Category Archives: Knitting

Sunny Side Up Cowl – A Free Knitting Pattern

April 17, 2020 alaskaknitnat 3 Comments

I had to do a deep scroll on my blog to find the last knitting pattern I posted. It was more than three years ago! But with my city’s non-essential business closure mandate I’m unable to operate my floral business, so that means I have more time to knit!

I logged into my Ravelry account (again, it’s been more than three years and I’m so glad my computer remembered my password) and found this lovely cowl pattern that implements a very simple lacework pattern to create a pretty pattern and scrumptious texture.

I augmented the Ravelry pattern by using lighter weight yarn, one variegated skein instead of two contrasting colors, and smaller needles.

It’s a special time of year in Anchorage that we call “break up,” where the snow is melting, river ice is breaking up, and everything outside is mucky. There’s still a chill in the air and this cowl is just right for break up season.

The Lion Brand Scarfie yarn is the perfect amount of wool to make it fluffy and a nice amount of acrylic to make it not itchy. This project knits up pretty fast and I recommend it if you’re looking for a simple stitch pattern that won’t make you count so you can binge watch your favorite show and not lose track of your work.

Sunny Side Up Cowl

Materials:

1 ball Lion Brand Scarfie yarn in cream/mustard or any heavy worsted or light bulky weight yarn
Size US 9 circular needles, 16 inch length
Stitch marker
Darning needle

Directions:

Cast on 100 stitches. Place marker and join in round.

Knit 1 round.

Purl 1 round

Start pattern:

Round 1: *Place yarn in front of work, slip 1 stitch, place yarn in back of work, k1. Repeat from * to end of round. Slip marker.

Round 2: K round, slip marker.

Round 3: *K1, place yarn in front of work, slip 1 stitch, place yarn in back of work. Repeat from * to end of round. Slip marker.

Round 4: K round, slip marker.

Repeat this pattern until work is 9 inches tall from cast on edge or until it’s the height you prefer. End with either row 2 or 4.

Purl 1 round

Bind off. Weave in ends. Block if you feel like it, but I never do.

Crafts, DIY, Knit & Crochet, Knitting, Patterns

Sherbet Triangle Scarf

March 2, 2017 alaskaknitnat 5 Comments

I’m not a big fan of knitting scarves. They take too long and I usually lose interest. But there’s one style I don’t mind knitting. It’s a giant triangle and the pattern is crazy easy.

Two days ago my little sister texted and said she lost her favorite scarf and asked if I’d make her a new one. Here’s her cute little self:

Two binge-watching nights later and the scarf was finished. This is a perfect mindless project since it’s knit in garter stitch and you only have to remember to increase one stitch at the beginning of each row. The mohair adds a beautiful fluff to the scarf so it feels like a cloud when you’ve finished. By combining fuschia and peach yarns the outcome sort of reminds me of sherbet ice cream.

Here’s how to make it:

Super Simple Triangle Scarf Pattern

Materials:

224 yards aran weight yarn in peach (I used 2 skeins of Sirdar Snuggly SK shade 0451)
224 yards (2 skeins) Rowan Mohair Haze in Caress (00525)
Size US 15 circular needles (straight would work too)
Darning needle

Abbreviations:

KFB = Knit in the front and then in the back of one stitch, thus increasing work by 1

M1 = make 1 stitch from front to back in the horizontal strand between stitches

Gauge: doesn’t matter

Directions:

You’ll be knitting both aran and mohair yarns at the same time as though they are one strand.

Cast on 4 stitches.
Row 1: K1, KFB, knit to end of row
Repeat row 1 until you have 108 stitches or until triangle is about 20 inches from tip to needles. Bring in new skeins of yarn when necessary.
Next row: K1, KFB, *K3, M1. Repeat * till there are two stitches remaining. K2.
Next row: Cast off using the stretchy method.
Cut yarn, leaving an 8-inch tail. With a darning needle, weave in all ends.

Here are a couple of examples of my past triangle scarves in different colors:

Knit & Crochet, Knitting

Guest Post: Cabled Pussy Hat

February 28, 2017 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

During inauguration time in January you had to have been living under a rock to not notice all the glorious pink pussy hats women (and men) were wearing all over the country.

I particularly took notice when a fellow knitter posted to her Facebook page a cabled version of the now-iconic cap. I’ll now turn over this post to Amanda who has knitted a nice stack of these adorable hats.

I love knitting hats. They’re quick, gauge isn’t really a huge issue, they don’t require a lot of yarn, and they can be knit on circular needles. And since winter has returned to Alaska again, we have lots of opportunity to wear them.

