Hello everyone! Today is a very exciting day because I’ve just released a new knitting pattern! I teased this knit colourwork hat back in my January 2021 round up post and it is finally out.
This cute colourwork knit hat uses two colours of worsted weight yarn and comes in three sizes, baby/toddler, child and adult. I think it would look great on anyone and there are so many fun colour combinations that you can experiment with.
The colourwork is simple and engaging, the colourwork portions are charted in the knitting pattern. This pattern is great for beginner level knitters who are looking for a first stranded colourwork pattern and learning how to read charts.
I’ll be putting out a blog post next week with some tips for getting started with stranded colourwork for anyone who wants to try, but feels a bit hesitant about the skills involved.
Spoiler for that post: it is easier than it looks and you can totally do it!!!
I went out with my dad for a cute photo shoot in the park before all the snow melts and we got some great photos! He even modeled Brigand for me.
Hello friends, today on the Knits of Steele knitting blog I want to tell you a bit more about my latest knitting design the Cass Cowl. This knitting pattern is squishy, it’s cozy, it has a big braided cable and twisted rib. This knit cowl design has everything I love and that’s why I named it after me!
This chunky knit cowl came to be way way back, I’m not even sure when. I think it was some time in 2019. I knew when I designed it that I eventually wanted to release the knitting pattern, but I lost my confidence a bit and even though I wrote the pattern up I never put it through testing or had it released.
But I set a goal in 2020 that I’m continuing this year to design more knitting patterns and release more of the knitting patterns that I already have written and ready to go. So starting of 2021’s schedule of releases here (finally) is the Cass Cowl knitting pattern!
I named this pattern after myself as a joke at first. It was a placeholder name until I could think of something better, but it just stuck and so it has remained the Cass Cowl. It feels like the right name for this knit design.
And the reason that it is a fitting name for this knitting pattern is that this knit cowl has so many of the design features that I love. Starting of with twisted rib. I’m not sure why I love twisted rib so much, but I do! It just adds a little something extra to a hat brim or sock cuff, or in this case the edges of a knit cowl, over traditional ribbing.
I designed this cowl knitting pattern when I was going through a cable phase. The big braided cable is offset to the side and starts right from the beginning of the cowl and goes right to end integrated into the twisted rib. For obvious reasons, this giant braided cable is my favourite part of this knit design.
And it’s all knit out of super cozy and squishy super bulky yarn!
I used Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick for this cowl, it takes just over 2 balls to complete. I used the colour Spice Market for this pattern, I’m in love with the rose gold, pink and yellow tones in this yarn! Unfortuantely, I think this colourway has been discontinued 😦
But no need to worry because this cowl looks great in any colour! It suits variegated and solid yarns just fine.
This knit cowl is honestly so squishy and cozy. It’s one of the warmest knit accessories I own and I always pull it out on super cold days. It’s large enough to come up and cover half of your face to ensure warmth, but also that you can still see! But it’s not so bulky that it’s uncomfortable and you can easily push it down to sit under or around your chin.
It keeps the wind out when it’s tucked into the collar of your coat and when paired with a hat it keeps your head and neck totally warm and covered from wind and snow.
I can’t wait to see your projects, make sure you tag me in any photos so I can check them out!
You can find my other designs and knitting patterns on Ravelry, and follow me on Instagram to stay up to date on new designs, sales and discounts, and knitting pattern releases!
I’m so excited to share this new free knitting pattern with you for this pretty worsted weight knit hat. This free hat knitting pattern is great for beginner level knitters.
I started this knit hat in late 2019 or early 2020, I’m not really sure because I ended up putting it down at some point and leaving it dormant for a while! But it’s finally finished and now it’s available as a free knitting pattern for you.
My inspiration for this easy knit hat was something really squishy and cozy to wear in the early spring and late fall. The perfect knit hat for that chilly transition weather. A simple style with just enough detail to keep it interesting.
And the name….well I bet you can guess what I was drinking when I thought up this design 😉
This is a fairly easy knit hat that would be suitable for beginner level knitters who have knit a couple of hats already. This free knitting pattern is a unisex design and would look great in any colour, I think it would suit variegated yarn very well!
I used Red Heart Chic Sheep by Marly Bird for this knit hat in the colour Linen which is such a soft and cozy shade of white. This yarn is so soft and squishy. It’s the perfect yarn for a cozy and simple knit hat. You may recognize it from the free knitting pattern Hacked Hat that I put out on this blog earlier in 2020.
I settled on reverse stockinette for this free knit hat pattern. Knit inside out to avoid all that purling, with knit stitch details along the decreases to create the illusion of a seam.
One of the most challenging things to figure out for this free hat pattern design were the decreases. I’m used to decreasing on the right side using a knit-two-together and slip-slip-knit to create paired decreases, but this design is knit wrong side out so it required decreasing in reverse.
So I ended up using purl-two-together and -slip-slip-purl. The slip-slip-purl was a new technique for me and it took a little while to get used to. You can find a tutorial on Very Pink!
I almost gave up and just left it at a purl-two-together on each side, it didn’t look quite right but it would be “good enough”. I’m so glad I took the time to figure it out. It took a little trial and error but I finally got it! And it was totally worth all the extra effort.
