introducing the topography hat pattern collection
i am so excited to share with you my new collection of hat patterns, releasing over the course of the month of march! the topography collection is inspired by architectural and geological features around the world and a desire to produce a series of unisex hats that are understated yet visually interesting, and modern yet timeless.
including two simple colorwork designs and two chunky knit hats, all four patterns are perfect for intermediate or adventurous beginners. the patterns are simple and quick to knit and feature techniques such as stranded colorwork, interesting stitch patterns, and cables.
while these hats would look incredible knit up in any kind of yarn, I specifically wanted to utilize high quality natural fiber and natural fiber-blend yarns for the samples that are affordable and widely available at local craft stores. i not only wanted to highlight some really great yarns at really great prices, but also to make these patterns and finished objects even more accessible to everyone. i hope you love these designs as much as i do!
architrave
Introducing the architrave hat! a beanie-style fitted knit with just a little bit of slouch, the pattern features a simple colorwork design influenced by ancient stepped pyramids and desert mesas. worked up in a few yards of contrast colored wool, the design is both subtle and visually interesting.
this pattern calls for one skein of a medium worsted weight/category 4 yarn, and size us 6 (4.0mm) needles. I highly recommend Patons classic wool worsted, the praises of which i have sung before (see my post: the best affordable, natural fiber yarns). This yarn is a workhorse! it is 100% wool, blocks up incredibly soft, and clocks in at around $6-7 a skein at local craft stores. i almost always have a skein of the black or aran colors on hand! for the architrave sample, i used colorway “heath heather.”
the pattern for architrave will be available as a pdf download on friday, march 5th on both elisemade.com and ravelry!
silicate
silicate is the second hat pattern and first chunky knit in the topography collection. using a series of knit and purl stitches to create a stacked chevron pattern this hat is designed to be reversible, with the “knit” side highlighting a neat 4-pointed crown and the “purl” side showcasing the alternating stitches. this hat knits up incredibly fast and could be made in about an hour!
the pattern for silicate calls for one skein of a super bulky/category 6 yarn and size us 13 (9mm) needles. for the sample i used the ubiquitous lion brand wool-ease thick & quick in color kale. the pattern includes both written and charted instructions.
the pattern for silicate will be available as a pdf download on friday, march 15th on both elisemade.com and ravelry!
taiga
Taiga is the third hat in the collection, and the second stranded colorwork design. evocative of chilly winters and traditional nordic sweater patterns, taiga is both unique and classic. Choose a contrasting color to keep the design neutral, or get creative with color combinations!
this pattern calls for a medium worsted weight/category 4 yarn and size us 6 (4.0mm) needles. for this sample i used patons classic wool worsted in color new denim, and color navy for the colorwork design.
the pattern for taiga will be available as a pdf download on friday, march 22nd on both elisemade.com and ravelry!
pylon
The last design in the series is the pylon hat, a slouchy knit worked up in chunky weight yarn. this pattern begins with an off-beat ribbing that works up into tight cables running up to the crown of the hat. Pylon is an easy and repetitive pattern that can be worked up in about an hour!
this pattern calls for a super bulky/category 6 yarn and size us 13 (9mm) needles. i used a new yarn for the first time for this sample, and i was very impressed with the quality and softness! Check out loops & threads lush alpaca (20% alpaca!) in color gray. pattern includes both written and charted instructions.
the pattern for taiga will be available as a pdf download on friday, march 29th on both elisemade.com and ravelry!
many thanks to the fantastic fit model, my long-time and very talented comedian and writer friend wahab shayek, who helped bring this collection to life!
Elisemade World Flag Project: Introduction
Back in 2014, I made a miniature American flag out of some scrap cotton yarn. I thought it came out so cute that I immediately made a Mexican and Canadian flag to go with it. After making those three, I was completely inspired (obsessed?) with the idea of making a little knit flag for every country in the world. By the end of that year, I had designed and made a total of 19 flags.
Then the project got pushed to the side. I don’t really remember why, but I just stopped making them. My intention of completing the project was always in the back of my mind, and my little collection of flags never too far away from my project basket, but I always found something else to prioritize over restarting the endeavor.
There are many, many reasons why I feel inspired to start up this project again. Ultimately I believe that especially in this time, we need to be more loving, empathetic, and connected. And so I’ve decided to officially embark on a journey to create the remaining 176 flags of the world. My goal is to make at least one flag per month alongside other projects, and eventually produce a booklet of the patterns to share with you.
To kick off the project, I wanted to share with you the collection of 19 world flags I have already made! For organizational purposes, I have sorted them by region of the world and will share them in regional collections moving forward.
So far in the North America category I have an American, Canadian, and Mexican flag, which are the original first three that I made. Also included in this category is a completed Jamaican flag!
So far the only South American country I have completed is Brazil.
Like South America, I’ve only made one flag from an African country: Guinea.
Since I have 9 completed European flags (Czech Republic, Ireland, Belgium, Denmark, Netherlands, Finland, Italy, Switzerland, and Germany), my focus at the outset will be on other parts of the world like Africa and Central and South America.
So far in the Asia category I have China, Singapore, and Japan completed.
My first deadline for the next flag is the end of February, so stay tuned to see what the next design will be! Which flag is your favorite so far?
DIY: "Sammie" Chunky Cable Knit Hat Pattern
Around the end of January 2018 I designed this simple cabled hat for my dear friend Sammie, and posted the pattern for free here on my blog. Since then, it’s become one of my most popular posts! I decided it was time to put together a proper PDF and release it as an official elisemade pattern.
