Friday, March 30, 2012

New Pattern, New Winner, New Award!


Hi Knitters,
First off, I am so honored to have won the Readers' Choice Award for 2012 for Favorite Knitting Blog/Website! Thank you so much for the nomination and for voting for the award. It is quite a thrill. I was lucky enough to be asked for an interview after winning the award, too. 

I especially want to thank my loyal and fun Ravelry Group, Itty-Bitty Knits, for voting for me. I know they helped greatly. I will proudly display the award logo on my blog sidebar. Thank you, again, to everyone for voting and for the support!

Click here to see more about the Readers' Choice Award Winners!  There are winners for the knitting categories of favorite yarn company, favorite needles, favorite book, and favorite designer along with my category for favorite knitting blogger/website.


I love everything about this blog and have enjoyed the work I have lovingly poured into it for the past six years. It feels good to know that others are enjoying it, too. 

On to other news, I randomly selected and contacted a winner for a copy of Kata Golda's Hand-Stitched Felt book. The winner is deliamae (rav id)! Congratulations! Thanks to everyone who entered and I will have another giveaway and review soon.


Now for the new pattern! In case you don't know about the original hat photographed in my blog banner, it was knit in my own handspun worsted weight yarn from Fiber Optic Yarn gradient roving. It was a gorgeous hat, one of my favorites for sure. One day last fall my daughter bustled off to school wearing this hat. I hesitated a little but decided not to say anything and to let her wear it. That was the last time I saw the hat. It has been lost ever since.

I posted the photo on my blog banner and I have received many, many requests for the pattern which I didn't write down at the time I made the original hat. I have now re-knit the hat in Malabrigo Worsted and I have written out the pattern.

Here are a few more shots of the handspun version of the hat:






Above is the beautiful Miss Molly modeling the Malabrigo Worsted version of the Lost Banner Hat. The Malabrigo Worsted is the perfect yarn for this hat. Really, any worsted weight yarn in wool, any wool blends, superwash wool or cotton will work great for this project. You only need one skein or about 200 yards of worsted weight yarn to make the hat!


Here is some information you might like to know about the pattern:

Size: child (adult)

Finished measurement: 17.5 inches (19 inches)
Note: The finished hat is very stretchy and is to be worn with up to 3-4 inches of negative ease. The adult size easily fits my head circumference, which is 22 inches.

Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted (100% merino wool; 100 grams/210 yards), 1 hank

Samples are made in Malabrigo Worsted in the Kaleidos colorway, and my own worsted weight handspun from Fiber Optic Yarn and Dyeabolical Yarns.

Needles: US size 7 (4.5mm), 16-inch circular and a set of 4 double-pointed needles or the size needed to obtain gauge

Gauge: 5 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch

Materials:
Ruler or tape measure
Scissors
Stitch marker
Yarn needle



The photo above is the top of the Malabrigo Worsted version of the hat. Doesn't almost everyone have a skein of Malabrigo sitting on their shelf? Here is the perfect project for that languishing skein!


The hat above is made in my worsted weight handspun. The roving was from Dyeabolical Yarns and Fiber. The yarn turned out great and I love the finished hat. If you are a spinner with a skein of worsted handspun with around 200 yards, this pattern could be for you.


The pattern for the Lost Banner Hat is available in my Ravelry pattern shop. You don't have to belong to Ravelry to purchase patterns on Ravelry, it is open to everyone.

I hope you enjoy the new hat pattern. It is a simple unisex hat that is for children, women, men, teens, everyone! It is the perfect quick gift knit and can be worn many ways.

Click here for the Ravelry project page for the Lost Banner Hat! 

Click on the button below to purchase the hat pattern for the Lost Banner Hat!


Wow! What a week it has been. I found out that Itty-Bitty Hats, my first book, is going into its 7th printing, which is amazing news. I won this fantastic award. And best of all, I get to come on this blog every few days and share time with all of you! Thanks for the support and fun. I love being here with you.

best, susie

25 comments:

KCina said...

Good stuff all around! Love it!

Thanks for your continued creative greatness and wishing you & your family a most excellent weekend!

~ Kathy C (Oregon)

Pat Salvatini said...

Yeah for the award, but mostly yeah for the blog and the sneak peak into your life of family and knitting. I thoroughly enjoy spending time with you through your writing and your patterns. Thanks!