In December and January, pink hats starting popping up in my Instagram feed a lot. I saw so many posts of the original pussy hat being made and worn (if you don’t know the story behind these hats, well, first, where have you been? And second, find out more information at www.pussyhatproject.com). The project gained so much momentum there were actually pink yarn shortages in shops across the country. Pink yarn shortages! When has that ever happened? I was set to make a few, and then I ran across a photo of a cabled pussy hat that I just loved the style of. I haven’t been knitting for that long, and cables are something I’ve always wanted to try. I assumed they would be very difficult so I’d wait until I could take a class…but the pattern was free until the Women’s March, so I went ahead and downloaded it.

The pattern is so simple! Easy to follow instructions (there is also a chart for those of you that prefer to follow charts) and even photos illustrating exactly where to pick up and make those darn knits for the crown. Between the size 11 needles and the super bulky yarn, it knits up pretty quickly. Oh, and those cables? Way easier than I ever thought, and there are lots of helpful YouTube videos out there for the extra assist. I did buy a cable needle, which I highly suggest just to make life a little easier. I’ve made several now, and I must say this hat gets people talking! The Women’s March is over, but there are more events planned starting as soon as March 8th – so don’t let those cables hold you back! Solidarity, sister!

Continue reading Guest Post: Cabled Pussy Hat →

Cooking, Crafts, DIY, Knit & Crochet, Knitting, recipes, Sewing

Alaska Knit Nat’s top 6 posts

November 26, 2016 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Today my Facebook page reached 1,000 likes!

As Alaska Knit Nat enters its seventh year, I thought it would be fun to dig into the archives and pull up some of my favorite posts from years past.

I started Knit Nat AK in November 2010 with the intention of cataloging my craftiness.

“It’s mainly for my own benefit,” I wrote in my first-ever post. “I make so much stuff I can’t keep track of it all. In addition to knitting (hence the Knit Nat title), I cook, sew and repurpose things. This blog is a catalog of all things Craft.”

So here’s my top 6 posts since 2010. Enjoy!

Continue reading Alaska Knit Nat’s top 6 posts →

alaska, Crafts, Knit & Crochet, Knitting, Patterns, Tutorials

Alaska Flag Hat revisited

October 25, 2016 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Last summer a friend commissioned me to knit her a slouchy Alaska Flag Hat. It turned out to be a hit and I knit more than 30 of them for various Alaskans. Several asked for a kids or non-slouchy version as we can’t all look as spectacular as Fernanda in a slouchy hat.

I’ve been meaning to rewrite the pattern for months but have been overwhelmed by my floral business. But when a friend of mine texted me her family photo this year, I knew it was time.

Alaska flag hat - a free pattern for children and adults from Alaskaknitnat.com — Photo by Jennifer Hughes Photography

I mean, how adorable is this family?

Continue reading Alaska Flag Hat revisited →

Crafts, DIY, Jewelry, Knit & Crochet, Knitting, Patterns

Guest post: Feather & Fan Scarflette

April 23, 2016 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

My friend Annie is an avid knitter. She’s more of a knitting ninja – she wears her needles down to near stubs because of her always-popular Harry Potter scarves.

In the past few years it seems all of her friends are procreating because she makes a baby blanket nearly every month. I shared her adorable feather and fan lovey a couple of years back and when she posted a scarf with a similar pattern on her Etsy shop yesterday I asked if I could share the pattern.

Continue reading Guest post: Feather & Fan Scarflette →

Crafts, DIY, Knit & Crochet, Knitting, Patterns

Reversible chevron scarf

February 8, 2016 alaskaknitnat 3 Comments

A couple of weeks ago I was packing for a two-week vacation in Mexico. Our family trips consist of sleeping, eating and lying around, so I have a lot of time to knit. I wanted to work on a pattern that was easy and quick to finish.

I’m not usually a fan of knitting scarves as they go on forever and ever, but I realized I don’t have many scarves and the cowls I’ve made muss my hair when I take them off.

I don’t do lacework and cable scarves have a wrong side, which I find unattractive. That’s when I found a free downloadable pattern from Ravelry called the Reversible Chevron Scarf designed by Debbie Seton of The Crimson Rabbit.

Click here for the free pattern.

This scarf has a beautiful texture and the design, which is made up of just knits and purls, looks the same on both sides. Just what I wanted!

Continue reading Reversible chevron scarf →

baby, Crafts, DIY, Knit & Crochet, Knitting, Patterns, Tutorials

Little lady scarf — a free knitting pattern

February 6, 2016 alaskaknitnat 10 Comments

Last week a friend asked me if I could make a toddler scarf for her little niece, Amelia. The idea of a toddler wearing a scarf is funny to me. I can’t imagine it staying on a wriggling little 2-year-old. But that got me thinking: why not make a scarf that will stay put?