This hat pattern is knit starting with the ribbed brim and working up through 4 rounds of simple cables. And with the bulky sized yarn, it’s a very fast and satisfying project! I recommend using wool and the gang crazy sexy wool, but any comparable bulky weight will work.
Click the button below to download the free pattern PDF!
#WIDN: Test Knit for Park Williams of ParkNKnit
i recently finished up another test knit for an incredibly lovely and talented knitwear designer, park williams of parknknit! park has designed some truly knockout sweaters, my personal favorite being (and currently in my selfish knitting queue) the aquamarline. so when she put out a testing call for her new scrappy scarf design, Cable scraps, i jumped on board knowing it would be the perfect project to warm me up for aquamarline.
i tend to wear plain basic colors, so i originally envisioned making this scarf using various grays as a base and mixing in other neutral shades. once i got going however, i was reaching for every colorful scrap in my stash to mix in.
i ended up being about 1/2” off gauge, most likely because of my yarn combos, but since i love big, oversized scarves i decided to go for it. this pattern is very simple and easy to follow, but park encourages you to use up a bunch of scraps and change colors as often as you like which makes it so incredibly addicting and fun to knit. seriously, i had a hard time putting this project down.
i absolutely love the end result. my scarf is so big and soft and warm! i particularly like the cable design running down the middle, and i think it helps blend in the color changes and make them look more fluid.
go purchase the pattern for cable scraps on ravelry here and follow park on instagram to follow along with her amazing designs!
#WIDN: Aroha Knits 5 Shawls 5 Days Challenge
I have followed Frenchie, the incredible designer behind Aroha Knits, on Instagram for many years and every time the 5 Shawls 5 Days challenge rolled around I would get major FOMO. The mini shawls are just so damn cute! But by the time I would see them on my feed, I would feel discouraged from starting since I was already behind.
This year however, I happened to see an announcement from Frenchie about the start of the challenge. how serendipitous! I have mentioned many times that my goal for this year is to expand my skills, knit the patterns of other designers, and try to connect more with the online knitting community. So I didn’t think too hard about whether i could easily understand the new skills or if i could fit one more project per day for a week into my schedule. I just signed up!
If you’re not familiar with this challenge, it’s a 5 day exercise in learning the various basic shawl shapes by knitting mini versions of them. Each day of the challenge, Frankie emails out a simple and easy-to-follow pattern for a different shawl shape. You can use whatever yarn and needles you have lying around, and she encourages you to knit for about 30 minutes to keep it a quick and fun exercise.
On day 1 I made the Triangle Shawl, using some scrap lion brand wool-ease in rose heather. this was my first introduction to the garter tab cast on! Because I prefer and habitually reach for them I knit this mini shawl on size US 6 double-pointeds, though if I made the triangle shawl again I would definitely use circulars. I also learned the hard way that I should have bound off a bit looser, as I had a hard time getting this one to block nice and sharp and flat. still, I am pleased with my result!
having learned my lesson from the triangle shawl, i dug out a size US 6 circular for the crescent shape shawl on day 2. I also decided to step up the yarn game and picked some scrap malabrigo rios in color pearl. this was a super fun shape to knit .
I fell a little behind on day 3, and ended up having to make the asymmetrical shawl on day 4. this is my version made in some scrap malabrigo rios in fuchsia, leftover from my recent hat commission. this shape was fun to make also, as I didn’t exactly know how the shape would come together until I started knitting it.
after i finished the day 3 asymmetrical, i cast on the day 4 shawl shape, the 3/4. this shape is an expansion of the triangle shape from day 1 and super fun to knit (i think i like working with multiple yarn-overs!).
i got excited on the last day of the challenge because shape #5, the square shawl, calls for double-pointed needles! to stay consistent and celebrate the completion of the challenge i decided to reach into my stash and used a bit of rios in the beautiful colorway aniversario to make the square.
how cute are all 5 of my mini shawls!?
this was such a fun challenge both in terms of learning new techniques and fitting small, fun projects into my busy schedule. except for the asymmetrical and 3/4 shawls (days 3 & 4) that i knit in free time during the afternoon of day 4, i made the rest of the shawls at the end of my days around 8-10pm. deciding to take on learning new skills at night after a long day was challenging at times, as on a few days i messed up early and had to frog and start over. but ultimately, the construction of these basic shapes is simple and repetitive (in the best way), and after understanding the set-up each shawl worked up easily. i actually found myself debating whether or not to exceed the 30-minute time limit on many occasions because the patterns are so fun!
the best part is that Frenchie has built an amazing community around her challenge where people are sharing their work. since i was a first-time shawl knitter and challenge participant, i followed each pattern exactly and didn’t stray from the basic shape and design. But following along with the #5shawls5days hashtag on instagram (She also hosts a group on facebook) is so inspiring! So many people created such incredible mini shawls using fun stitch patterns, mini cables, frilled edges, and different bind-offs. basically, this is a fun challenge for knitters and shawl makers of any skill level, and the simple patterns and mini shawl samples are a great way to try out potential new designs.
i am SO EXcited to tack up my beautiful mini shawls to my studio cork board, for sheer cuteness and future design inspiration! please check out frenchie’s incredible shawl (and more!) designs on ravelry, and be sure to follow her on instagram so you don’t miss the announcement for next year’s challenge!