This is easy and relatively fast to knit and looks good on both sides, so it’s basically reversible. When I finished the scarf (at work) a couple of people wanted one, including women, so it’s not just for men. I designed it for a male friend of mine and he clearly liked it. The pattern deters curling edges, and the extra thick yarn and simple pattern makes it fast to knit. I used Lion Brand Woolease Thick and Quick in Charcoal color.

The pattern is a geometric grid that has narrow parts alternating with wider parts, both vertically and horizontally. I if you know something about knitting you can use this as a basis for other designs with this thickness yarn. I am using it to do some cabled hats for gifts to match scarves I made last year. Be aware that cables pull in more side to side and make a piece a little smaller.

This hat I designed to go with the scarf fits me “not tight” and I have a large head and almost covers my ears. If you need a hat smaller, take out 8 stitches around leaving 48 loops for a smaller hat, and remove 5-8 rows for a shorter hat.

For a variation of this hat with faux cables see the picture and link below. It looks nice also.

Materials and tools:
Scarf: 10.5 straight needles.
Yarn: two skeins Lion Brand Woolease Thick and Quick (106 yd/97 m), or equivalent size 6 yarn.
Hat: 10.5 circular needles, 24 -36 inch length or whatever works for you.
Yarn: Less than one skein of the above selected yarn.
7 or 8 stitch markers.

You could use just two skeins and do the hat first, then use the remaining yarn to make the scarf as a shorter muffler if you like.

HAT:
Cast on 56 (48 for a smaller hat) on to circular 10.5 needles. I used long tail cast-on.

Join to knit in the round without twisting.

Place a marker.

P2, K2 for 8-10 rows.
K2, P2 for 8-10 rows.
P2, k2 for 8-10 rows.

Decreases: I designed this decrease so the two columns of knit stitches on the outside bend with the decrease rather than being cut off.

Move beginning marker so it is between two nearest knit stitches on the outer/right side of the hat. Using markers of a different color, insert one every 8 stitches. These should likewise be between two knit stitches on the outside of the hat.
Follow current pattern – knit knits and purl purls – until you get to the last two loops before a marker and for those two, knit two together.

Continue until you have reduced to about 6 or 7 loops on the needles – 6 for the smaller hat. It doesn’t really matter at that size.

Remove markers.

Break yarn with about 1.5 ft tail, thread yarn through loops using a crochet hook, remove from circular needle, draw tight to close the hole, tie firmly and weave in ends.

I have another version of this hat with easy faux cables instead that looks great.

SCARF
Cast on 20 using super bulky yarn on 10.5 needles.

BEGINNING OF SCARF

*P2k2 for two rows.
K2p2 for two rows.*
Repeat * to * once for a total of 4 rows.

BODY OF SCARF:

Always purl the first and last stitch of each row to reduce curling of the edge. This also give is a nice texture on the edge.

*P1, k7, p4, k7, p1: – repeat for 9 rows.
P1, p7, k4, p7, p1 – repeat for 5 rows.*
Repeat *to * to desired length.

End scarf with:

P1, k7, p4, k7, p1: – repeat for 9 rows.

Then do END OF SCARF again:
*P2k2 for two rows.
K2p2 for two rows.*

Weave in ends.

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere I’m working on a Glengarry hat for my kilt wearing times, so here is the results of my second test knit with pattern changes. The pattern was inspired by the one in Folk Hats by Vicki Square, and I’ve made a bunch of changes, so I may publish the pattern in then next month or so.

One thing I did was make it shorter in the back, as that is what I see in some “authentic” ones on the web. I also expect to be wearing my intended black version in a New England July at the Glasgow Lands Scottish Festival in my home town of Northampton, Massachusetts, so I have worked in ventilation by putting yarnover “lace” holes in the top. There is also some texture added as I tried to put in diagonal lines with purl bumps but missed or misplaced a few, so it looks rather sloppy/rustic/whatever. This one is just a test of various pattern changes I made anyway.

Here are a bunch of pictures of this version. My black one may be made with single ply wool. I’m also considering upsizing it then felting it down again to fit to see what that does to the fabric.

