I do occasionally swap my crochet hook for knitting needles, and this week I’ve made a winter set for my youngest child.
Knitting projects need to be quick and easy for me, or they are a non-starter, plus I have to pick yarns to match the hooks I have, rather than the other way around, so I chose a chunky yarn and found a colourway that spoke to me of the recipient.
Scroll down for pattern details.
This pretty yarn is King Cole Cotswold Chunky in the Kemble colourway, and I was really pleased with the way the colours came out as I worked the hat.
Quick Chunky Knit Hat
For working in the round, I only have a 16″ cable needle and size 7mm and 8mm points, so that’s what I needed to use. I based this hat on this Simple Ribbed Hat Pattern by on SmallFriendly.com but to suit my 6yo (for the next couple of years) I cast on 48 sts on the 7mm circular needles. Exactly as described by Carla “I simply pull my cord out from the middle of my work (adjusting it regularly) and muscle through” with the over-long cable needle. The stress induced by working in the round was counterbalanced by knowing I wouldn’t have to seam the result.
Conscious that over-tight cast-on edges have been a weak point in some of my previous projects, I searched online for other cast-on methods and decided to use this Surprisingly Stretchy Cast On method. It’s only a little more fiddly that the long tail method I usually use, but has the – for me – massive advantage that you don’t have to predict how much of a long tail to leave before starting to cast on, which I always get wrong and have to redo. Definitely a technique I will be using in the future, and the hat is beautifully stretchy throughout.
I made a huge pom-pom, which is of course the highlight of the whole set for the recipient. And I stitched the brim in place – very loosely
Quick Chunky Rib Scarf
I made a straightforward scarf in k2, p2 rib over 14 sts, and worked until it was the right length to wear double. It probably would have been better (a little less stiff) with 8mm needles rather than 7mm, but then I might not have had enough yarn for the mittens.
It upsets my sensibilities that the different length of the rows in the scarf compared to the length of the rounds in the hat, means that whilst the hat has more defined stripes of colour, the shading in the scarf is more subtle. Making a cowl in a round would have made it much more similar to the the hat, not to mention that a cowl is preferable on the not-getting-stuck-in-zips and not-getting-dragged-on-the-floor fronts. However, despite my best subtle persuasion techniques, No 3 Child was adamant about having a long thin scarf you tie a knot in. And that is the joy of handmade, after all, that you can make exactly what you want.
I have to say, said child’s faith in my ability to make everything exactly to specification was touching. After I explained that the yarn was too thick really for gloves with fingers (which I really don’t think I could cope with anyway), the decision was for fingerless mittens rather than enclosed mittens.
Quick Chunky Fingerless Gloves
I wanted these to be in k2, p2 rib too, to match the other items, so I basically just made tubes, but added a few more stitches for the base of the thumb holes.
For child aged 5-8.
On 7mm needles with Chunky (US: Bulky) yarn.
Cast on 22sts (I used the same Surprisingly Stretchy Cast On as for the hat).
Row 1 (right side): repeat (k2, p2) to last 2 sts, k2.
Row 2: repeat (p2, k2) to last 2 sts, p2.
Rows 3-12: repeat Rows 1 and 2 alternately. Odd numbered rows begin with k.
Row 13: k1, m1, k1, repeat (p2, k2) to last 2 sts, k1, m1, k1 – 24sts
Row 14: p3, repeat (k2, p2) to last 3 sts, p3
Row 15: k2, m1, k1, repeat (p2, k2) to last 4 sts, k1, m1, k2 – 26sts.
Row 16: p4, repeat (k2, p2) to last 4 sts, p4
Row 17: cast off 2 knitwise, repeat (k2, p2) to last 4 sts, k4 – 24sts.
Row 18: cast off 2 purlwise, repeat (p2, k2) to last 2 sts, p2 – 22sts.
Row 19: repeat (k2, p2, k2, p2tog) twice, k2, p2, k2 – 20sts.
Row 20: repeat (p2, k2, p2, k1) twice, p2, k2, p2.
Row 21: repeat (k2, p2, k2, p1) twice, k2, p2, k2.
Cast off in rib pattern.
Sew the edges together above and below the thumb hole.
At the end of all three items I’ve got about 1m of yarn left from two 100g balls, which is exactly how I like to end a project – no waste! All in all, good value for a set that will last No 3 Child a couple of years at least.
| Item | Cost |
| King Cole Cotswold Chunky (Kemble) | £7.98 |
| TOTAL | £7.98 |
