Iron gate beanie

The test knitters for Wrought iron sweater had the excellent idea of a beanie with the same lace pattern. I couldn't resist, so I wrote a beanie pattern to accompany the sweater.

What: Iron gate / Oma ohje
How: Circular needle 3.0 mm
From: WalkCollection Cozy Merino + Hedgehog Fibres Skinny Singles, 75 + 10 g

I had left overs of the contrast color from the sweater, plenty enough to design a hat. Main color I had to get from my LYS. I found this lovely, kind of a lead shaded green merino single.

The idea was to use the same lace as in the sweater. I felt that the hat would hold wind at all, so in order to stay warm in my new beanie, I made it double layered. No more cold ears! I also like how well the lace stands out against the main color.

The knitting starts at the crown of the lining. A few increases and then lots of plain stockinette stitch. The brim is twisted ribbing and the hats are fastened at the top of the ribbing so that they stay in place.

The contrast color lace in this one is knitted as intarsia in the round. But don't worry, the pattern includes a photo tutorial. If you don't dare to commit yourself to an entire sweater, this beanie is a quick project for trying this interesting technique.

While designin the beanie, I was a bit nervous on how nicely I could make the decreases on the lace, but they turned out really pretty and made this knitwear designer happyhappy.

You'll need an almost entire skein of the main color but only about 10 grams of contrast color. I still have some left from the sweater and the hat. Any ideas on where to use the rest?

The hat has been on my head every day since I finished it. The lining makes it really warm and the merino single yarn is super soft on the head. The lace goes well on a sweater and on a hat. The play with knit and purl stitches gives a bit of a 3D effect.

The pattern has been test knitted and is available on Ravelry. You can get the pattern at half price if you purchase or have purchased the Wrought iron sweater as well. Add them both to your Ravelry cart and the discount should show up automatically. Or, if you have already bought the sweater, just add the beanie to your cart and you should see the discount. The offer expires at the end of Saturday February 25th.