I knitted this half Continental style (stockinette side) and Portuguese style when I was working with purls facing me, since purls are very easy with Portuguese style knitting. See my article on better short row methods also. It’s listed in Techniques and on the Site Map tab on the menu bar above.

And I invite your ideas and comments!

From the side.

From the back angle

Front view. I wonder if felting will help it keep a better shape.

Top view. See the ventilation? Smart! To wear it in winter I could knit a liner.

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I mentioned previously that I am working on a Glengarry hat for my kilts and I have finished the second test piece. The first one I did was in gray wool and followed the pattern exactly as found in Folk Hats by Vicki Square  so I could figure out how to do all the short rows, check the size and see if it all worked out like I want.

And I have pictures…

First off, the size is for a 22 inch head and starts with a cast-on of 112 stitches. My head is a seven and seven eights which is almost 24 inches, so I checked my gauge in the test piece and added another 16 stitches to bring it up to 128. This turned out to be just right.

Second issue was that the band edge was all stockinette so it curled like all get out, so in the second test, in denim colored wool by Patons (looks nice – I may do a sweater in it) I did just three rows of 2 by 2 ribbing to control that.

I also wanted to make a couple of mods. From what I could see in pics on the web of Glengarrys the prow at the front is higher than that at the back, but in the book’s pattern they are both three inches, so I modified the pattern with more short rows on the sides so the front is three inches and the back is just two. This turned out juts right and the hat looks better than the first test (which I didn’t totally finish as the curling was just too much. No, don’t tell me to steam it.)

So I worked on the hat between calls at work all last two weeks and finished at home this morning. The last task was to graft the top center seam with the Kitchener stitch, which I had never done. Reading the how to in my knitting reference I compliantly said to myself, “Hell no.” and proceeded to invent another way. I don’t know yet if this is new, but it made sense and worked great. If you know it from elsewhere, let me know.

So when you finish this hat, before grafting the top, you end up with half your stitches on each side of a circular needle. I remembered binding off and thought I would try binding off the two sides together. Here’s how:

1.    Divide your stitches evenly between your two halves of the circular needle. This means the extra cable length comes out at one end of the hat and the needles at the other. When you finish all the stitching you should be situated with the needle points at the back of the hat. The hat should be right sides together, so you will probably turn it inside out.
2.    Align the needles side by side in your left hand if you knit right handed, points to the right.
3.    Take a third needle and insert it as if to knit through the last loop on each needle and knit them together, pulling the knitted loops off the two needles.

Insert the third needle as if to knit through both of the last loops on the right needles.

4.    Put the new loop back on the needle nearest you. It doesn’t matter if it is slipped knit-wise or purl-wise.

Slip the new loop back on one of the left needles. Alternate!

5.    Insert the working third needle (which is now empty) knit wise through the last two loops (which include the new loop you just made) on the near needle and then through the last loop on the far needle and knit all three together, sliding the three off the two needles, leaving you the new loop on the right needle.

Knit through 1 plus 2 loops together until done.

6.    IMPORTANT: On the next stitch slip the new loop onto the far needle instead of the near needle and knit the three together – the new loop and the two old loops, one from each needle. Keep alternating this way, putting the new loop on the alternate needle each time so that the seam is symmetrical.
7.    Repeat from #3 until done.
8.    When done, weave in the ends.

The finished seam bind-off when done stockinette side facing stockinette side.

I was pleased with how this turned out on the hat seam. It produced a cord-like ridge in a groove on the top/right side of the fabric, which is fine for the hat as it’s supposed to have a groove there. On the inside of the hat, which is all purl, the seam is not particularly visible.

The seam bind-off from inside the hat when done as described here. It's nearly invisbile, but test it yourself.

I don’t know what the stockinette side would look like if I had done the seam wrong sides facing. Maybe I will try that on the next version of the hat, or a swatch. I want the groove, and if it’s smooth like the purl side on this one that won’t work for this project.

I’ll have another post with pics the denim wool Glengarry mentioned in this article. I will make the pattern available someday soon.

