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Thursday, March 13, 2014

Pattern Release: Cashmears

I know it seems like I've been publishing tons of patterns lately, but that's been due mainly to a backlog of stuff I started late last fall. A bunch of samples were done at the same time, so I've been going through them, and it just happened that they've all been ready to publish at more or less the same time. This is one of the last in the bunch, though, so there will be a bit of a break soon while I get back to my sketches.

We had some decidedly spring-like weather over the weekend and earlier this week, but this morning it was 10 degrees (-9 with wind chill) outside, so clearly winter isn't done with us yet. That means that, unfortunately, I still need this pattern to keep my ears warm.


The slightly punny name of Cashmears came about because I used approximately half a skein of Knit Picks Capra (a merino/cashmere blend) to knit this headband/earwarmer. (You may recognize the yarn -- it was leftover from the sample for Ellyce). There's no way I'd let a cashmere blend yarn go to waste, so I knew I had to figure out a way to use it for something that would touch delicate skin and keep it warm. My ears always get cold right away in the winter, so an earwarmer seemed like the perfect canvas for this cable idea that I'd been kicking around in my head for some time.

This particular cable isn't hard, though it is a bit fiddly, as it requires two cable needles to execute (if you usually cable without a cable needle, you'll only need one). The edging is faux I-cord and very easy. Once you get the hang of both elements, this headband will knit up very quickly -- I managed to finish the sample/prototype in just a few evenings in between other projects.


Cashmears comes in two sizes -- to fit a head circumference of 20-22 (22-24) in./51-56 (56-61) cm -- though it's easy to adjust if you need to make it smaller or larger. Rainbow has already asked me to make her one, so I'll be making another in a slightly smaller size soon. Although Knit Picks classifies Capra as a DK, I find it knits up more like a worsted, so you should be able to use either weight of yarn successfully (and doesn't everyone have a bit of worsted or DK leftover from a sweater that's not quite enough for a hat or a pair of mittens?).

I really had a lot of fun knitting this, and frankly I'm not sure I'm done with this cable. I hope you enjoy it!

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