Knitting – Page 40 – New England's Narrow Road

Knitting Boot Cuffs Trial and Error

My daughter asked for a set of boot cuffs and the request seemed easy enough. The actual knitting of the cuff is pretty simple, but the cast-on number and cast-off style took some trial and error.

I began by searching for boot cuff patterns. All I really needed to know was approximate cast-on numbers and then figuring the cables and where to place them.

The First Mistake

For my first attempt I cast on 60 stitches and then did a simple 4 stitch cable every 4 rows with two purl stitches between. This made for a lot of cabling! In the end – I got all the way through a loose bind-off – the cuffs were very big. My daughter’s legs are smaller than mine and I knew they wouldn’t fit her. She wants cuffs for the lower calf area for low boots.

I tore out the Highland yarn cuff and began again with some hand-spun brown yarn.

Cuff # 2 Knit With Handspun

This time I cast on 48 stitches using the German cast-on, which is stretchy enough. I followed (somewhat) a free pattern for the Simple Cable Boot Cuffs. I did only six knit rows between cables to shorten the cuffs a bit. This way of cabling makes for a faster knit because only three rows of cables are done – unless you want a longer cuff. The cables use six stitches and they look nicer that way.

When it came to the stretchy bind off, I tried a twist bind-off to begin with and found that it really didn’t seem very stretchy. I only got a few stitches in and then switched to Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind Off as shown on Andrea Mowry’s YouTube video. BUT… I decided to do the yarn overs only on the two knit stitches and then bind off regularly on the two purl stitches – the video only shows knits. I was hoping for less of a flare when finished.

Boot cuff in handspun yarn — Handspun yarn by Clarion Call Fiber Arts

I messed up the top part of the cuff by knitting too many rows and doing the combined bind-offs so this cuff will have to be my experiment cuff. I will knit another to go with it, but I will begin again with the Highland wool for my daughter’s pair.

boot cuffs in Highland Teak — Brown “Teak” boot cuffs are about 5 inches tall

The brown “Teak” wool cuffs seem to be the perfect size for what my daughter needs. I won’t know for sure until I send them off to her for a try-on. For some reason these cuffs came out much shorter than the cuffs made of handspun. I guess it’s a difference in the yarn, and I did a few extra rows on the variegated cuffs.

boot cuffs hand knit in wool — Cuff size differences

My daughter will get both sets of boot cuffs because I don’t wear boots in Florida. Once I finish her orange hat, I will send them all off to her.

Ankle Boot Cuffs, Note to Self

You may not follow my directions, but I’ve written this info down for myself.

Size 7 circular needle (9 inch) cast on 48 – German Twisted makes a loose cuff.
Knit 2×2 rib for 4 rows
Switch to size 8 DPN’s (my 9-inch circular will not work) 16 stitches each needle.
Rows 1-5 *Knit 6, Purl 2 around
Row 6 Cable – hold 3 stitches front, knit 3, then knit 3 from cable needle (I use a DPN) & purl 2
Repeat rows 1-6 twice more.
Do 3 rows of *knit 6, purl 2
Do 3 rows of ribbing, k2,p2
Bind off using the stretchy bind-off for knit stitches only. BO purls normally. (Stretchy bind off: knit one to begin, then yarn comes over needle from the back. Knit one and pass the first two stitches (stitch & yarn over) up and over the third stitch on the needle.) See Jeny’s bind off video link above.

A New Skiff Beanie Gift Knit in Gray

My son’s blue Skiff beanie, pattern by Jarod Flood, has gotten a lot of attention this winter. Yes, we can wear hats in Florida in winter. My son was born and raised here so he is always cold when the temps drop below 60!

Some friend’s of his have seen his blue Skiff, which I knit a while ago, and have mentioned that they really liked it. When he accidentally wore it into work at the fire department, a friend said he would like a hand-knit hat. I said I would make him one.

Skiff hand knit beanie with cables — Skiff beanie in gray

Did I really want to knit another Skiff? Oh ya… this is a fun hat to knit. If you are interested, you should know that the pattern is in chart form. What I did, before ever knitting this pattern, was go through the whole graph and color code each cable area. I also made notes for the other stitches as some were very new to me. Every cable and stitch has an easy to understand description.

I use a wooden DPN for the cable needle, which holds the stitches nicely, and my circular needle is also wood. One of the cables needs 3 needles – over 5 stitches, but really I’ve found it to be so fun that I really enjoy the challenge of watching this extraordinary pattern emerge.

The Madeline Tosh Vintage yarn, in “Antique Moonstone” is some that I’ve had for a few years but it is perfect for this pattern. I love how the colors blend and make highlights, and the roundness of the yarn shows off the texture and cables.

Top of Skiff beanie with cables — Top of beanie

The Yarn

Mad Tosh is not cheap, but it is machine washable. I always wash by hand, and my brim on this gray Skiff is of a non-machine wash yarn by Quince & Company. So this hat needs to be hand-washed.

Madeline Tosh comes as 200 yards, and I had plenty leftover. Brooklyn Tweed Shelter comes in smaller size skeins at 140 yards and the pattern calls for 2 skeins for this beanie. You will spend about the same amount – a little more for the Mad Tosh, but will have more of the BT yarn leftover. Remember I used a contrast color for the brim.

