Antrorse ~ the details and mods

Hi, Knitters,

Quickly, I have a couple of teaching announcements. I will be at Vogue Knitting Live in NYC 2016! I'd love to see you there.  

Mark your calendar for Vogue Knitting LIVE New York January 15-17! I’ll be teaching there! Register here: http://bit.ly/1GIsIy4 #vklive

Also, the registration for the DFW Fiber Fest, April 1-3, 2016, has just opened. I can't wait for this one. Click here to find out more about the classes and more! Here is another link with lots of event information: click here.

Last one for today, I am teaching at A Good Yarn in Sarasota, Florida from March 19-21, 2016. Contact the shop if you are interested in attending my classes! Click here for more info.

Now for the business at hand. Today I am sharing the details of how I knit my Antrorse sweater by Shannon cook. I have talked about it a bit already but I like to have a blog post with all of the information in one place. So let's start with some general links for the pattern and materials.

Pattern: Antrorse by Shannon Cook of soveryshannon.com

The Antrorse pattern is sold individually but it is also part of a collection book called Journey.

The pattern is written in a fill-in-the-blanks format where all of the numbers are written in large charts. The knitter finds the numbers for the size being knit on these charts and then fills in the numbers in the blanks in the written pattern. The pattern is written in 11 different sizes, ranging from a 30-inch to a 50-inch bust. 

As you can imagine the wide range of sizes makes for a lot of numbers and I suppose that the charts and fill-in-the-blank pattern style makes things simpler for the knitter. This may be true but I didn't enjoy the extra steps of finding my size numbers on the charts and then filling in the blanks before starting the knitting. I also worry that there is more opportunity for errors to be made when transferring the numbers to the pattern. I think a couple groupings of sizes in parantheses and/or brackets would suffice fine and would eliminate these extra steps. That's just my opinion and I know others enjoy this type of pattern style.

With that being said, it was all fine and the pattern is wonderfully well-written and clear.  

Yarn: Quince & Co. Osprey in the Peacoat colorway, 100% wool in aran weight

Needles: US size 10, 32-inch circular and double-pointed needles 

I used Knit Picks nickel-plated interchangeable needles for the circular needles and Knitters' Pride Karbonz double-pointed needles in the 6-inch length.

Size: I made the 36-inch bust size which has a 38.25-inch finished measurement. 

This gives me a little over 2-inches of positive ease. Be sure to check the finished measurements when selecting your size because they are different than the listed size measurements. 

Buttons: From Wooly Moss Roots on Etsy, 1.25 inch buttons in Black Walnut

 

Pattern Notes: 

~ The sweater is worked from the top-down starting with the funnel garter neckline. The neckline is worked flat, back and forth, and the  three one-row buttonholes are worked in as you go. Then the flat garter neckline is joined to work in the round. Increases are made yoke-style, where the increases are spread out across the rows/rounds. 

~ Once the shoulders are joined to work in the round you start a simple Chevron panel chart that is worked down the entire front of sweater. The chart is just simple knits and purls and it is fun and keeps things interesting. I really enjoyed it. The start of the round is the first stitch of the chart which keeps things easy to knit and follow.

~ When the yoke is completed the sleeves are separated and the stitches are held on waste yarn. The body is then worked down to the hem. I shortened the body quite a bit. The pattern is written for more of a tunic-length garment. If you look at the posted projects on Ravelry for Antrorse you will see that many are made much longer than mine coming down past the bottom to the top of the legs. This length does not work well on my figure so I shortened it up. 

~ The final body length measurement from the underarm to the bottom bound-off edge on my sweater is 14-inches. I worked 10 garter ridges, which is less than in the pattern. 

~ I did not include any waist shaping. 

~ After the body is completed the sleeve stitches are placed back on the needles and the sleeve is worked from the underarm to the cuff. My sleeves measure 17-inches from the underarm to the bound-off edge of the cuff. I did 9 garter ridges for the cuffs, which is less than in the pattern.

~ The pattern gives you measurement increments instead of round counts for the sleeve decreases. Instead of using the measurements I figured out how many rounds would measure the same as the given increment and kept track of the sleeve decreases that way. So for example (this is just an example not exact to the pattern), if the pattern says to decrease every 1.25-inches, I figure out that 7 rounds equals about 1.25-inches. Therefore every 7th round I worked the sleeve decreases as written in the pattern.  

The part I love most about top-down sweater patterns is that you can try them on as you work. Here I am trying the sweater on after I completed the body and before getting ready to start the sleeves.

