Monday, December 12, 2011

Rectangles Rule!


contributed by Shawn 

Barb was browsing patterns recently and came across a great double knit hat pattern called the Rectangly Hat by Catherine Hughes. She knit one up for the shop using Plymouth Select Worsted Merino Superwash yarn and it was an immediate hit!  

The hat is composed of two layers and is completely reversible - and the colors are opposite on each side. The double knit technique might sound difficult but Catherine has set up the pattern for this hat so that it's easy to understand.


So many of the staff and our customers were interested that soon several Rectangly Hats were in progress!
Here is the one I started using Berroco Vintage yarn. I love the contrast of these two jewel tones for this pattern!
This pattern has kept us busy thinking of other possibilities for what to incorporate as a motif in the double knitting technique. Too bad the word KNIT isn't a palindrome*. BUT with a bit of ingenuity we figured out how to make the hat say KNIT on one side and PURL on the other!
So now we have a real knitter's double knit hat! This sample is shown in Berroco Lustra yarn. It would also look great with KNIT on one side and CROCHET on the other!

Since then we've had a smaller version walk through the door (sized down by using sport weight yarn and smaller needles) knit from Debbie Bliss Rialto DK. And even one version of the hat that incorporated a skein of semi-solid and a skein of multi-colored Manos del Uruguay Silk Blend that was just gorgeous!

I love the creativity that knitting encourages! Hope you have a chance to go 'rectangly' this winter.

*A palindrome is a word, phrase, number or other sequence of units that can be read the same way in either direction

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