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This post was updated March 23, 2012 with better instructions – I hope. Let me know if you have questions.

I’m working on a Glengarry hat from the book Folk Hats by Vicki Square. I want it to wear with my kilt on occasions, and I find it an interesting learning experience. It’s also my first major encounter with short rows as they are used to shape the curved top of the sides of the hat.

This is a fancy, commercially made Glengarry hat.

Short rows are stopping short in a row and turning the work to knit back in the other direction. To do this you have to anchor the working yarn or you will get a hole where you stopped. Most books teach the wrap-and-turn method, which I tried and find seriously lacking. What you do is slip the next stitch, wrap the yarn around it and slip it back, then turn and knit. Problem is that it usually pulls the loop it’s wrapped around and makes a hole anyway. And even if you work the wrapped yarn with the loop it’s wrapped around (on your way back across) it is visible as a diagonal strand of yarn. I don’t know why this method is in books.

So I got to thinking and reasoned that if I just knit or purl into the loop below the next loop after my stopping point, then slip that loop up onto the left needle so they are nested like spoons then you have a nice secure anchor. The doubled loop is not so visible, especially on a knit side, and you don’t get a hole. Once you turn the work pause to make sure the loop you just made isn’t loose. Snug it up normally, then start knitting in the other direction.

Improved instructions:

Again, what you do is, if the next stitch after your stopping point is a purl, insert your right needle from the back through the loop below that next stitch, wrap your yarn and push the loop through to the other side. Lift that new loop and put it on the tip of the left needle, turn your work, snug it and start working in the other direction.

If your next stitch shows as a knit on your side, insert your right needle through the loop below it from the front – your side – and wrap the yarn, pull a loop through. Now it’s a bit different: insert your right needle knit-wise into the last loop on the left needle (the one above the one you just pulled a loop through) and slip it off the left needle. Then back up and slide both of these loops back onto the left needle in the same orientation – don’t turn them – but with the new loop behind (to the left) of the loop you just slipped off the left needle. You’re just sneaking the new loop in between the last and second to last loops on the left needle. Both loops are now on the left needle, with your last loop nearest the tip of the needle and the new loop behind it. Turn the work, snug the new loop and start knitting in the other direction.

This is very easy and quick. I did a search after I thought of this and found that there are several methods of turning short rows. I found a slight variation on my method on http://techknitting.blogspot.com/search?q=Short+rows%3A+method.
There is a good method called yarnover shortrows explained nicely at http://www.cocoknits.com/info/tutorials/shortrows.html but you have to recognize your yarnover on the way back and work it together with the stitch beyond it to close the gap. With my method the two loops are spooning each other and you can’t miss it. Japanese short rows are supposed to be good but I haven’t tried them.

Here are a bunch of links. Enjoy!

http://sameknit.blogspot.com/2007/04/yarn-over-short-rows.html

http://www.cocoknits.com/info/tutorials/shortrows.html

http://nonaknits.typepad.com/nonaknits/2005/04/japanese_short_.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu5YAKsAEpY

http://www.woolywonder.com/forums/showthread.php?t=6828&page=2&highlight=unwrapped+technique

http://www.cosmicpluto.com/blog/as-promised-a-short-row-heel-tutorial/

Sometimes when you’ve been knitting a lot you get to a point were you just don’t want to do it, but you’ve got three or six or nine projects sitting around and all that time and money invested, and you know you enjoy knitting. So why can’t you knit now and what can you do about it?

Well, sometimes we just need a break. You need something different for a while. Really, your brain and psyche and spirit do need variety. Yes, some people can knit until the cows come home, but remember everyone is different. You know about how people with different astrological signs can be do different? Well, that applies to knitters as well. Not everyone is made to knit until the cows come home, to the sheep or alpacas or whatever. You are unique, so see that maybe you need to break it up a bit. Find other things to focus on periodically, with the intention to refresh yourself so you can get back to knitting happily. Read something – that’s not about knitting! Spend a little time on a craft that doesn’t use yarn. Do some gardening or other creative things that are distinct from knitting to refresh your tastebuds and you will enjoy your knitting more when it’s no longer stale on your palate.

