Tag Archives: free pattern

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?

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Crafts, Knit & Crochet, Knitting, Patterns

Old Glory Hat — a free knitting pattern

June 8, 2015 alaskaknitnat 17 Comments

As a lifelong Alaskan I am familiar with how unpredictable the weather is. We tend to hope for the best and plan for the worst, which is why I’ve decided to design a winter hat in the summertime.

Fourth of July in Alaska can be a bit of a downer. For one thing, the sun doesn’t really set so fireworks are pretty lame. Also, it’s sometimes cold, rainy and windy; but we Alaskans don’t let a little crappy weather get in the way of summer holiday fun.

So I’ve designed a Fourth of July hat. No one in the rest of the contiguous 48 states (or Hawaii, for that matter) would find this hat particularly useful in the middle of summer, but hey, you can be patriotic year round, right?

Old Glory Slouchy Hat — a free knitting pattern from Alaska Knit Nat

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Knit & Crochet, Knitting, Patterns, Uncategorized

The Aspen Ascot – a free knitting pattern

April 5, 2015 alaskaknitnat 4 Comments

Happy Easter! It’s currently snowing here in Anchorage, which makes today’s pattern just perfect.

I was scrolling through some old knitting patterns on my blog and I came across my Chunky Ascot Pattern, which included a terrible Hipstamatic photo (before Instagram existed). I decided it was worth making a new ascot just to update the photo.

This pattern uses chunky yarn or you can knit two strands of worsted weight yarn together. It takes very little yarn, so it’s a great way to use up any leftover high quality fibers. I used Malabrigo and Manos de Uruguay worsted alpaca.

The Aspen Ascot is just right for a chilly spring morning when you don’t need a bulky scarf. The two spade-shaped ends create a lovely bow look.

The pattern isn’t difficult, but it does require thinking outside the box. You’ll use three double-pointed needles for the part where you create the loop. The instructions sound sort of whack, but trust the way it’s written and it should make sense in the end.

The Aspen Ascot – a free knitting pattern from Alaska Knit Nat

Materials:

One ball of chunky alpaca, or two strands of worsted knitted together

3 size US 10 double-pointed needles

darning needle

Abbreviations:
M1FB — make 1 stitch in the front and 1 stitch in the back of the same stitch, thus increasing the piece by 1 stitch

k2tog— knit two stitches together

Directions:
Cast on 2 stitches. M1FB of the first stitch, K the next stitch.
Continue to M1FB of the first stitch of every row till you have 16 stitches.
K 12 rows in garter stitch. I slip the first stitch of every row to keep the rows neat and even.
Next row: *Knit the first stitch, transfer the second stitch to the third double point needle.* Repeat * to end of row. You should have 8 stitches on each needle.
Starting with the needle that has the working yarn, K1, P1 for 9 rows. Cut yarn, leaving a 6-inch tail.

With the other needle holding 8 stitches, leave a 6-inch tail and K1, P1 for 9 rows, but don’t cut the yarn when done.

Next row: *Knit the first stitch from both the front and back needles together, then knit one from the front and one from the back.* Repeat * till there is 1 stitch on each needle. Knit these two stitches together. You should now have 12 stitches on one needle.

Knit in garter stitch till the work is long enough to go around your neck and touch the loop you just created, about 12 inches.

Next row: *K1, K2tog* Repeat * to end of row. You should now have 8 stitches again. K1, P1 for 9 rows.

Next row: M1FB in each stitch. You should now have 16 stitches.

Knit in garter stitch for 12 rows.

Next row: K1, K2tog, K to end of row. Repeat the last row till there are 3 stitches remaining.

Bind off. Weave in tails. Sew on decorative button to one side of the loop if you desire.

alaska, Knit & Crochet, Knitting, Patterns

Fuzzy Ombre Scarflet — A Free Knitting Pattern

February 23, 2015 alaskaknitnat 9 Comments

Boy, sending mail to Belgium takes a while! I’m so thrilled to finally be posting this pattern. I had to wait for it to arrive in my friend’s mailbox before I could publish it. Enjoy!

Last summer an old friend of mine got married on the Greek island of Paros, which is known for its brilliantly white buildings contrasted against the blue Aegean Sea. I wanted to send her a handmade wedding gift that represented the beautiful location of her wedding. Since I have limited artistic talent (I am not a brilliant illustrator as she is), I decided to knit her an ombre scarf. Ombre might still be considered trendy, but I know I’m a little past the height of ombre hype.

I had a difficult time finding yarn that was the right color, so I settled with a “Frozen”-esque ice blue. Elsa wasn’t whom I had in mind when I made this scarf, but I do love the colors anyway.

I wanted to try an unusual stitch pattern instead of doing my basic ribbing or garter stitch. I don’t have a great attention span for stitch patterns that take 14 rows to complete, so I found a lovely pattern that is repeated every 4 rows. This way I can set it down anytime and be certain where I left off. I went with St. John’s Wort Stitch.