Top-down construction is really great for figuring out the perfect length for the sleeves and the body before binding off. When you are wearing the garment the lengths tend to shorten up compared to the lengths when the garment is measured flat.

Before sewing on the buttons I washed and blocked the sweater by soaking it in Twig & Horn Wool Soap in the Rosewood scent. I just laid the sweater flat to dry on my blocking boards without any stretching or pins, kind of as is. The wool really relaxed and softened up to make a cozy fabric. 

Antrorse is a beautiful and wearable sweater. The Osprey yarn from Quince & Co. is lovely aran weight wool. It is smooth and fast to knit.  

 

The only other thing I did to clean up the neckline opening is that I stitched the base of the opening closed for about an inch and using a length of the yarn. This helped to hold the edges closed and in place a little better. I used matching thread to sew on the the lovely handcrafted wooden buttons from Wooly Moss Roots.

Well, there you have it. Antrorse was a pleasure to knit and it is a pleasure to wear. If you'd like to see me wearing the sweater I wore it in stages in Episode 20 of my video podcast.

Click here to see my podcast on YouTube!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend. I'll be back soon with much more.
xo ~ susan

1-2-3 Chickadee Shawl Pattern!

Hi, Knitters,

I have a new shawl pattern release for today! I am so in love with this wearable, squishy and extra-long shawl. I am excited to finally get to share the pattern with all of you.

Due to my excitement for the 1-2-3 Chickadee pattern release I am offering a discounted price for the first week. I have set the pattern price at $1.00 off the regular price per pattern starting today and going through Nov. 13th. To keep things as simple as this shawl, you don't need a code or coupon! The discount is automatic. 

The 1-2-3 Chickadee Shawl is now priced $4.00 per pattern. On November, 13th, 2015, the price will be at the regular price of $5.00 per pattern.  

Click here for the 1-2-3 Chickadee Shawl pattern information or to purchase on Ravelry!

Click here for Quince & Co. Chickadee!

The easy to memorize shawl pattern (it's so simple you won't believe it!) is worked on the bias and side-to-side.  The finished shape is long with a slightly asymmetrical shallow triangle.

Here is a little background and introduction to the new shawl pattern:

The 1-2-3 Chickadee Shawl was inspired by my collection of many skeins of the lovely Quince & Co. Chickadee yarn, some in the same color and many in different colors. I wanted to create a simple shawl that uses up all of three skeins of the Chickadee or 543 yards of a sport weight yarn. The long asymmetrical triangular shawl is knit side-to-side with very little stitch counting at all. You are basically keeping track of garter ridges and sets of garter ridges.  

The last page of the pattern is a checklist for each of the three sections. This comes in handy if you are one to keep track of things or if you are motivated by checking things off your list! The shawl can be made smaller by stopping at any point and then completing the final border or larger by continuing on in the pattern as set before completing the final border. It’s a very flexible design. I tell you exactly what I did but you can choose the size of your finished shawl.

The 1-2-3 Chickadee Shawl is just the easiest breeziest knit where the number of the skein you are on literally tells you what to do. For each of the 3 sections the number of garter ridges in a set matches the number of the skein you are on, 1, 2 or 3. 

It’s that simple.

Here is some specific pattern information you might like to know:

1-2-3 Chickadee Shawl

Yarn: Quince & Co. Chickadee (100% American Wool;181 yards/50 grams), 3 skeins OR 543 yards of a sport weight yarn

One-color shawl:

Sample 1: 3 skeins in Aleutian #148

Two-color shawl:

Sample 2: 1 skein in Dogwood #135 and 2 skeins of Chanterelle #118

For the two-color version, use the 1 skein of one color for Section 1. Before starting make a tassel and also measure out 10 grams for the final border as in the sample.

Three-color shawl:

Another color suggestion is to have 1 skein in each of 3 different colors, either coordinating for color-blocking or gradient colors. Before starting make tassels and if you want a contrast color for the final border, reserve about 10 grams of the color of your choice.

Needles: US size 7/4.5mm needles, 32-inch circular or longer

Gauge: 5 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch before blocking

Notions:

Yarn needle

Scissors

Optional: 3-inch piece of cardboard for making tassels

Optional: Kitchen scale that weighs in grams to weigh the yarn for the tassels and for the final border. *If you don't have a scale you will have to estimate saving enough yarn for 4 rows and a picot bind off.