And this uniqueness extends not only to knitting itself but what and why you are knitting. Here are a few variations on that:

Are you knitting to “save money” on gifts? You should know by now that knitting is not a great way to save money. Yarn doesn’t grow on trees, unless it’s part silk and part mulberry fiber and that’s another thing altogether. So if you do it for some back of the mind idea of affordable home made gifts and garments, you might want to think again – or plant mulberries. Or cotton.

Are you knitting for others and not yourself? Ultimately you should be knitting starting with yourself, if not literally, then experientially, meaning you need to enjoy it. What are you getting out of it materially? Have you knitted anything for yourself lately? Or are you being a servant of sorts to others, making gifts, fulfilling requests, answering promises or other “obligations”? How fun is that? If so, you need to rethink. You are not a knitting manufactory. You are a person. Unless you knit for a living, you don’t have to do it.

Handcuffs are not knitting tools.

Firstly, remember you are not truly obligated to knit something you don’t enjoy knitting for someone who asked you, and if you “promised” you can change your mind about it. They don’t own you. And that boring scarf you decided to make for someone – do you really think they want you to suffer through that and be unhappy for that long so they can have a scarf they may not even love? I don’t think it’s a good idea to knit in a bad mood or knit something you don’t like in any case because it puts bad vibes into the piece. Unless that was your intention, and I don’t think it is.  You can, in fact, put good vibes into a piece deliberately by repeating prayers. I read about a woman who repeated the mantra OM for each stitch she did in a shawl for a spiritual teacher she was going to visit and he was able to feel the good vibes that were embedded in it.

And just because someone asked for a hat or something that you agreed to make because it’s “small and easy” doesn’t mean you have to do it, not even if you do it because you are generous and love to knit, and not even because you said you would. Again, they don’t own you. If you are spending all your time knitting for others you have become a servant and not a person who loves to knit and you will suffer. “I said I would do it for them.” Well, now you can tell them you changed your mind because there are other things you want to knit for yourself. Self-affirmation is good for everyone, and teaches others not to be slaves to petty promises.

And another thing about knitting for others: are you knitting to impress them, to be part of a group, to keep up with the pack or fit in somewhere? If you are at all knitting to be liked in some way then you are not being a strong, self-affirming person. I don’t want to be around you – other than to tell you to cut it out. Think of the heroes and others you admire: they are strong, self-affirming people who do what they want and don’t run around trying to please and impress. It’s fine to knit because you enjoy it and enjoy the company of other knitters, but look for the real reason under that and be sure you are coming from your center, not their favor.

Nothing for you. As I said, what do you get out of it materially? My cousin recently admitted that she has not made one thing for herself short of a couple of dishcloths and washcloths – woo hoo! What remains of her nicer finished projects in her house is something she made for the cat. Believe me, your inner child or inner adult wants something knittied for her/his self. “I want one too. What about me?” Give to yourself of your knitting as much or more than you give to others or you will probably, at least subconsciously, feel cheated and left out.

Another reason we balk at knitting is we don’t love the yarn or the color. I have started at least two projects where I had to force myself to knit with the yarn, and then when I realized I didn’t like the color or fiber in yarn for this or any project I canned it. Does the fiber feel good, does it make sense, is it made of what you want to knit with? I’ve decided that for the most part I’m going to knit with organic, unbleached, naturally dyed fibers. Bleaching is needed for dying, and dyes are synthetic and synthetic fibers, pesticides and other dye chemicals all come from petroleum, so there you have it. Eventually I want all my clothes and bedding to be the same, in hemp, cotton, wool – of course alpaca!

On that point, here is a picture of what I call my hamburger scarf because the colors look like old hamburger you find in the fridge and need to throw out – blackish brown, meat-red brown, tan and so forth. I had a small quantity of this hand-spun, hand-dyed yarn in strange colors. I bought it on clearance for a gift for someone else, but one day I just needed something simple to knit at work, and I needed a scarf for myself. So I made this. I like the yarn itself but don’t like the colors. Everyone else loved the colors. It was okay for mindless knitting, and now I have a strange scarf that I like because it is strange, and it reminds me that what I think I don’t like, about myself or anyone or anything, is not a universally unlikable thing. It wasn’t a mistake; it was a life lesson. Yes, I will wear the scarf. Until I make my natural alpaca one with reversible cables.

