my friend L. For him I’ve knit six projects this year. Two of them I showed before – Add-a-booties and Spiral socks. Here is the rest.

1. Socks of kindness (a free pattern on ravelry) – I just loved loved loved knitting them. These are lace socks, simple but very nice-looking pattern. I’ve decided not to knit the lace pattern on the foot, and that’s basically the only thing I changed, beside the sock math. I had a different yarn and different gauge.


I knit the socks on 2.5 mm needles. The yarn I used is Drops Nord mix, color 09, 45% alpaca, 30% polyamide, 25% wool, 170 meters per 50 grams. I love this color, and will definitely knit something in it for myself. The yarn is a bit fuzzy, and I am not sure how well it will wear, but this friend sleeps in my socks and does not stuff them in military boots, so, I think, they should be ok.

2. Project number four was Ryegate Hat by Claire Borchardt (a paid pattern, can be found on ravelry). A very nicely written pattern, with simple, easy to knit and remember the stitch, but very nice looking cables.


I did a couple of things differently, though. First, I folded brim inside (I have no idea why I decided to do it this way), made it longer, and sewed it inside. Second, instead of a regular 1 by 1 ribbing I used 1 by 1 half twisted ribbing. In my opinion, it looks much nicer than the usual 1 by 1. I might use it everywhere, unless the fabric needs to be extra stretchy.


Also, my yarn is different from the one in the pattern, so all math was on me, which was not difficult, as the pattern gives the ease, and repeat is only 8 stitches. The yarn is Drops Nord Uni color, 45% alpaca, 30% polyamide, 25% wool, 170 meters per 50 grams.
5 mm needles.
All in all, this has was a very enjoyable knit.

3. One more hat for the same guy – Sackets Harbor Hat by Laura Kempton, a free project available on ravelry.

I am really proud of this hat. And here is why.
I’ve never knit cables from inside out. I did not knit that many cables at all, to be honest. So, the very idea that cables can be knit from inside out surprised me, to put it midly. And it was fun!
Also, this was my first provisional cast on using a cable. That was difficult, I hated it, but I loved the fact that I can join the folded brim and the body of the hat seamlessly, with no need to sew anything.
Third, I have added a knit lining to this hat, it was not easy, for I had to figure out how to attach it carefully to the rest of the hat to avoid it twisting all over the place (the guy slept in another hat I knit for his last year all winter).


After I finished the hat, I felt as if I were on the top of the world.
The top part is knit 75 mm needles, the yarn is Paton Kroy Socks FX, 75% wool, 25% nylon, 152 m x 50 g, mossy colors.
The lining is knit on 3 mm needles, using Drops Baby Merino Uni Color (color #47), which is 100% superwash merino wool, 175 m x 50g.

4. And, to round up the collection, I knit a simple cowl in the same yarn as the lining to the Sackets Harbor hat using the Axel Cowl pattern by Mia Aarstrand (paid project, available of ravelry). I played a bit with it, with the bottom, but the pattern is nice as it is. Not much to say about the pattern. Very easy, very beginner friendly. Seems to fit adults nicely.

also knit on 3 mm needles, using Drops Baby Merino Uni Color (color #47).