I searched Pinterest and came across the most adorable scarf pattern that uses a bow as a button. This was definitely the right idea. Create a buttonhole near the end of the scarf and secure a knit bow in the buttonhole. That should keep the scarf in place on a hippitty-hoppity hyper toddler.

I love the look of seed stitch, a.k.a. moss stitch. It keeps the knit piece from curling on the edges and it looks attractive on both sides of the fabric. And it’s a little fancier than garter stitch.

This is a simple weekend project that’s bound to keep your little lady cozy and warm.

Little lady scarf with bow

Materials:

1 skein Lion Brand Woolspun in Fisherman
1 skein Lion Brand Woolspun in Charcoal
Size 10 US needles
darning needle

Seed stitch:

Row 1: k1, p1 across all stitches

Row 2: p1, k1 across all stitches

Essentially, you knit where there’s a purl and purl where there’s a knit on the previous row.

Note: I slip the first stitch of each row, knitwise, and purl the last stitch of every row regardless of where I am in the seed stitch pattern. This creates a neat edge. It is not required and therefore I haven’t included it in the row-by-row instructions below.

Instructions:

Cast on 20 stitches.

Seed stitch for 18 rows.

For the buttonhole:

Row 1: Slip 1 stitch, seed stitch for 9 stitches. With the left needle, pull one stitch over the other stitch, *knit one, pull the second stitch over the knit one; repeat from the * twice more. You have now cast off 4 stitches. Continue with the seed stitch for the rest of the row. You should have 8 stitches on either side of the cast-off stitches.

Row 2: Slip 1 stitch, seed stitch to button hole, cast on 4 stitches, continue the seed stitch for the rest of the row. – 20 stitches.

Continue the seed stitch pattern until the whole piece measures 25 inches. Cast off and weave in ends.

Bow: Cast on 10 stitches and knit in garter stitch for 10 rows. Cast off and weave in ends. Wrap grey yarn around the middle of the strip several times and tie the ends in the back of the bow.

Using the fisherman color yarn and darning needle, sew the bow to the end of the scarf opposite the button hole, the same height as the button hole (about 4 inches from the edge).

I don’t have a little lady, so my little gent got to be the model. Kind of looks like a bow tie, right?

The top can be folded down a bit like a collar to make it a little narrower and warmer.

Crafts, Knit & Crochet, Knitting, Patterns

Feather-light triangle scarf

January 18, 2016 alaskaknitnat 1 Comment

After knitting about 30 Alaska flag hats, I was yearning to knit myself something this winter that I would use every day. I love cowls, but often my hair gets all frumpy and frizzy when I try and put one on over my head. I really wanted a scarf that wouldn’t require a lot of thinking.

After many searches I came across this simple pattern from Leah Michelle Designs. The elongated triangle turns out less like a shawl and more like a bandana scarf. Just my style.

I fell in love with Mano de Ururguay’s Clara yarn the other day at the yarn shop. It’s soft, feathery and fluffy. Just my style.

This pattern is so simple. It increases by one stitch every four rows. No need to count stitches or rows. You just weigh the yarn before starting and increase until you’ve used half the weight, then start decreasing.

I also learned a simple technique that I’ll be applying to all scarf patterns in the future. You slip the first stitch knitwise and purl the last stitch on every row. This creates the perfect edge. I love it!

Crafts, Knit & Crochet, Knitting, Patterns

Mermaid Hat

November 21, 2015 alaskaknitnat Leave a comment

Rachel, my best friend from childhood, has been asking me to knit her a hat for three years. When I visited her in Seattle in 2012 we even picked out the yarn and everything.

She requested a cable hat and I’ve never had such a hard time finding a pattern I liked. I started three different patterns including the classic “Stitch ‘n’ Bitch Nation” one, but I just didn’t like them.

So I tucked the ball of purple yarn away in my stash and temporarily gave up.

Three years later I called Rachel to tell her I was coming back to Seattle for a work trip and asked if she would like me to bring her anything from home. She reminded me of my hat promise. I was determined this time that I would have a finished hat by the time I reached The City of Flowers.

I went back to Ravelry and found just what I was looking for. It must not have been posted when I last looked up cabled hats.

Presenting the Mermaid Hat:

I used Blue Sky Alpaca’s Worsted Hand Dyed yarn in Mulberry. The downside was I only bought one skein and ran out of yarn two rounds before the end. Luckily I had left a long tail when I started so I had to Frankenstein the yarn toward the end, but it all worked out. PHEW!

I really loved the little braided stitch going up the hat between the cables. It is a good pattern for folks who have gotten down cables but are still not ready for anything complicated.