I put this knit hat in hibernation again for a while after figuring out the decreases, but the cool weather sparked my desire to finish this cozy hat and to write it up as a free hat knitting pattern. It’s available as a free Ravelry download!
Hazelnut Latte has been a staple in my wardrobe this fall and I love it so much. I hope you feel the same! You can download the free knitting patter for Hazelnut Latte on Ravelry: https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/hazelnut-latte
This free knitting pattern for a reusable knit cotton face scrubby is a great way to reduce waste instead of using one-use cotton pads. I was inspired to design this pattern by Earth Day and out of a need I had in my own skincare routine!
I was so tired of using toilet paper, tissues and one use cotton pads to take off make-up, remove nail polish, and apply toner. Not only was it a waste to use so many one-use products, but they didn’t work very well!
These scrubbies are great for applying toner – this is my favourite toner from Lush!
When cotton knit face scrubby patterns started cropping up last year, I thought wow that is such a great idea, but something was wrong….nearly all of the ones I saw were crochet!! There’s nothing wrong with crochet, but I cannot crochet more than a chain so making a round face scrubby was out of the question.
So I grabbed some cotton DK from my stash and got started! I knew I wanted to design a knit face scrubby that was pretty enough to leave stacked on the counter and also functional. So I sat down and designed Reusable Cotton Face Scrubbies 4 Ways!
The pattern includes instructions for
The Classic style
Mitered Square
Striped Mitered Square
And Bordered style
Four scrubby styles are better than one!
And today I’m so happy to bring you the pattern for the Classic style as a free knitting pattern on the blog in honour of Earth Day 2020!
Each square takes so little yarn, this is a perfect stash busting project to use up leftover bits of cotton, which adds to the sustainability of the design. I used Paintbox Yarns Cotton DK for my scrubbies in the colours Dolphin Blue, Duck Egg Blue, and Vanilla Cream.
If you plan on using your scrubbies as knit make-up remover pads or nail polish I would recommend a darker colour so it doesn’t show the stains as much.
FREE on the blog the Classic Style Scrubby!
Free Knitting Pattern: Classic Style Knit Face Scrubby
Inspired by the classic hand knit dishcloth, this classic style make-up pad is knit corner to corner with timeless eyelet details around the border.
Abbreviations
k: knit
k2tog: knit two sts together
yo: yarn over
st(s): stitch(es)
Pattern Instructions
Cast On 4 sts
Row 1: K all sts
Row 2: K all sts
Row 3: K2, yo, k to end
Repeat Row 3 until there are 18 sts.
Row 4: K1, k2tog, yo, k2tog, k to end
Repeat Row 4 until there are 4 sts.
Row 5: K all sts
Row 6: K all sts
Bind off all sts.
Finishing
Weave in ends and block if desired.
And that’s it – this free knitting pattern so easy! I bet you already want to make more. Did I mention that these make great gifts? I sent some pictures to my mom and she said she wants some, so I’m planning to make her a set for Mother’s Day.
A close up look of the Bordered style. This one has two different textures on the right and wrong sides!
Make sure you take this time to relax and enjoy some slow knitting
Today I’m shining the FO Spotlight on my most recent knit design the Twister Mitts! I love these fingerless mitts, I’ve been wearing them almost non-stop for the past few weeks. Knit with worsted weight speckled yarn and an off centre cable detail makes these an irresistible accessory.
These mitts have been my favourite accessory for the transition from Winter to Spring.
Did I mention the seed stitch detailing!
The cable and seed stitch also pops when made with solid yarn. They would of course look absolutely gorgeous in any colour, but I’m eager to see a pink pair pop up as that is my favourite colour!
The Twister Mitts are knit in worsted weight yarn. I used this beautiful speckled yarn from KnitPicks that I had leftover from a sweater. It was a KnitPicks special reserve colourway, but you can still get the regular Swish Worsted. Which comes in so many colours!
My tester for this pattern used Lion Brand Heartland and hers are absolutely lovely as well. Any worsted weight yarn will do it.
I am in love with the off centre cable, I’ll be honest I didn’t do it on purpose! I originally planned for the cable to go straight up the middle, but the way I worked the gusset caused it to drift towards the thumb. And I have to say what a happy accident because I love how it turned out.
I knew I would need a different stitch along the top of the mitts and the thumb as stockinette stitch would curl. I debated doing a 1×1 rib to match the cuff, but it just didn’t seem right. Seed stitch to the rescue, after the rib this was the first stitch I thought of as it’s one of my all time favourites.
I designed these last Fall so I would have a pair of mitts to wear when it was chilly, but that would still allow me to easily use my phone for playing Pokemon Go! It took me a while, but I did get around to writing up the pattern and built up the confidence to release it.
I’ve even been wearing my Twister Mitts in the office when my hands get cold.
With the outbreak of COVID-19, it’s a difficult time for a lot of people during this pattern release. My office is closed and we are all working from home until April 6th.
So I want to offer a special discount! Until April 6th the Twister Mitts are 30% off on Ravelry – no coupon needed! Head over to my Ravelry store to buy your copy and let’s stick together and support each other during this challenging time.
Sometimes…photos don’t turn out exactly like you envisioned…