Abbreviations:

K  knit

P  purl

St(s) stitch(es)

Row(s) row(s)

K2tog knit two stitches together.

Kfb knit in the front and back of the same stitch.

Miss Molly, my son the photographer and I headed to my favorite woodsy path not far from our home to take some gorgeous and scenic fall photos. In the photo above Molly is wearing the Baa-ble Hat and the Louise cardigan both made in Quince & Co. Osprey. It's a true Quince & Co. outfit!

Here is the shawl made in three colors from my test knitter! It's gorgeous! Click here to see Kriste's project page and the colors she used!

photo from Kristebee on Ravelry

Here are some more of the photos from our beautiful autumn walk in the woods:

 I think the tassels are my favorite part. They are so sweet.

The picot edging adds just the right touch.

The shawl is perfect for wrapping lots of times. It is a lot like a long scarf!

 Above you can see the pattern changes. The garter ridges become more spaced out as you go!

1-2-3 Chickadee Shawl is such a fun and sweet knit. The shawl is light and airy. The Quince & Co. Chickadee sport weight yarn and the wide range of colors to choose from are just as sweet as the shawl itself. It is a perfect holiday gift shawl because the knitting is fast and simple for you as the knitter, and the shape makes it easy for anyone to wear and understand even non-knitters. 

I hope you take advantage of the discounted price if you are interested in the pattern. Just a reminder, the lower price is being offered from today, Nov. 6th through Nov. 13th, 2015, $1.00 off and no coupon or code is needed.

Click here for the pattern information or to purchase 1-2-3 Chickadee!

Have a fantastic fall weekend. I really appreciate all of the support, dear friends and knitters. You couldn't possibly know what it means to my family and me. 

I'll be back soon with much more.

xo ~ susan

Episode 20 ~ Antrorse Sweater & More!

Hi, Knitters,
Episode 20 is up on YouTube. If you'd like to watch directly or subscribe on YouTube click here. If you'd like to subscribe on iTunes or find out more click here.

I talk about a lot of different things today and this podcast is recorded on a couple of different days. One thing I share is a new hat design of mine called Fairytale Winter. It is available in a kit created by Tangerine Designs that is up for pre-order on November 7th.

The individual pattern will be available for download in my Ravelry Pattern Shop in January 2016. I will announce it when the pattern becomes available.

For now please check out the Cold Sheep Kit! The Cold Sheep kit is super cute and Casey of Tangerine Designs does a fantastic job with everything in her shop. I have a few of her wonderful project bags and I have met her a couple of times in person. She is cute and friendly and fun.

Click here for more pre-order Cold Sheep kit information.

From Casey of Tangerine Designs:
I'm planning on doing the Pre-orders Saturday, November 7 @ 10a.m. and 6 
p.m. CST.  The Fairytale Winter hat and Melissa Tuttle Sibley's Slippery Slope Sock pattern will go out that week with the bags and extras to follow in 
December. 

Fairytale Winter

Click here for all of the information on the Fairytale Winter hat pattern!

Thank you to my lovely Miss Molly for modeling and to my son for his photography.

Fairytale Winter

Here are the links for the rest of Episode 20:

Antrorse Sweater by Shannon Cook

Quince & Co.

Baa-ble Hat 

Drawing Nigh Shawl

Fairytale Winter Hat

Tangerine Designs 

Arne & Carlos Sock Yarn

Wooly Moss Roots buttons

Karbonz dpns

Signature Needle Arts dpns

Lowland Original project bags

aaharrison Red Maple Leaf yarn bowl

Hue loco on Etsy

Hue loco on YouTube

Gale's Art (sock blanks)

Highland Handmades Green Ash Worsted in the Kineo colorway

Bernat Faux Fur pom-pom

Melissa Leapman Stitch Dictionary (a great book!)

Knit-Today UK magazine

Seathwaite Hat (free pattern!)

Okay, dear friends, I think that is it for today. Enjoy the episode and the links. I'll be back soon with more...

xo ~ susan

Fall Inspired

Hi, Knitters,

I have randomly selected a winner for the Little Skein Secret Garden Luxe Kit and the winner is.....

Susan Cowan or MaggieGrl on Ravelry! Congratulations to Susan. 

I've already emailed Anne Vally of Little Skein to pass on Susan's contact information. Anne will be getting in touch directly. Thanks to everyone for entering, what an amazing and huge response! I will host another giveaway very soon.

