Il Giardiniere hat. Free pattern.

I knitted this hat for my father-in-law. He always  feels cold and spends a lot of time outside.

So I called it “The Gardener” in Italian. As you see, it looks also great on my daughter. It’s a simple unisex model.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/il-giardignere

The hat is knitted with Garnstudio DROPS Lima, shade dark grey. Approx. 1,8 skeins.

The gauge is 20sts x 26rows to 10 cm square measured over the purl stitches knitted with 6 mm needles.

You will need 4,5 mm and 6mm circular needles and 6 mm or smaller dpn needles for the top finishing (I used 5 mm as I didn’t have 6 mm), or other size to obtain the gauge.

Wtih 4,5 mm circular needles cast on 104 sts.

Knit 2x2 rib for 40 rows.

Change to 6 mm circular needles. Purl, adding 1 st after every 13 sts (raised purl increase). Now you have 112 sts.

Next 29 rounds: purl.

Now start the decreases.

Next round: (P5, ssp, p2tog, P5) 8 times

Next round: purl.

Next round: (P4, ssp, p2tog, P4) 8 times,

Next round: purl.

Next round: (P3, ssp, p2tog, P3) 8 times

Next round: purl.

Next round: (P2, ssp, p2tog, P2) 8 times

Next round: purl.

Next round: (P1, ssp, p2tog, P1) 8 times

Next round: purl

Next roound: Ssk8.

Next 4 rounds: K8.

Cut off the yarn, pass it through the ultimate 8 sts.

Weave in the ends.

La Marea cowl + Treehousehat

In the previous post you can find a free pattern for La Marea cowl.
A simple, versatile and easy to wear garment.
You can wear it solo, with a hat that repeats the color of one of the sections.
Or you can choose a contrast color, like this Treehouse hat I knitted for my daughter.
I knitted it like a test knit. My friend from Moscow asked me to knit this hat so I wanted to see how this pattern works with the yarn we chose.

I knitted it with Garnstudio DROPS Lima yarn. It is a bit thinner then required in pattern and I always prefer the hats with more positive ease. So I knitted 4 instead of 3 repeats of main pattern.
I made the 2×2 rib.
The crown is knitted also in different way (I used Il Giardiniere pattern, free pattern you can find in the following post).
You can find this project here on my ravelry page.
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/NatieKnits/treehouse-hat

La Marea cowl. Free pattern.

Tomorrow is my birthday and I want to celebrate it publishing 2 free patterns. 

The first one is called La Marea cowl.

https://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/la-marea

These year I decided to make knitted Christmas presents for my relatives. For a long time I had this idea to knit colorful cowls in textured stitches. And after several attempts this pattern was born. Easy, versatile,  you can wear it  "solo" or with any hat you have (see also my following posts). 

Marea means "high tide" in Italian. For the cowl that I knitted for me I chose these colors. Deep sea, verde acqua... It couldn't be called in another way... 

You can find it here https://www.ravelry.com/projects/NatieKnits/la-marea-5

It is knitted with Garnstudio DROPS Lima yarn. I usually wear it with a hat from Cool Wool set designed by Ekaterina Blanchard. Knitted with Garnstudio DROPS Andes. 

It has 2 versions:

5-color knitted with 7 mm needles. The size is 130cm × 29cm. You will need approx. 0.8 skein of each color. The gauge is 18sts × 26rows to 10cm square.

4-color knitted with 6.5 mm needles. The size is 128 cm × 27cm. You will need 1 skein of every first color and approx. 1.2 skeins of the 4th color. The gauge is 19sts × 27rows to 10cm square.

You can easily change the size, the gauge, the number if colors, using this basic pattern.

With a waist yarn using provisional cast on method cast in 55 sts.

Knit the main pattern on central 49 sts starting and ending every row with i-cord edge (3 sts on each side):

Row 1: slip the first 2 sts in the right needle, yarn forward, P1, knit the main pattern untill the last 3 sts, P1, K3.

Row 2: slip the first 2 sts in the right needle, yarn forward, K1, knit the main pattern untill the last 3 sts, K4.

Main pattern: (4+1 sts × 4 rows):

Row 1: knit.

Row 2: (P1, K3) until the 4th st from the end, P1.

Row 3: knit.

Row 4: K2, (P1, K3) until the 5th st from the end, K2.

Knit the necessary number of main patterns until the ultimate WS row, undo the provisional cast on and sew the 1st RS row and ultimate RS row, following the pattern (grafting). Weave in the ends.

If you prefer the contrast edging, knit the cowl on 51 sts (main part +2 edge sts) and knit the attached i-cord with contrast yarn. In this case you will need 1 skein of contrast yarn. 

You can also knit the contrast  i-cord edging contemporaly with the main part. I will probably knit the next cowl (for my friend) in this way.

All the cowls above are knitted with 5 colors.
You can find these projects here:
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/NatieKnits/la-marea-2
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/NatieKnits/la-marea-3
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/NatieKnits/la-marea-4
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/NatieKnits/la-marea-5

This ultimate is 4-color version knitted for my daughter to wear with a Treehouse hat. More photos in the following post.
You can find this project here:
https://www.ravelry.com/projects/NatieKnits/la-marea

Cute toy pattern from my friend.