Madeline Tosh leftover yarn — Mad Tosh yarn leftover from knitting this hat

I cast on using a size 3 circular needle and used the German Twisted cast-on. For the top of the beanie I used a size 7 needle. This hat is quite roomy for me, but is probably perfect for a guy. My son loves his.

Skiff cable beanie — Yarn color: Antique Moonstone

Jarod Flood is known for his patterns for men, but he also has beautiful and intricate patterns for women. And many of his patterns are unisex. What I have noticed is that he goes into great detail when describing how a pattern is knit. I will be knitting his Cobblestone Cardigan soon to wear on my trip to New Hampshire!

Knitting the Cobblestone Cardigan, Getting Gauge and Buying Yarn

I’m always on the lookout for future sweaters to knit. They must be fairly simple (I am not super experienced at sweater knitting) and I prefer a cardigan to a pullover, so I was excited to see the Cobblestone Cardigan pattern by Jarod Flood of Brooklyn Tweed.

I had just finished knitting a pair of mitts (Oulu) using the same Shelter yarn called for in the cardigan. I bought the sweater pattern and then I used my leftover Shelter yarn to knit up a swatch to find my gauge for the sweater. Suggested needle size is 8 US, and gauge should be 18 stitches (across) and 36 rows (vertical count). I used color “Camper” for the swatch.

How I Knit My Gauge Swatch

Using the size 8 needle, I cast on the 18 stitches plus an extra six. Then I knit for 36 rows, plus six more. In this case the gauge is counted on garter ridges, so the piece was simply knit back and forth. How easy is that? The piece needed to be slightly larger than (what I hoped) my gauge would be so I could easily count the stitches and rows.

I was knitting other projects and this little swatch took me a few days to complete. By the time I finished, and washed and dried the swatch, I couldn’t remember what the actual gauge should be. I got my gauge ruler and began counting, then looked up the pattern again to compare my numbers to the pattern. Well, I was exactly on gauge! This was very exciting! I want to begin knitting this sweater very soon.

You May Think You Hate Shelter, But Don’t Give Up!

If you knit at all and have come across comments on Shelter and Quarry yarn (both are BT brands) you may be very confused because this yarn gets both very high and very low marks. Knitters either love it and use it all the time, or they hate it for pulling apart easily. Some people also complain about the grass bits stuck in it. Personally, this does not bother me.

In fact, I avoided both of these yarns for a long time because of the trouble I had right after buying some Quarry yarn to knit a hat. Quarry is a bulky weight Brooklyn Tweed yarn and as soon as I cast on and tried to join in the round, the yarn pulled right apart! I kept trying and it kept separating… I was very irritated and decided that I hated it and would never buy this type of yarn again! It scared me away from Shelter as well. I moved on and knit with other yarns. I was convinced that this yarn was horrible.

yarn splitting problem Quarry — My “bad” skein of Quarry

I now believe that I was unlucky enough to have received a “bad” skein, but more than likely I was simply not used to knitting with this type of yarn. I used it later to complete a hat and had no problems. When it has to be pulled, twist the yarn to make it stronger before doing so. I ended up using Quarry yarn once again to knit a big sweater, and I had absolutely NO trouble at all with it splitting or pulling apart. This is why I think that occasionally knitters get a “bad” skein, or are simply not used to knitting carefully.

Then I bought Jarod Flood’s “Skiff” cable hat pattern and it called for Shelter yarn. I knit the hat, but wouldn’t dare use Shelter yarn. I was so afraid that doing cables would be a problem with this type of yarn.

Then, one day Shelter was on sale, and I can barely resist a sale! Another reason I wanted to buy this yarn is that it is spun in a mill in Harrisville, New Hampshire which is very near where I had once lived. I would pass signs for Harrisville on my way to Keene, from Antrim, and never knew there was a mill spinning popular yarn nearby! So to me it’s a “local” yarn, and I knew I had to finally try it. I bought a bunch of skeins without a plan… can you believe it?

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter yarn in colors Old World, Amaranth, and Caraway — Brown: Caraway, Red: Amaranth, Blue: Old World

Now I have knit two pair of mitts (Maine Morning Mitts and Oulu Mitts) using this yarn and now I’m planning to knit the Cobblestone Cardigan. I’ve come to love this yarn! The yarn colors are so beautiful that it took me quite a while to decide on a sweater color. I almost went with Meteorite (brown) which is beautiful, but decided I wanted a lighter color.

My final decision was to go with gray, to match my hair, so Narwhal it is! The yarn has arrived and I will cast on any minute! More to come about knitting the Cobblestone!

Brooklyn Tweed Shelter in Narwhal for a sweater — 10 Skeins of “Narwhal” yarn

Read more about the Brooklyn Tweed yarns at their page on Ravelry, or visit their website.

