A Very Special Pattern Release

Today I published what is likely to be my last new pattern for 2015, and it marks a very important milestone: This is my 50th published pattern. It's hard to believe that what started as a lark a few years ago has now become a solid little portfolio.

It seems quite fitting, then, that the pattern that I published today is one that has been waiting for its moment in the sun for quite a while -- if you can believe it, I started the original sample last March and didn't get around to finishing it until last August! It's been waiting for my attention ever since, and when I finally decided to deal with it last month, I discovered that I'd already done most of the work. I'm not sure why I let it sit so long, but now it's finally time for it to make its debut.

Klaar is a simple, elegant lace beret. It starts with a hemmed brim, which I really like the look and fit of, and has a very easy lace pattern for the body of the hat. The crown decreases result in a pattern on the top of the hat that rather looks like an asterisk.

The fun part about this pattern is that it has two sizes -- but both sizes use the exact same numbers and directions. How is this possible? Easy: It's all a matter of playing with gauge. The sport weight version, which I am wearing, comes out a size suitable for an adult; the fingering weight version, which Rainbow so nicely modeled for me, results in a child or young teen size. (While I haven't tried it, I suppose you could use laceweight for a baby's size and DK for a really large adult size -- hmm, something to consider!)

The whole thing knits up relatively quickly -- there's no seaming (even the hemmed brim is worked as you go), the lace stitch is very easy to memorize, and you end with just a small number of stitches to cinch up. While you may want to put a small plate inside the hat to block it, I've found it works just as well to lay it flat and gently smooth it out in the shape you want.

If you've got a spare skein of sport or fingering weight yarn, or even a partial skein, lying around and need a quick gift, I hope you'll give Klaar a go! There will be more patterns in the new year, including two with third-party publishers that are already in progress, but for now I'm going to enjoy the satisfaction at having achieved the designing goal I set for myself at the beginning of the year.