Rav - plynn

Jenni Swenson said...

Congratulations Susan...you know why you won? Anyone who reads your blog knows what a genuine kind, talented, wonderful person you are. You make my day every time I see your posts! Jenni

Anonymous said...

Much celebrating is certainly in order! Have a wonderful, celebratory weekend with your beautiful family. Thank you for your warm, inspirational blog. I always look forward to your posts.

Jennifer W
jenb69-rav ID

Nickycarp said...

Congratulations! Love the hat pattern, too! Wonderful everything! It's been great to enjoy the ride with you! :-) Nicky momoffour

Sara said...

Congratulations! You deserve the award! It is a shame that the hat hasn't returned...try to think of a nice young woman who found it, needed it, and wore it all winter keeping her warm. Hugs!
Sara

Ginger said...

Congrats on the award!! Your blog is one of my favorite places to check out. I always know it will make me smile.

Thanks for writing up the hat pattern. Love it, and always looking for an excuse to get a skein of Malabrigo.

BTW is that the tea leaves cardigan you're wearing in the pictures?

Wendy said...

you definitely had my vote - love your blog and your patterns.

Britni :) said...

Well, you deserve the award! You do a great job!

What is the name of the sweater you are wearing in the hat pictures? Love it and also love the hat...in my queue.

Jessica said...

Wonderful post today! Congrats on winning the award! Miss Molly is beautiful and I love the hat! And Itty Bitty Hats is still my all-time favourite book. It's the only thing I bought the very first time I went into my LYS. Can't wait 'til your new book comes out!

Hind DP said...

Congratulations on the award, I feel you truly deserved it. You have been a great inspiration to me as a knitter and as mom, and I thank you for all the hard work you do.

Laura Nelkin said...

Congrats to you! You completely deserve it! Enjoy your weekend and celebrate in style : )!!!

Jessica said...

I love it when good things happen to nice people! Congrats on everything!! It is well deserved!
Jpeled on rav

Anonymous said...

(applause!)

Naomi said...

Congratulations!!
That hat is really cute.

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on the award! :) And I have to add-- I knit my first-ever pair of socks recently-- Clara Parkes' Stepping Stones (pattern for sock newbies) from her new Knitter's Book of Socks-- and I made them for the kid who is always cold in our family, our tall, skinny 11-year-old son. Who better to get some warm, soft, handmade socks made from Malabrigo Rios? I was worried that he would outgrow them pretty soon, but I shouldn't have, because only a month after I finished the pair, there's only one sock to be found. :) Ah well. An excuse to do more knitting.

Kate (KnitsInClass) said...

Congratulations, Susie! I love your blog - such a fantastic reflection of your work and your life.

So sorry about the hat - that was some gorgeous hand spun yarn, too :(

Dorothy said...

Congratulations! I hope you celebrate this weekend!

Anonymous said...

Congrats Susan! I have all your books and love your blog. You and a friend taught me to knit and it has been a blast. I am a hospital chaplain in oncology and knitting is my respite when the work becomes too heavy or tries to come home with me. So thanks for what you do and please know that it reaches farther than you know.
Jill

Dianne@sheepdreams said...

No one who comes here has any question about why you won. I know from personal experience that you are as generous and sweet in person as you appear to be here on your blog. Congratulations! You deserve it!
And, yes, of course I have a skein (or more) of Malabrigo lying around!

Gorete Cerdeira said...

Gongratulations Susan!! But it´s not a surprise!! You deserve it!!Have a nice weekend, Gorete

Suzanne said...

Congratulations, Susan! What a feather in your cap to win that award. Happy knitting!

bitten78 said...

congratulations. how exciting to be in such diverse and absolutly wonderful company. it is always so much fun and so inspiring to see what's going on in your home. I love your style because it is uniquely you but accessible to us all. And even though so many knitters love what you do, and coming to your blog I always feel like its such a personal experience. congrats again! here's to a great 2012.

Sam I Am...... said...

Congrats on the award! I don't wear hats down here but I better start making some as I plan on moving back up North and I will need them then! Plus since you said it is unisex I can make them for my family who are up there. I'm so slow now's the time to start planning Christmas presents! LOL! So sorry your hat got lost but the new ones are gorgeous too!

Stefanie said...

Yeah! Ho'omaka'i Susan! You totally deserve this award.
Great hat; I love the possibilities.