My hamburger scarf.

Or maybe you just want to experience some exotic yarn once and then you will be fine with your more common yarns for a while. Get it out of your system.

The pattern is too hard or too plain or too repetitive. I had a scarf pattern I was going to do. It was complicated. Involved lace and small cable like cross-overs. It was mind-bending to do this pattern! Needless to say I have ended the adventure. The same can be said for the boringly repetitive scarf or whatever. I’ve looked at scarf patterns with lengths of cables repeating on and on and on and think to myself that I would have to keep changing the pattern so the cables did different things every 4 to 6 inches. I absolutely would not do a 4 to 6 foot scarf in all the same pattern. That’s what machines were invented for. I’m not a machine.

You don’t love the piece, the stitch pattern, the stitches in it. How interesting is this to you? Does the garment flatter your figure? Is the pattern not particularly exciting? If you do actually secretly want to impress others, will this do it? And do fear or dread the stitches? Some people love cables but not doing them. If the stitches are an issue, dive into some stitch practice swatches and see if you can learn a better way to do cables or whatever the challenge is.

You don’t need the piece. Motivation of some sort has to be there. Do you actually need another sweater in that color? Maybe you feel you have too many already but do want this one. Then find one or two you don’t love and give it away or frog it out. Thus you clear a space for the new one and create motivation for yourself to do it. Think of something you haven’t knitted for yourself and would like or could use and make that instead.

It’s nothing new. How many of these garments have you done? Why are you doing so many of them? Maybe you are actually the sort of person who needs to do one or two of a lot of different things. Explore and expand. Maybe a different garment or item would be more exciting and motivating. Try different stuff.

Tired of running with the pack; everybody does these pieces. You are an original and maybe you need to find your own knitting niche. Break the mold, break formation, break into a new to you and maybe new to the world field of knitting.

The project lacks true creativity or self expression. One of the things that keeps me going is inventiveness. I love to take a pattern and modify it, sometimes on the fly. I’m making a Glengarry had from the Folk Hats book by ____ and the first issue is it’s too small. I made one exactly as the book instructed just to figure it out, and didn’t like some of the features. So I have the exploration of how to make it my size, plus I get to change the pattern in a few ways to suit my creativity. I changed the bottom edge so it won’t curl on me, I’m putting diagonal ridges in the sides using carefully placed purl stitches in a field of knits, plus I am using short rows to make the front band taller than the back of the had, which is more like conventional Glengarrys. And for the top I’m going to make it all full of holes with yarnovers so it’s cooler in the summer. I may put holes in the sides for ventilation and decoration as well. So maybe you, too, need to inject some of yourself into your project. Then you get to learn and invent and have the mystery of how will it turn out ahead of you.

Nothing to learn. I like to learn new things, so if I’m doing the same thing over and over and not extending or expanding myself it gets boring. It becomes a chore. Find projects or things you can add to the project that will make it a growing experience for you. This motivation makes your knitting more valuable to you. Have you tried intarsia? Entrelac? Colorwork? Break your bounds and explore. Even if you don’t intend to do anything with a particular technique you will feel more complete and confident as a knitter when you master more skills. And you may discover a new knitting avenue to fire up and inspire your knitting.

You don’t have a great place to knit. So make yourself a knitting place. Where do you like to sit. Is it comfortable, warm or cool enough, lit properly, quiet enough. Maybe it’s too lonely. Find a knitting friend or circle. If it’s your space, fix it up, neaten it up and make it work for you. I used to knit with yarn in Ziploc bags. Not very romantic, so I found some fabric lined baskets that nest, and I like the look and vibe of having my yarn so contained while I’m knitting and the look of it when I’m not, and I like to knit on my couch with classical music playing. My cousin Leigh knits out of select pieces of her pottery collection at her dining table with good lighting. Don’t just plop down anywhere. Make it a pleasure to yourself.

