Class Update

The Powder Eights class at Stix has been moved to March 29th and April 5th.

P8 Class

Well down here Montana way, we're fixin' to give some more classes. We had a very successful Newsprint Cowl class at Stix last week.

The pattern was published again in Tangled Online Magazine, where their focus is bi-craftuality. One of Stix's knitters in residence figured out a brioche crochet stitch, and made a cross-threaded pattern that corresponds with the Newsprint Cowl - the Radicowl.

On March 22nd and 29th, I'll be giving a class on Powder Eights. The first session will include a review of the brioche stitch and an introduction to brioche cabling. The second session will focus almost exclusively on the two pages of decreases. Experience with brioche knitting is required. Call Stix in Bozeman to sign up!

Liz just completed her first Powder Eights in a beautiful indigo color. I covet it.

Flyte

Hey Knit Friends,

I finished and published my newest pattern, Flyte, on ravlery a few days ago!  Flyte is a paneled cabled hat that I’ve been dreaming-up over the past few years.  I’ve been trying to make a cabled hat in which the cables taper to meet at the top of the hat, and I finally worked it out!  The name 'Flyte' is a vague reference to one of my favorite books, "Brideshead Revisited" by Evelyn Waugh.  Flyte is written for a worsted weight yarn and can be made in two different sizes.  Flyte is available for purchase here on ravelry.

Special thanks to Greta for her excellent knitwear-modeling skillz and for tromping through deep snow with me!

xoxo
Liz

Powder Eights

Powder Eights has been published and is available as a Ravelry download! Want to try? This hat has served me well for over two years. Try as I might, I have been unable to knit anything to replace it for winter weather. It's a fairly complicated knit, with over 20 decrease rows, but the cabling is continuous to the top, which was a design feat.

The lovely model in these photos is Mari, author of No Project Left Behind. I'm hoping that she'll be a guest designer here soon. I also have to thank my co-author, Liz, for having done all of the .pdf files for my designs. Would that I had her skills and information!

Happy knitting!

Haven

Aspen Extreme

Heeeyyy Knitter!

The journey began two years ago, with a skein of Malabrigo Chunky and a seriously cold job as a snowboard instructor. The destination? A cabled brioche hat.

I finished the first without ever writing down the decreases, so here I am now, knitting a second Powder 8s. The basic pattern repeat is currently being test knit, and I'm hoping to finish writing out the decreases in the next two days.

What are Powder 8s? Watch and learn:

Look for the pattern just after Valentine's Day.

Knit knit knit,
Haven

Newsprint

Hi Friends,

I just finished my first Newsprint Cowl (by Haven)!

I love it, and I say 'first' because I'm hooked and I'm going to start another in creamsicle colors right now! I'm thinking Malabrigo Worsted in Pearl and Cinnabar.... Yum.

xoxo
Liz

Boardwalk Hat

Hello Blog Friends!

Welcome to my first official post on our blog! I'm going to jump-in and unveil a new pattern of mine that I finally completed this evening. It's a quick knit cap in worsted weight yarn with a slightly wavy edge. A downloadable .pdf version of this pattern is available for free on ravelry.

*******************************************************

Boardwalk 

by Elizabeth Pedersen

Yarn: Approximately 130 yards of worsted weight yarn. The pictured hats are both made from one skein of Malabrigo Merino Worsted, 210 yards/100 grams (3.5 ounces), in colorways Stone Blue and Pearl.

Gauge: 20 sts and 27 rows per 4 inches in stockinette on US size 8 needles.

Needles: 16” size US 5, 16” size US 8, and one set double pointed needles size US 8.

Notions: Stitch marker(s), darning needle.

Abbreviations:

sts - stitches

k - knit

p - purl

yo - yarn over

ssk - slip 1 as if to knit, k1, psso

k2tog - knit 2 together

sl - slip as if to knit

psso/p2sso - pass slipped stitch(es) over

sl2tog - sl 2 sts together as if to k2tog

*    * - repeat pattern within *s

Pattern: With smaller size circular needles cast on 90 stitches.  Place stitch marker at beginning or row and join in the round, being careful not to twist work.

Row 1: *k1, p1*

Rows 2 - 11: Repeat Row 1 ten times (11 times total) or until brim is desired length. 

Increase Row:  Switch to larger size 16” circular needles by knitting one row, increasing one stitch (M1L) after every 15th stitch (M1L - lift the bar between stitches with the tip of the lefthand needle from the front, then knit the back the of the bar you have lifted, like knitting through the back loop of a stitch). Six stitches increased for a total of 96 sts.

Begin Section A:  Follow either the Chart or the written instructions. The sixteen stitches in row one are repeated six times around, working all stitches. Repeat whichever row of the patern that you are currently working in this manner. Repeat all eight rows of Section A four times, for a total of 32 patterned rows.

Legend:

Section A - Chart

 

Section A - Written 

Row 1: *k1, yo, k3, ssk, k5, k2tog, k3, yo*

Rows 2, 4, 6 & 8: knit

Row 3: *k2, yo, k3, ssk, k3, k2tog, k3, yo, k1*

Row 5: *k3, yo, k3, ssk, k1, k2tog, k3, yo, k2*

Row 7: *k4, yo, k3, sl1, k2tog, psso, k3, yo, k3*

Begin Section B:  Please note that the center decrease in Section B is different than the decreases in Section A - see Legend for details. Switch to double pointed needles when necessary.

Section B - Chart

Section B - Written

Row 33: *k7, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k6*

Rows 34, 36, 38, 40 & 42: knit

Row 35: *k6, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k5*

Row 37: *k5, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k4*

Row 39: *k4, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k3*

Row 41: *k3, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k2*

Row 43: *k2, sl2tog, k1, p2sso, k1*

Row 44: *k1, sl2tog, k1, p2sso*

Row 45: *k2tog*

Finishing:  After completing Section B there are 6 stitches remaining. Cut yarn leaving a 6” to 10” tail. With a darning needle run this tail through the remaining 6 stitches and cinch together. Weave in all ends and wash and block finished hat! If you wish to make a slouchier hat you can go up needle sizes for Sections A and B, and/or you can stretch the finished hat over a 9” plate while blocking.

©Elizabeth Pedersen, 2011

*******************************************************

I hope you like making my hat!  Until next time, happy knitting and goodnight!

xoxo

Liz