Sugar & Spice Beanie for a Bun (knit)

Fair Isle knitting is kinda intimidating. All those yarns. Having to maintain tension just right because if it's too tight the knitting will pucker and if it's too loose there's no elasticity and the stitches will look uneven. But if done just right....it's pretty awesome. Oh and the counting to make sure the color switching happens at the right place! 

I used the "one-handed stranding" technique because there weren't more than 4 stitches between color changes - I can knit my usual way and just change colors based on the pattern. It worked! It worked! I mean I did a simple pattern - the knit stitch makes a heart on its own. I just had to pick a cast on that would fit well and that I could divide up the hearts evenly. This wasn't the first time giving this a go but the inside was definitely neater and my tension was more even.

For the sizing. Well, I meant to make it for me and it fits (though I may prefer slightly longer, so maybe 2-3 additional rows?) but then my daughter got home from school and tried it on and decided she had to try it on. Love it on her!!

Materials

• US 11 (8 mm) 16" circular knitting needles
• US 13 (9 mm) 16" circular knitting needles
• less than 1 ball of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Spice
• less than 1 ball of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick in Fisherman
• stitch marker
• yarn needle

Notes

• Gauge: 2x2 inches = 5 sts x 7 rows

Finished Measurements

Circumference: 16 inches, not stretched

Height: 7.25 inches

Abbreviations

k = knit

p = purl

sts = stitches

*_* = repeat
MC = main color
CC = contrasting color

Instructions

• With MC and smaller needles long-tail cast on 48 sts, join in round, place stitch marker.
• Brim is a 2x2 ribbing for 6 rows (approximately 2 inches), *k2, p2*
• Switch to larger needles.
• MC knit in round 2 times.
• *MC, k3, CC k1*
• Repeat last two steps for a total of four times.
• MC, knit in round.
• MC *k6, k2tog* (42 sts)
• *MC k2, CC k1* (42 sts)
• MC *k3 k2tog* k2 last 2 sts (34 sts)
• MC *k1 k2tog* (23 sts) - if bigger hole preferred, bind off after this step
• MC *k2tog* k last st (12 sts)
• bind off in MC
• weave in ends

Maybe I'll intarsia knitting next...also known as "bobbin knitting." Instead of carrying the colors across rows in a repetitive pattern, blocks of color are isolated over the knitting and each motif uses a separate bobbin of yarn. We shall see...!

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