I started recording a podcast episode and I got about 20 minutes in and I noticed my phone had stopped recording. I had to stop and move things around and by the time I got back to it the house was full of family and there was a lot going on. So I have about a half of a podcast filmed and hopefully I'll get to recording the rest this weekend or early next week. 

Well, fall has hit pretty hard around here. It is such a beautiful time of year. We have had a mild and somewhat warm fall season. Although we've had some colder weather recently the first week of November is supposed to be back up around 70 degrees. That seems impossible.

Everyday I get outside to enjoy the outdoors and the fall colors. It has been beautiful and inspiring. The fall landscape and temperatures have seeped into my knitting over the last couple of weeks. I'm thinking a lot about cozy sweaters and warm wool socks.

I started a pair of Patchwork Socks. There isn't a specific pattern for these socks. You just take leftover sock yarn and your favorite sock pattern and switch yarns every 10 rounds or so. The yarns I'm using are the leftovers from the four pairs of Arne & Carlos Regia socks I have made. I am knitting these socks from the toe-up and it has been really fun. They won't match but they will definitely go together and look like a pair. I see a lot of autumnal colors when I look at that finished sock. I've already started the toe on the second sock.

And for some reason navy blue has been going strong around here as well.

Miss Molly (my future daughter-in-law) finished her Yowza Weigh It 3 Shawl using Miss Babs Yowza in the Stairway to Heaven colorway. It is beautiful and she reported that she has worn it several times already. Molly says it is warm and cozy. She loves it!

The other navy blue project I've been working on is the Antrorse sweater by Shannon Cook. I am using Quince & Co. Osprey in the Peacoat colorway. Those are Karbonz dpns on the sleeve, US size 10. 

Since this photo I've finished the sweater and it is blocking and drying now. I've ordered some buttons that I hope will work out well. I'll share more about it as soon as it is all together and done. Antrorse is a great pattern, super simple and fast. 

I'll be back with my podcast episode very soon.

xo ~ susan

Secret Garden Luxe Kit Giveaway from Little Skein

photo by Alana Dakos 

Hi, Knitters,

I am going to jump right in to the topic at hand today. Anne Vally of Little Skein contacted me a few weeks ago to see if I'd like to host a giveaway for her new Secret Garden Luxe Kit. I thought it might be something you would enjoy hearing about and winning so I said sure!

Here are some links to check out:

Little Skein ~ the website! Anne is no longer selling on Etsy, just littleskein.com. 

Little Skein on Instagram!

Knitalong with Little Skein group on Ravelry!

Anne's kits are always artistic, impressive and thoughtful. She designs and makes some of the items herself and then she enlists the talents of other designers that use all sorts of different mediums. It is always fun and interesting to see what Anne will come up with next. For the Secret Garden Kits she has included a beautiful cabled shawl designed by Alana Dakos of Never Not Knitting. It is an eye catching shawl that really captures the Secret Garden theme. Alana hit it out of the park with this one.

Click here to go to Alana's blog and here to see her other designs!

Click here for Alana's knitting pattern publishing company NNK Press!

photo by Alana Dakos

Today's giveaway prize kit for one lucky winner includes:

- PDF copy of "The Secret Garden" shawl by Alana Dakos

- 2 skeins of Western Sky Knits Magnolia Sock yarn in the colorway of the winner's choice. This is a beautiful, heavy fingering weight, MCN blend yarn -- oh so soft!

- Drawstring project bag in the winner's choice of my new Secret Garden fabrics

- Stitch markers

- Lots of knitting support as the winner knits the shawl: online stitch maps, technique videos, knitalong support, etc.

photo from Alana Dakos or Anne Vally

You get to choose which colorway you'd like for your shawl and they are all stunning. Western Sky Knits created the gorgeous Secret Garden colors for the kits.

photo by Little Skein

photo by Little Skein

And you also get to choose your stitch markers. So many choices!

The Luxe Kit is a huge prize valued at $110! Thank you to Anne for this great opportunity. 

If you'd like to enter to win a Secret Garden Luxe Kit please leave one comment on this blog post. Your comment must include your Ravelry username or your email address so Anne can get in touch with you to arrange your prize choices and delivery. Please only click on the publish button one time. There is a delay before your comment is published. 

I'll be back in a couple of days with a randomly selected winner.