My knitting awaits me.

You knitting energy is literally too dispersed. I believe it’s possible that if you have six projects going it can stall all of them. It is good to have maybe three so you can give yourself variety, but maybe you are the sort of person who needs to learn not to have too many irons in the fire. There are too many wips and not enough energy for any one of them because the energy you have is spread too thin. This could also be a sign of indecisiveness or poor choices and you aren’t knitting for some of the reasons on in this article.

You just have no real reason to knit. Well, if you do generally like to knit you can just knit nothing in particular. Just practice stitches and learn new techniques with swatches, and someday you will have those skills when you have a reason to knit.

Another way is to make it meditation or concentration practice. We all know how relaxing knitting is. If you are a bit stressed knitting can bring you back to center. And the effects of neuroplasticity will actually train your brain to support you in being generally more calm. With neuroplacticity you actually grow brain cells that make it easier to be relaxed.

You can also use knitting to train yourself to concentrate better by focusing on the stitches. Pick a more complicated pattern and stick with it to train your mind and grow your brain into shape. Better concentration has a powerful benefit and your life would be improved in many other ways. It develops the will and that is central in self-affirmation. Often when we are knitting we are thinking about several other things at the same time and listening to other conversations. See if you are able to think only about your knitting.

Talk about not being able to get knitting out of your head...

Remember that just because you started a project or are half way through you don’t have to finish it if you aren’t enjoying it. Either find a reason to enjoy it or cut your losses. And if you can’t find a reason not to enjoy it maybe you just need to learn to finish things. This can be a challenge, especially if you have a lot of Aries energy in your chart – like me. Pisceans are good at finishing projects – not like me. Believe me, your astrology does affect your knitting, so don’t blame yourself. Learn who you are, what works for you and how you work and learn to make knitting enjoyable.

So how do you get back into knitting? Knit what you love. Knit with yarn and needles you love. Knit for whom you love. Knit with whom you love. Knit how you love to knit. Knit where you love to knit. Knit with love in your heart. Knit as a gift you yourself. Know and love who you are. Make a happy, fulfilled self your gift to the others. Remember: you are the one knitting, and it’s your life.

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Last Sunday I went to my nearest local yarn/knitting shop, Gails Knits, to take advantage of their summer sale and bought yarn for my first project, the cabled scarf with seed stitch border you see in the page header (That’s a pic from the book – I haven’t started the scarf yet, but I did pick red. ) and as I was checking out I told Gail about the Portuguese Knitting DVD and how much I liked the style. I showed her the basics, and she in turn showed me her style, which is eastern european knitting (EEK). Apparently, it’s pretty rare. She said there was an article some years ago in a knitting magazine that listed the top ten styles of knitting, and it was number 9.

It turns out it is a bit faster than Portuguese knitting, seemingly having one less step in that you don’t have to flick the yarn over the needle. That’s not a big chore, but when I was watching Gail demonstrate it she was amazingly fast. I’ll have links to videos and pages here soon. It’s a variant of continental knitting, a pick style, and is quite worthwhile.

I’m still practicing but I did find that it wasn’t so great for a bulky yarn. I am doing a cossack hat from the Folk Hats book by Vicki Square and even with my nice and pointy new Options Nickel Plated circulars didn’t work so well on the thick, bulky Wool-ease yarn by Lion Brand when using EEK. I couldn’t catch the yarn and pull it through. So I tried the Portuguese knitting and it was much easier.

That’s interesting and handy to know. Now we have more tools with which to knit. I’ve learned one should choose carefully from knitting style, yarn material, yarn thickness, needle material and pattern. When I started out I would never have thought it mattered.

Here’s what the hat will look like when done:

The cossack hat in the book.

The hat is from Folk Hats by Vicki Square, pages 88-90. This one uses a bouclet yarn which seems to emulate shearling. I may do one with black later. For now I’m just re-using the yarn from the crochet scarf I killed playing with my new ball winder.