It is with a heavy heart that I report on this guy. I was exceptionally proud of this knit, perhaps in part because I had knitted an amazing jumper to go with it already (and being matching is both  ridiculous and ridiculously satisfying) and because it only took 2 hours. None of those things leave one heavy, but the fact that two days after this picture was taken, proudly wearing my hat out for a civilised dinner and a few wines with my favourite ladies it was sadly mislaid, does. Fare the well my gorgeous, we had good times. 

Luckily - I probably still have enough wool to make another one, once I'm finished mourning, because it's knitted from Wool and the Gangs Crazy Sexy Wool which comes in luscious 200g balls and this pom pom was made from jumper remains, so fingers crossed!

The thing I was keen to try with this knit was bobbles. I've been seeing lot of chunky knits on the instagram lately with beautiful baffling bobbly bits - and so I decided to unbaffle them. I'm not sure the extent to which I succeeded, but I loved this guy when he was finished, so happy times all round. 

To 'bobble' I essentially I:-

0) got to the stitch in question (1)
1) increased the given stitch by 2 (3)
2) turned the work around to purl back across those 3 stitches (3)
(you only purl these 3, you don't go to the end of the row or complete anything else (don't pass go, don't collect £200)
- this is all contained and focussed on creating the one stitch into a bobble)
3) turned the work around again to knit back across those 3 stitches (3)
4) pulled the further 2 stitches over the closest 1 (essentially decreasing/casting off 2 to leave you with one again) (1)

Simple!

To make a bigger bobble, increase by more, or do more rows in the step - and for smaller, do less. 

To make your own bobbly beanie, you'll need a ball of the Crazy Sexy Wool, 12mm needles and a yarn needle. It went a little something like this:-

Cast on 40 stitches

Row 1-5: rib stitch - *knit 1, purl 1* (knitting again, I'd increase this to 7 if you're hoping for the folded over version) (40)
Row 6-9: stocking stitch - *knit 1 row, purl 1 row* (40)
Row 10: knit 4, bobble 1, *knit 7, bobble 1*, knit 3 (40)
Row 11 - 13: stocking stitch- purl 1 row, knit 1 row, purl 1 row (40)
Row 14: knit 7, bobble 1, *knit 7, bobble 1*, knit 6 (40)
Row 15 - 17: stocking stitch- purl 1 row, knit 1 row, purl 1 row (40)
Row 18: knit 2, bobble 1 without increase (so you decrease by 2),
*knit 5, bobble 1 without increase (so you decrease by 2)*, knit 4 (30)
Row 19 - 21: stocking stitch- purl 1 row, knit 1 row, purl 1 row (30)
Row 22: knit 3, bobble 1 without increase (so you decrease by 2),
*knit 3, bobble 1 without increase (so you decrease by 2)*  (20)
Row 23: purl 1 row (20) 
Row 24: decrease (knit 2 into 1) (10)
Row 25: purl 1 row (10)

Finishing: Cut a long tail, thread onto a yarn needle. Take the stitches off the needle and thread through starting with the furthest stitch from the tail, creating a loop which pulls the stitches together in a circles. Sew down the side of the hat and fasten off. 

I added a big pom pom too. I was at my mum's house without pom pom makers and had a pile of left over little bits from my jumper, so I simply wrapped these all around my hand, pulled them off my hand carefully, tied the middle with the thinner piece of string nice and tight, cut the two ends where necessary, rolled the pom pom in my hands and pruned until even (Google hand pompoms for better youtube explanations!)

So I'm still working on lots of these winter warmer ideas for the first 'The Company of Crafters' at Deptford does Art on the 25th October. We have slippers and mittens and all the beautiful Stitch and Story kits and now a hat for all the crochet fiends! It's been very interested to hear on the stall how most people either favour crochet or knitting - which do you?