Good luck and let the comments begin! I'll be back soon with much more....
xo ~ susan

Modifications and Tips for the Baa-ble Hat by Donna Smith

Hi, Knitters,

First of all thank you to my wonderful future daughter-in-law, Miss Molly, for her modeling talents and my son for his keen photography for today's post. Molly is beautiful and young and energetic and generous. She glows! And I think she has one of the cutest profiles I've ever seen. Miss Molly has cast on for her own Baa-ble Hat and is using the following modifications. I'll share her version when it's done.

Now for Baa-ble Hat knitting!

I've knitted a couple of Baa-ble Hats by Donna Smith and I am planning on a couple more. I think they will make the cutest gifts for the holiday season ahead. It is too fun and fast to pass up. The pattern is written and designed by Donna Smith for the Shetland Wool Week. In order to get the FREE pattern you have to sign up for the Shetland Wool Week newsletter and then the newsletter is emailed directly to you. The newsletter contains the Baa-ble Hat pattern. If I remember correctly it took at least a couple of days to receive the email with the newsletter and pattern.

Click here for the Baa-ble Hat information on Ravelry!

Click here for the Shetland Wool Week newsletter and free pattern sign up!

Click here for Donna Smith's Instagram feed!

Click here to visit Donna Smith Designs beautiful website!

Click here to see the Baa-ble Hat Kits from Jamieson & Smith!

I posted a couple of photos of my Baa-ble Hats on my Instagram and said that I made some modifications to the pattern that I will share here today. I've had people ask me about getting the free pattern. I guess some have had some trouble getting the pattern emailed and I'm not sure why. I do remember that there was a delay from the time I signed up to the time I received the email. Other than signing up on the Shetland Wool Week website, I don't know anything else about how to get the pattern. I've been getting emails from knitters about getting the pattern sent to them from me but I'm not distributing the pattern. You'll have to go through the website. I'm pretty sure if you're patient it will show up in your inbox. Also, check your spam folders to be sure it isn't in there waiting for you!

If you go to the Baa-ble Hat Ravelry page to see and read the comments about the almost 800 hats that have been knit already one common issue is that the hat has turned out too big. The pattern is knit in an aran or worsted weight yarn at an unusually tight gauge, 5.75 sts per inch. The numbers in the pattern and this gauge do work out fine to give you a 20-inch circumference hat which is an average and good measurement for an adult-sized hat. My feeling or guess is that many may not be getting this dense gauge exactly and so the hats are turning out on the large side. 

I saw Martha Healy, goldybear on Ravelry, knitting several of these hats at the Maine Knitting Pipeline Retreat. I told her that I had that pattern waiting for me to cast on when I got home. Martha warned me that it was on the big side and that she had made modifications. Martha's hats were turning out so perfect and adorable that I took her modifications to heart. I give her the credit for coming up with these general modifications and then I added a few things of my own.

Click here to see Martha's three Baa-ble Hats on Instagram! 

Martha's hats are so cute and inspiring. Thank you, Martha, for sharing your modifications with me.

Here is how I knit the Baa-ble Hat. You will still need the pattern to knit the hat! These are just tips and modifications.

Yarn: 
Quince & Co. Osprey ~ Aran weight 100% wool
Version 1: Peaks Ferry, Egret, Belize and Storm (red and blue version)
Version 2: Crocus, Egret, Kumlien's Gull and Honey (purple and mustard version)

Needles: US size 7/4.5mm and 8/5mm, 16-inch circular and US size 8/5mm dpns OR size to obtain gauge

Gauge: 4.5 sts per inch on the larger size needles in stockinette stitch

Note on gauge: I changed the gauge from the original pattern quite a bit! Achieving the correct gauge is very important for this hat. The fabric is supposed to be on the dense side, thus the smaller than normal needles on the aran weight yarn. Be sure to check your gauge.

Finished measurement: 20-inch circumference

~ With the US size 7 needles, I cast on 88 stitches and completed the rib as the pattern suggests. This will give you a long folded brim (cuffed) OR the long rib could be worn unfolded for a slouchy-style hat. You could make the rib section shorter (1 or 2-inches) if you don't want to cuff the brim and want a fitted hat.

~ On the first round of the chart I switched to the US size 8 needles and I increased 2 stitches for 90 stitches total. I just did a kfb in one stitch at the beginning of the round and a kfb in one stitch about half-way around.

~ The chart has 60 stitches. If you look closely the repeat is 30 stitches (I drew a line down the chart to keep track). I repeated the 30 stitch repeat three times. So I completed the chart once all the way across and then I repeated the first 30 stitches again.

