theraineysisters knitting and so much more

March 30, 2020

From Susan — Kep Knitting

Filed under: Updates — lv2knit @ 6:56 pm

No, not a typo!  I just finished Katie’s Kep, the 2020 Shetland Wool Week free hat pattern.  I was looking forward to this excuse to do a little fairisle knitting.  My arthritis didn’t appreciate the top of the crown,  but I soldiered on!  I was lucky to have the main colors in stash.  I wish that my purple was a bit softer.  I should have substituted something else!

I experimented a little bit with a technique I’ve used haphazardly in the past for mitigating the “jog” you get in fairisle patterns, that amounts to more of a break in the continuity of the patterning.  Here you can see what I mean on these Fjord Mitts.  The back of the left mitt shows the break in the pattern caused by working in the round.  I wear these mitts with the bad side down, so no one can see it!  But hats are different…there’s nowhere to hide!

A recent Interweave Knits (Winter 2020) had a great article on how to manipulate the pattern to minimize the break.  I charted Katie’s Kep in Excel and played around with the transition from one round to the next.  It was semi successful:

The top motif was totally cut in half and “broken,” but mine is only kind of broken!  The hat is very large, but my husband and I both have big heads so the fit is perfect!

PS — Wore my kep on a morning walk today.  It was cool and breezy, but my kep kept my ears and head warm!  It fits perfectly, too.

8 Comments »

  1. Aren’t you speedy! It’s beautiful. This was my favorite colorway…how nice that you had it on hand. Your purple looks great!

    Comment by CSK — March 31, 2020 @ 9:12 am

  2. It’s lovely! I just received that pattern notice in my email this week – thinking I may use the leftovers from Harriet’s Hat to make one!

    Comment by Amy J — March 31, 2020 @ 7:08 pm

  3. The colors you chose are glorious. Just what my eyes wanted to see!

    Comment by Gretchen (aka stashdragon) — April 1, 2020 @ 1:10 pm

  4. Beautiful! What a lovely pattern for free! Have tried Fair Isle but at too late an age. Too bad. Not too old, though, to admire yours and others’.

    Comment by Chloe — April 3, 2020 @ 6:53 am

  5. Sorry I thought it was Sally’s hat! Duh! It is gorgeous! The purple is perfect! Do you wear this hat with Skreppa on your walks?
    We walked Elm Creek Park this week and about died out there on some trail! It was perfect for walking, sunny, cool, and almost no people, just a few bike riders. WE never dreamed it would take us as long as it did but after we got back realized it was 5 miles!! The signs do not tell you where each trail takes you. Bill’s knee was bothering him terribly and so was my back (bothering me, not him). If you take the North trail you might never come back! Nice to commune with Mother Nature though!
    Your hat makes me want to knit fair isle but it would take me,as you would say, DECADES! Stay well, my friend!

    Comment by Kathy W. — April 4, 2020 @ 3:32 pm

  6. I really like that fiery colour way too!
    Thanks for the tip on large sizing.

    Comment by Lisa RR — April 4, 2020 @ 10:53 pm

  7. Keep posting I live vicariously through your knitting beautiful creations

    Comment by Marlys — April 5, 2020 @ 12:56 pm

  8. Beautiful! Great fix on the jog.

    Comment by Cathy L — April 7, 2020 @ 1:28 pm

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