hat

Laird's hat from GIRLS /  by jen geigley




I was just reading the story behind Laird's hand-knit hat from your favorite t.v. show and mine, Girls. And then I thought – wow – I'm pretty sure I knitted a super similar hat once! I found a photo of it and yes. There it is. LAIRD. I made this hat in 2009 and it was the first time I knitted a hat with stripes and it was the first time I made up my own pattern. I remember it like it was yesterday.

 

Anyway, you have to read this cute story about Laird's hat on Girls. It's the actor's personal hat! Here you go.

You could argue that the most iconic accessory on Girls is Laird’s colorful beanie—and it’s a very special item that’s apparently very near and dear to actor Jon Glaser’s heart. 'That is actually Jon’s personal beanie,” reveals costume designer Jenn Rogien. “It was handed down to him from his dad, and it’s the most precious thing we have on the show because it is literally one of a kind.'

The woolly family heirloom is treated with reverence. 'Jon brings it to us on his first day of work, in a Ziploc bag wrapped in tissue, and we hold on to it and give it back to him on his last day,' says Rogien. 'It’s become such a signature part of his character that if I lose that beanie, I’m dead!'

I love random blogging. Sorry I've been MIA recently ...  I've been working hard on exciting new things and trying to get my groove back in all areas. All angles. Happy Friday.

Australian Superfine Merino by Cleckheaton – and a GIVEAWAY! /  by jen geigley


This month I had the opportunity to try out a new yarn – Cleckheaton's Australian Superfine Merino. It was such a treat to knit with these candy-colored brights! I found Cleckheaton's Superfine to be extremely soft and springy and a joy to knit with; it's silky and smooth and completely comfortable next to your skin. And this hat! It's pretty much perfect. As soon as I started knitting, my daughter asked if we could share it. HA. Definitely.


Australian Superfine Merino wool is recognized as one of the world's finest and is grown on specially bred Merino sheep that graze on sustainable grasslands. It is then lovingly twisted and dyed by the people at the Wangaratta Woollen Mills in rural Victoria. This magically soft merino warms you up in the cold and helps you feel cool when it's hot. But the best thing about this yarn is truly the softness.


This luxuriously soft and springy yarn comes in 30 amazing colorways – neutrals, brights and everything in between. You can see them all right here. The color combo I used to knit my 2 Colour Beanie was 14/Garnet and 52/Ice Green. Do you love this hat as much as I do? If so, you can download this awesome pattern for FREE.  :)

 

Another very cool bonus is the tag that comes with this yarn. First of all, it's letterpressed and completely beautiful. And! You can sew the ribbon to your knitted accessory/garment as a tag! Love that so much!

And if that's not enough eye candy for you today, check out all of the gorgeous patterns on the Cleckheaton Superfine website. Wow. Here are just a few of my favorites. (Visit to the website to download.)

GIVEAWAY TIME!


 

THE PRIZE


Kit includes:
  • 2 balls of Australian Superfine Merino yarn (in Cardboard and Cream)
  • printed pattern
  • project bag 

HOW TO ENTER

 

THE RULES

  • Giveaway is open to U.S. residents only
  • Giveaway is open until Sunday, January 25, 2015 at 11:30 PM CST.
  • Comments must include a valid email address or Ravelry ID so I can contact you if you are the winner. :)
  • Winner will be chosen via random number generator and will be contacted within 48 hours after giveaway ends.

A big thank you to Cleckheaton's Australian Superfine Merino for this wonderful giveaway. Good luck and thanks for reading! :)

Ferris /  by jen geigley


A new hat for me! I've picked out five different things I want to make from Rowan's Big Accessories collection (because who doesn't like a project that you can whip up in an evening/weekend?) The first thing I had to make was this awesome hat, Ferris.


Ferris was designed by Sarah Hatton using Alpaca Chunky. (I used shade 73/Pigeon.) This was a super quick knit and if you're not familiar with this yarn, it is softer than soft. It has a rounded chain construction which gives it a bit of stretch and makes it incredibly lightweight, but it's also very, very warm. This hat uses exactly one ball of Alpaca Chunky and I'm in love with all of the natural colorways that are available. 

The next project I want to knit from this collection is Bandit, which is a super cool cowl with fur trim on the cover of Big Accessories. Check it out – it's so neat! What's on your needles right now? The time (and the weather) is right for knitting.

Vanilla – a new knitting pattern /  by jen geigley

Over the weekend, I made this perfect-for-any-season slouchy cap, and named it 'Vanilla'. I used a ball of Rowan All Seasons Chunky from my Rowan Ambassador seasonal sample box that I got last month. And I must say ... I'm a big fan. I love chunky yarns as it is, but I've never knitted with anything quite like this. It's obviously a thicker version of All Seasons Cotton, but it's definitely not stiff whatsoever and has so much drape for a chunky yarn. If you've never tried it, it's unbelievably soft and smooth. Like vanilla. I can tell that this is going to be my go-to neutral hat – this soft shade (Pebble/601) will go with anything and everything.

This basic garter stitch hat is simple enough for a beginner, and a quick project that anyone can finish in an evening or two. It uses exactly one skein of Rowan All Seasons Chunky. Find the free pattern for Vanilla on Ravelry ... right here.