Since I had a different number of stitches I did a slightly different decrease sequence and I needed to continue the colorwork. I fudged around with the colorwork repeats and wrote it down for you if you are interested.

Here is what I did using the top half of the hat color or the main color (MC) and the white flecks or the contrast color (CC). The decrease rounds in the pattern start on Round 26. Since I am not using the chart I am starting the Decrease Section numbering below with Round 1.

Decrease Rounds:
Rnd 1: (K8, k2tog in MC) repeat to end. 81 sts.
Rnd 2: (K2 in MC, k1 in CC) repeat to end.
Rnd 3: (K7, k2tog in MC) repeat to end. 72 sts.
Rnd 4: Knit in MC.
Rnd 5: (K6, k2tog in MC) repeat to end. 63 sts.
Rnd 6: (K2 in MC, k1 in CC, k3 in MC, k1 in CC) repeat to end.
Rnd 7: (K5, k2tog in MC) repeat to end. 54 sts.
Rnd 8: Knit in MC.
Rnd 9: (K2 in MC, k1 in CC) repeat to end.
Rnd 10: (K4, k2tog in MC) repeat to end. 45 sts.
Rnd 11: Knit in MC.
Rnd 12: (K4 in MC, k1 in CC) repeat to end.

Cut CC and work in MC only to the end of the hat.

Rnd 13: (K3, k2tog) repeat to end. 36 sts.
Rnd 14: Knit.
Rnd 15: (K2, k2tog) repeat to end. 27 sts.
Rnd 16: Knit.
Rnd 17: (K1, k2tog) repeat to end. 18 sts.
Rnd 18: (K2tog) repeat to end. 9 sts.
Cut the yarn and pull the end through the remaining stitches.

For a baby-size hat you could cast on 60 stitches and go to town repeating the chart one time through.

~ Pom Pom ~

For the pom-pom I used a Clover Large Pom Pom Maker (click here for information). If you don't have a pom pom maker use a cut piece of cardboard that is about 2 1/4-inches wide to get a similar size. I held two-strands of the top two hat colors together while wrapping the pom pom maker. I like to cram as many wraps as possible on the pom pom maker so it is super-full and round in the end. I can barely get the sides closed before cutting.

~ Floats ~

One last point to make is about the floats which are the loose strands being carried across the inside of the hat. In the red and blue version I trapped the floats here and there and not often, in the sheep section. I did this because some of the floats cross maybe 12 stitches or something like that. The rule of thumb is to trap every 5 stitches or so. This is technically what you should do but since the sheep are white and the floats are red the places I trapped the float showed through a little bit on the right side of the fabric. It looks fine but it's just something I noticed, no one else would probably notice. I also think the traps showed through more because of the aran weight yarn which is a heavy weight for colorwork. 

~ Tips for relaxed floats ~

1. The second time I knit the hat I didn't do any trapping of the floats. In the sheep section of the chart, I would stick the tip of my pointer finger in between the stitches on the right needle and the long float going across the back of the work while I was knitting to ensure that the float was going to be loose enough to accommodate the long stretch of stitches. This appeared to have worked out well and I will do this again if (when) I make more of these hats.

2. Make sure when you are doing colorwork that your floats are not too tight. This is imperative. I have seen some hats where the sheep are looking puckered because the floats have been pulled too tightly. It won't block out if your floats are pulled too tight, unfortunately. I suggest the finger trick I mentioned above and also make sure that the stitches on the right needle are spread out as you work. This really helps. Really make a concerted effort while you are knitting to spread the stitches out so there is space in between the stitches on the right needle. 

3. Another trick is to turn your knitting inside out and knit on the inside of the circular needle. The floats then have farther to go around the outside of your work. I generally don't do this technique because it feels strange to me to be knitting on the inside of the work, but I've seen others do it very successfully and it really does help.

Okay, Knitters, I hope this helps if you are going to modify the amazing and fun Baa-ble Hat pattern. Donna Smith has really done a great job with this pattern. It is a huge runaway hit!

Congratulations to Donna!

I'm not able to field a lot of questions about this hat and besides it's Donna's wonderful pattern and design. This is all I've got for this one! If you have other questions about Donna Smith's beautiful hat design I'm sure she would answer you either on her Ravelry or Instagram accounts, or on her blog/website at Donna Smith Designs.

Thank you for understanding. 

I will be back later this week with a huge Little Skein Luxe Kit giveaway worth $110! You won't want to miss it.

I hope you are having a wonderful fall season, Knitters.
xo ~ susan