Knitting Hats in Hunter Orange Yarn

I’ve wanted to knit hats using bright, hunter-orange yarn for a while now. My kids live in rural New Hampshire towns where hunting happens pretty much throughout the year. Almost all land is open to hunters unless it is posted as “No Hunting”. Hunters can be in state forests, federal land, parks and even on privately owned land, and the thing is, non-hunters can be there also! If you are out and about in New Hampshire during hunting season, it’s a good idea to have on bright orange clothing of some kind.

Hunter in camo clothing with piece of bright orange on his backpack — Non-hunters also need to be seen in the woods

I had searched for the bright orange yarn, also called “hunter orange” or “neon orange” and been relatively unsuccessful at finding some. So, I lost interest and moved on to knit other things. My daughter mentioned at Christmas (after she opened my hat gift to her) that she and her fiancé would like orange hats.

Page update: *In July 2021, after I wrote this page, I found brightly colored orange yarn at Hedgehog Fibres and knit a cabled hat in worsted yarn.

Or see more ideas for hat knitting down the page.

wearing new hand knit beanie with cables — Nice and bright!

Where to Buy Hunter Orange Yarn

Below are some yarn options I found while searching for my own knitting needs. I chose the Mega, bulky yarn to quickly whip up a couple of hats. I may buy some cotton as well to make lighter weight beanies that could work for early Fall and late Spring hiking. Once I have this yarn in hand I will note the actual color.

When searching for bright orange yarn, use these descriptions; safety, blaze, hunter, vibrant, or neon, along with orange.

Cascade Ultra Pima Fine – link goes to Webs – the yarn is 100% cotton, comes in 136 yard skeins of DK / Sport weight and is machine washable. They offer a “vibrant orange” color. This would be good for warmer weather hats. Cost: $5.25 (at time of writing)
Purl Soho’s Super Soft Merino – Super Orange Solid looks promising (thank you to the reader who pointed it out). $23 for 87 yards.
Maybe ***Plymouth Encore Mega – link to Wool & Company – is and acrylic and wool mix in bulky weight. It comes in 64 yard skeins and is machine washable. Knit up a hat quickly with this bulky yarn. Cost: $6.50 (at time of writing) – this seller offers free shipping for any purchase to US… ***NOTE: I knit a hat (photo below) using this and it’s not really bright enough for walking in the woods, IMO.
Paintbox “Blood Orange” – link to Lovecrafts – is worsted weight, 100% wool yarn that comes in 219 yard skeins. It is machine washable. Cost: $10 (at time of writing)
Fiber of Maine – Blaze Orange – Now we’re talking, except it is sold out (at time of writing). I am adding the link in case it comes back in stock because this yarn looks perfect.
Etsy – a search on the Etsy site could be successful.
* Found: HedgeHog Fibres – “Kid You Not“, in aran worsted is the PERFECT color…. but it is expensive, $30-$32 skein (166m / 180yds – approx).

How Much Yarn is Needed to Knit a Hat

Honestly, it is difficult to say how much yarn you will need to knit a hat, but there are general suggestions out there.

At Lion Brand they have a chart, where you will see at the top a section for hat knitting. It goes from “yarn weight 1” to “yarn weight 7” which would mean the finest yarn – lace weight, to the bulky type yarn.

Less yarn is needed as the thickness of the yarn goes up. Also, less yarn in each color is needed if a hat is knit in more than one color. A rolled brim adds to the yardage.

My orange hat, pictured below, was knit using one skein of the Encore Mega yarn. I only had a short strand leftover, but the hat is not bright enough, in my opinion.

Orange knit hat — Not quite bright enough, IMO for “hunters” to see.

Hats for Men (and Women) in Worsted Weight Yarn

When aran or worsted weight yarn is used, a hat can be knit up quickly. The Men’s Basic Hat pattern is free and uses this type of yarn. I have not used the pattern, but many knitters have. Unfortunately it is knit flat and not in the round. Seems weird.

Bankhead is also a free pattern that is knit in worsted weight yarn.

The Classic Ribbed Hat is a free pattern offered by Purl Soho and is probably my favorite pick. It is knit in a DK weight, so will take a bit longer to finish.

More Hat Pattern Ideas For Hunter Orange Yarn

Nearly any hat pattern would work when knitting with orange as long as the weight of yarn you find works with that pattern. A search for hat patterns will bring up many, both free and to purchase. Or, if you know how to knit a basic hat, make it up like I did.

If you are knitting for a man, make sure he approves of the look. Guys can be very particular.

A popular and simple hat to knit is all one color and done in ribbing. The watch cap may be a bit boring to knit, but it’s perfect practice for beginners and is also they type that boys and men prefer – no frills! The hat below was knit in washable DK weight yarn. The hat below is loosely based on a pattern by Churchmouse Yarn & Teas.

finished watchcap hand knit — Finished watchcap

The Northward cable beanie, (bulky yarn) by Tin Can Knits, was knit in a day’s time. It’s a free pattern and the link goes to the TCK site.

Northward cable hat hand-knit — Quick knit in bulky yarn

I have made two Triple-patterned Watchcaps, (worsted yarn) and the style is perfect for keeping ears warm. The thick brim folds up double, and it could be knit in all one color. The pattern is in the “Hat’s On” book, which is full of great hat knitting patterns suitable for beginner knitters and also experienced.