Again, this uses:

Hoooked Zpagetti
12mm Crochet Hook

​
And is super super simple, as follows:-

row 1: Chain 2 stitches and crochet 7 TR (triple crochets - loop the yarn twice round the hook before inserting into the stitch) into the first stitch in the chain, SL (slip stitch) into the first to create a ring.
row 2: Chain 2, crochet 2 TR into each stitch and SL into the first stitch (you now have 14 stitches)
row 3: Chain 2, *1 TR into first stitch, 2 TR into the second* *=repeat, SL into first stitch (21)
​row 4: Chain 2, *1 TR into first stitch, 1 TR into the second stitch and  2 TR into the third* *=repeat, SL into first stitch (28)
row 5-6: Chain 2, 1 TR into each stitch, SL into first stitch (28)
row 7:  Chain 1, DC or SC  (double crochet or single crochet) into each stitch, SL into first stitch, tie off (28)

​To finish: I created a pom pom and sewed it to the top of the hat. This blog has a few ways you can try making them! 

With all the triple crochet's this is super fast to do and creates a lacy pattern. Add extra stitches into the rows if you prefer not to see the holes when the hat stretches or for bigger heads!

As a solar-powered individual, it's always with a heavy heart that I acknowledge that the colder season is approaching. There's no denying the evenings have started to close in, the cars are a little frosty looking in the early mornings and a coat is near essential. But there are upsides! Cosy nights under the duvet on the sofa, mulled beverages and brisk walks after Sunday roasts to name a few, but it is also knitting season!

In preparation for the first 'The Company of Crafters' event on the 15th October, I've started to put together some simple patterns that beginners will be able to tackle and here are the first. A lovely contrast beanie hat and mittens using Hoooked's Zpagetti yarn - and it's super quick to complete. 

For these, all you'll need are:

12mm knitting needles
Hoooked Zpagetti Yarn
Hoooked Yarn Needle

Both knits are similar and simple. 

For the Mittens:-

Pink first:-
Cast on 16 stitches. 
5 rows of rib stitch:  *1 knit, 1 purl* (* = repeat)

Then Green:-
Alternate a row of knitting and a row of purling for 10 more rows

Cast Off - Leave a 30-40cm tail of the green yarn and use it to sew together edges to create mitten. 

For the Hat:-

Pink first:-
Cast on 40 stitches. 
5 rows of rib stitch:  *1 knit, 1 purl* (* = repeat)

Then Green:-
Alternate a row of knitting and a row of purling for 18 more rows
row 19: knit together 2 stitches at a time, so you finish with 20 stitches
row 20: purl 
row 21: knit together 2 stitches at a time, so you finish with 10 stitches
row 22: purl

Cast Off - Cut yarn with 30-40 cm tail, thread onto yarn needle and thread the needle through the 10 stitches starting from the stitch furthest away from the edge of the knitting needle (so you create a loop). Pull tight and then sew down the edge to create the hat shape. 

 Last night I gave the Luca Pom Hat a go. It's the first Stitch and Story kit I've tried, but there's always a lot of interest on the stall, so as sample for people to see and feel is a must!

It's got everything you need to complete the hat. The two 100% merino wools (also stocked in Grey with Pink), beautiful bamboo needles and both basic knitting instructions (for which there are also online guides too) and the pattern for the hat. 

I sat in front of the tv and must have completed it in 2-3 hours. My little kittens were enchanted by the wool, which was a little distracting, but it was lovely to see the detailing of the hat emerge as the patterns came together - and being such a short knit definitely gave a sense of accomplishment quickly!

Great for beginners, this only uses knits and purl stitches, but in combinations that create the ribbing and the swirl pattern on the main bit of the hat, which feels pretty fancy to have created - and with being on big straight needles, it's much simpler for a beginner than a knit on round needles.

All in all, a big old recommend for me. I think I made my pom pom a little small, but thankfully there's more wool to give it another try - and having worked with t-shirt yarn for a month of so now, the soft merino was dreamy. If you don't see it on the stall, it's because it's made it's way into my private stash - if I wear it, it'll still count right? 

Click here to buy the kit for £35