and I didn’t even miss any background noise! It was just me and a beautiful blush pink yarn on a Sunday morning while B was still asleep and I kid you not, it was exactly as poetic and romantic as it sounds.

pinecrest beanie

So in short, the Pinecrest Beanie is a total pleasure to knit. It’s 100% beginner friendly, knits up in literally no time (mine was ready in under 2 hours) and you just want to keep going after you finish the first one! It’s everything I love in a design: simple and elegant, yet full of amazing texture that both looks AND feels good. The perfect pattern for your next knitting project!

Hope everyone’s had a good weekend!

xx, Kati