St. John’s wort is a flowering plant that is used medicinally as a sort of cureall. It’s supposedly good for treating anxiety, depression and cuts. I made this scarf so my friend can feel cozy and safe, so it’s fitting it is named for a healing, cheer-you-up herb.

I hope my friend is able to think of this scarf as a warm hug from her past. We haven’t seen each other in more than 10 years, so I wanted her to have a little reminder of home and of her happy day in Santorini.

Fuzzy Ombre Scarflet

1 hank Heritage Cascade Sock Yarn, color 5630 (or any sport weight yarn in ice blue that is more than 200 yards). I’ll call this color B

1 hank Heritage Cascade Sock Yarn, color 5682 (white). I’ll call this color A.

1 skein Dale Påfugl mohair, color 0010 (or 100 yards of any mohair brand in white). I’ll call this color 1.

1 skein Dale Påfugl mohair, color 6815 (blue). I’ll call this color 2.

US 10 needles

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Crochet, Knit & Crochet, Patterns

Tapered Flower Headband — A Free Crochet Pattern

February 22, 2015 alaskaknitnat 14 Comments

I’ve been trying to polish up my site and I realized one of my most popular patterns was full of dead photo links. I also realized it wasn’t even a pattern but just some nice photos of my wearing a bunch of my headbands — pretty much useless to all of you! Instead of just updating the post, which was from three years ago, I figured I’d just start anew and reintroduce it.

This simple crocheted headband is my best-selling product. I sell out of it at Bella Boutique every holiday season. You can’t go wrong — it’s colorful and has a huge flower on it. I also love embellishing the back of the headband with a vintage button.

The pattern is inspired by Knitty.com’s Calorimetry Headband, which I like, but is really too wide for my head. I also get bored by the ribbing pattern. I wanted something that I could create quickly for my short attention span. I relied on this pattern for the base and then added a simple trim and my own flower pattern, instructions for which can be found here.

Many thanks to my old friend Laura for taking (and recovering) these shots. She was just starting out her photography business when these were taken and they are lovely!

Tapered flower headband | A free crochet pattern from Alaska Knit Nat — © Laura Stennett Photography

I originally made two versions of this pattern, one with worsted yarn and the other while crocheting two strands of worsted at the same time. I prefer the double stranded version because it’s fuller looking. You can do a single strand but you may have to extend the ends by a couple of rows.

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Crafts, Knit & Crochet, Knitting, Patterns

Slouchy Pom Pom Hat – A Free Knitting Pattern

November 19, 2014 alaskaknitnat 2 Comments

Being a lifelong craftaholic I’m no stranger to the pom pom. Memories of yarn-covered tin can pencil holders and ricrack come to mind.

But lo and behold, again my childhood craft projects are becoming popular again (remember friendship bracelets?) Yes, the pom pom is this season’s biggest accessory trend. So I’ve decided to stay on board the pom pom train and offer up a delicious, fluffy, slouchy hat pattern. It’s got extended ribbing in case you want to fold it up for a thicker brim.

Slouchy Pom Pom Hat | A free pattern from Alaska Knit Nat

Slouchy Pompom Hat

What you’ll need:

1 skein each Loops & Threads Wool to Wash in pink and grey or any worsted weight yarn

size US 9 circular and double pointed needles

darning needle

pom pom maker or large serving fork

stitch marker

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Crochet, Knit & Crochet

Crochet a Flower Headband

August 8, 2012 alaskaknitnat 5 Comments

At long last I have finally caved into mainstream fashion and I’ve gone and made a flowered headband. You know the ones — tapered with a big flower on the side? They are cute, don’t get me wrong, but I was never into knitting them and then I realized the other day — I was never into KNITTING them. But what about crochet?

I actually admire Knitty.com’s Calorimetry Headband. I’ve made it before, although slightly altered because I feel as though it’s too wide for my head.

But honestly, I hate purling. All you do is knit 2, purl 2 for the whole pattern and it’s enough for me to stay away.

Last weekend I set out looking on Ravelry for a simple crochet headband pattern. I ended up finding a crocheted version of the Calorimetry Headband. As a knitter by nature, I needed a crochet pattern I could understand. This one was simple and best of all, much quicker than knitting.

I decided to take this basic pattern and embellish it with a border and a flower. Pizzazz!

But I didn’t stop there. In case you don’t know me very well, when I get on a new kick I don’t stop. So I made five more. Then I decided to double the yarn and WOWEE it made it really pop. So I made four more.

And choosing the button in the back is half the fun!

So how are these pretty headbands made? LET ME TELL YOU!

First, I followed the instructions here but I used a J hook instead. I also think doubling up the yarn is much nicer, but that’s up to you. If you only have one ball just make another ball from it or use the end from the inside at the same time as the outside, if that makes sense.

Once you’ve completed the basic headband, with your contrast color start making single chains all around the outside of the headband. I didn’t put the hook into individual stitches, but instead I stuck the hook in the ch2 gaps at each end. When you’ve gone all the way around, slip stitch into the first SC and weave in all the ends.

View my previous blog post on how to crochet a flower. Then stitch the flower with a darning needle to wherever you’d like the flower to be. Pretty simple!