lakeview hat

Lucky me: another month, another pattern release! And this one is the result of a very lovely collaboration. Meet the Lakeview Hat!

I can honestly say that the design for this hat was another one of those “lightning bolts” of inspiration. And it’s all thanks to the yarn.

I was recently introduced to Spirited Fibers by Sue Coffrin, the owner of Adirondack Yarns and the genius behind Spirited Fibers. (The Lakeview Hat is named in honor of its origins, inspired by Sue’s shop location in Lake Placid, NY.) Sue is a great lady who generously invited me a few weeks back to play around with some skeins of Spirited Fibers. Well, that’s all it took. As soon as I wound up one skein, I could see how amazing this yarn is. It’s everything you want in a knitting yarn: so soft (thanks to the 100% merino content), smooth and tightly spun (which produces fantastic stitch definition), a true worsted weight (yay size 8 needles!), and available in a wide range of colors.

So, of course, you all know me: I had to knit something textured with it. Before I knew what was happening, I was knitting a swatch for a hat with double moss stitch and a twisted, traveling cable. Isn’t it funny when the yarn just tells you what it wants to be? I showed the swatch to Sue at Rhinebeck and we agreed it was a definite GO! After that, I spent some happy hours knitting up different iterations and sizes (just ask my mom about our “back of the envelope” math in our Rhinebeck hotel hahaha! “Is my head really THAT size??”), going so far as to knit on my samples while lounging around in my beach chair last week on vacation! Et voilà! The Lakeview Hat was born.

Since Sue kindly gave me a couple different skeins/colors to work with, I was able to work up two different sized samples, which is always a nice exercise for a new design. Did I mention that the pattern includes SIX sizes? Yep, everyone from newborns to adults with the largest heads (read: me) are covered. In the picture above, you’ll see the Child Small size, which is sized to fit kids between toddler and teen ages, knit in the “Teal Squeal” colorway. If you love blue, you will love this color. Deep and true. You can also see the Adult Large size, which is modeled by yours truly in the “Pina Colada” colorway, a warm ivory. And NONE of the hats, even the largest size in the slouchiest length, needs more than 2 skeins! Many of the children’s sizes need only one skein, making this project a great stash buster or a great way to try out some Spirited Fibers!

You might have also noticed that the two samples are shaped differently – yes! Not only are there six sizes in the pattern, but there are also two crown shapes. Choose the shorter beanie crown for a more traditional, close fit to the head, or choose the longer slouchy crown for a more modern, looser fit around the head. Either way, the brims and bodies of the hats are sized properly to ensure a snug, warm fit.

And because I can’t get enough of the sharp texture that the yarn imparts, how about a few more beauty shots? (Mega thanks to Andrew, by the way, for the beautiful photos against the striking yellow maple trees in our backyard. Especially when I made him do two separate photoshoots….)

(I just love how the cable flows out of the brim and into the gathers at the crown. It only took me 34 tries to figure it out hehehehe.)

With the weather easing toward winter in this area, I’m thrilled to have the Lakeview Hat out in the world and I hope that you enjoy knitting it for yourself and your loved ones! To learn more about the Lakeview Hat and the pattern, you can click here or you can head on over to Ravelry here!

Even better? If you’re at the STITCHES East show this weekend in Hartford, CT, stop by the Adirondack Yarns booth (#s 613 and 615) to meet Sue, see the blue hat pictured above, experience this fabulous yarn for yourself, and get your own copy of the pattern!

Thanks as always to my wonderful tech editor, Karen, for her skills. Last, but not least, I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my Official First Photo Assistant, who made sure everything was JUST RIGHT for these photos:

Couldn’t do it without you, Coco 😉