My italian friend Stefania knits, crochets and sews beautiful garments and toys. Recently she started her own blog where she share her projects and free patterns  http://handmadesteffistorch.blogspot.it/
She asked me to translate this easy crochet pattern "Il mio orsetto ROY" in English and was so kind to share it on my blog. 

To make this cute crochet Roy bear you'll need only a couple of hours and any stash yarn.

Materials: knitting yarn, fiberfill for stuffing, crochet hook, scissors, tapestry needle, decorative ribbon, button.

Let's start!!

Rnd 1: 1 ch in a magic ring, 6 sc, join with sl st in the 1st sc. 

Rnd 2: 2 ch, 2 dc in every st (=12 dc), join with the first dc. 

Rnd 3: 2 ch, 2 dc in every st (=24 dc), join with the first dc. 

Rnd 4: 2 ch, 1 dc in every st (=24 dc), join with the first dc.

The belly of the bear is completed.
Now you'll make the paws and the head. 

The paws:

Row 1: 3 ch and 1 dc, 1 dc in next 3 st, 2 ch, turn the work. 

Row 2: 1 half dc in next 3 st, 1 ch, turn 

Row 3: 1 dc in next 3 st, 1 ch, turn
Repeat 3 times, finish with sl st.

Now let's crochet the head of our amiable friend: 

Row 1: 3 ch e 2 dc, 2 dc in every next 2 st, 3 dc in last st (=10 dc). 

Row 2: 3 ch e 1 dc in 1 ch, 1 dc in next 8 ch, 3 dc in last st (=12 dc). 

Row 3 and 4: 3 ch, 11 dc.

Next row - ears: 1 ch, 3 dc in next 2 st, 6 sl st, 3 dc in next 2 st, finish with sl st.

The half of the bear is ready. Now work the other half in the same way, sew 2 parts together, stuff the body, attach the ribbon and button.

Enjoy!

Abbreviations: 

dc double crochet 

sl st slip stitch 

ch chain 

st stitch

Baby blanket - Copertina verde II.

Some weeks ago I've published the Baby blanket - Copertina verde. pattern. 

Now I would like to share with you the photos of this blanket completed. 

The size is 57cm x69cm. 

Baby blanket - Copertina verde.

To my surprise the photo of my recent WIP had a success after publishing it on Facebook. Some knitters had asked me for a pattern, so I decided to write it down. It is simple and quick, but still of a great effect. It was "inspired" by a pattern from Mani di Fata magazine, but after trying to knit the original slipped stitch pattern I gave up and found this simple leave stitch pattern in one of stitch dictionaries. 

The blanket is knitted with Garnstudio DROPS Merino Extra Fine yarn, using 4,5 straight needles (I knit very tightly). 

The pattern is:

Cast on 120 st.

Knit 10 rows in garter stitch

Continue knitting 6 st in garter stitch, 13 st in main pattern till the late 6 st, 6 st in garter stitch.

Then knit 10 rows in garter stitch. 

Make the necessary number of stripes and finish with 10 rows in garter stitch. 

Main pattern:

1, 3, 13 rows - Knit.

2, 4, 12, 14 rows - Purl.

Row 5: K2, yo, K3, K3tog, K3, yo, K2.

Row 6: P3, K3, P1, K3, P3.

Row 7: K3, yo, K2, K3tog, K2, yo, K3.

Row 8: P4, K2, P1, K2, P4.

Row 9: K4, yo, K1, K3tog, K1, yo, K4.

Row 10: P5, K1, P1, K1, P5.

Row 11: K5, yo, K3tog, yo, K5.

Then you can knit a border if you like. I'll knit one. 

Frilly jumper.

This jumper is one of my favorite. Frilly jumper from the book "A Stith in Time, Knitting and Crochet Patterns, 1920-1949 Vol.1"

http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/frilly-jumper

It is one of the patterns which can be knitted like the original, retro, tight fitted jumper, or this way, more modern, loose version. And you can see on Ravelry, they are all beautiful. It is a pattern difficult to spoil.

To my surprise (shame on me that I didn't understand it before starting knitting) this pull is made in one piece. First I thought it was a mistake (instead of the stitches it was written the rows). 

As always, I had to do the modifications according to my gauge and yarn, and also I preffered to change the square neck line to more smooth round-shaped. 

Also I prefered not to knit the frills separately, so I change even the frills pattern. They are knitted in the round with the number of stitches multiple of 7.

Row 1: K7. 

Knit following 3 rows. 

Row 5: K6, yfwd, k1, yfwd.

Row 6: K9.

Row 7: K7, yfwd, k1, yfwd, K1.

Row 8: 11.

Row 9: K8, yfwd, k1, yfwd; K2.

Row 10: K13.

Row 11: K9, yfwd, k1, yfwd, K3.

Row 12: K15.

Change to half a size smaller needles

Row 13: P15.

Row 14: K15.

Row 15: P15 and cast off at the same time.

One row of reverse sc (crab stitch).

On the lower side of the body before making the frills I knitted 12 rows of Rib 2x2 with eyelets for the cord knitted within every 4 stitches.