Pattern Spotlight: Miki

Miki Swatch in Frankie and Charcoal Gerty

Miki, pronounced mee-kee in Japanese, means flower stem. This hat looks great on everyone, so no matter who you're knitting for this pattern will be a go to. It's knit from the bottom up with two contrasting colors of Gerty. The hat features a slipped stitch pattern that is reminiscent of a flower stem. I had a lot of fun swatching with Gerty and coming up with the stitch pattern. The yarn has a lot of bounce so I knew it would work well with slip stitch.

 

 

You only knit with one color at a time, super easy!

Slip stitch patterns are really fun to knit and it creates a warm and cozy hat. You are only working with one color at a time, so it's much easier to knit than it looks. The colors are carried up on the inside of the hat, so there is no need to cut your yarn as you knit the hat. This yarn takes dye very well. The colors are so vibrant. There are so many possibilities of color combinations with Anzula’s beautiful colorways.

 

One of my favorite parts about this pattern is that you will have enough yarn to make a second hat. Gerty’s yardage is very generous. As you can see, I reversed the colors for the 2nd hat. You can knit one for yourself and then gift the second one.

Alternating colors makes super cute hats for best friends, parent/child, siblings, or any other 2 people who like each other.

Gerty blocks out beautifully. It plumps up nicely even after blocking and I do love a good blocking. I highly recommend blocking because it brings out the best of the wool. Gerty does best with a short soak in cool water. (Note from Team Anzula - If you add anything to the water, make sure it's designed for hand dyed yarns. Please don't use laundry detergent or softeners. They aren't great for hand dyes)

The pattern is now available on Ravelry here. From now until Oct 13, you can buy Miki for a discounted price of $4 by using the coupon code “GertyLove” at the checkout. For yarn shops that would like high quality print copies for their store, they can be purchased at wholesale through Stitch Sprouts.


You can find more of Angela’s designs on Ravelry. Follow her on Instagram to see what she is currently working on.

Gerty is available in the shops listed below, all of whom are happy to ship!

Baskets of Yarn - Charlotte, NC - (704) 733-9053
Wasatch and Wool - Park City, UT - (435) 575-0999
Yarn Refuge - Reno, NV - (775) 384-1600
Knit One Purl Two - Rockford, IL - (815) 904-6030
Harps & Thistles Yarn Emporium - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - (234) 208-9482
Avenue Yarns - Albany, NY - (510) 526-9276

Special orders only: Swatches - Fresno, CA - (559) 435-2813
Special orders are dyed to order and are typically ready in 3-5 weeks.You can place a special order for Gerty (or any of our yarns) at your favorite local shop. See a list of shops here and our map here

Pattern Roundup: Hats, hats, hats!

It's getting late in the year, which means we're quickly approaching a slew of gift giving holidays. And you're probably realizing that you should have started knitting and crocheting gifts in January in order have something for everyone on your list off the needles/hook, washed, blocked, and if you're really good, dry and wrapped in pretty paper. 

One of my favorite gifts to give is hats. Soft hats. Ones that people will actually wear because they don't feel itchy. Washable hats, because you know it doesn't matter how you much you label/instruct/beg, people are gonna throw that thing in the washer. And most importantly, hats that are than any hat the receiver has or will ever have, because it's hand made with beautiful yarn. As a bonus, most hats only take a couple hundred yards, require little blocking, and are quick to make. 

Here are a bunch of my favorites!

Owl In the Thicket Hat by Sara Burch

Owl In the Thicket Hat by Sara Burch

Oak Way by Taiga Hilliard

Oak Way by Taiga Hilliard

Fiona Hat and Fingerless Mitts by Mary Beth Temple

Fiona Hat and Fingerless Mitts by Mary Beth Temple

Sour Hat by Stephannie Tallent

Sour Hat by Stephannie Tallent

Alexin by Janet Brani

Alexin by Janet Brani

Kara-Kum by Faina Goberstein

Kara-Kum by Faina Goberstein

North Lyme by Woolly Wormhead

North Lyme by Woolly Wormhead

Cosset by Jennifer Raymond

Cosset by Jennifer Raymond

Raleigh Brin Hat by Gina Kanouse

Raleigh Brin Hat by Gina Kanouse

Tekstur by Angela Tong

Tekstur by Angela Tong

Dear Baby Francis by Carrie Sullivan

Dear Baby Francis by Carrie Sullivan

Fractals Hat by Olga Buraya-Kefelian

Fractals Hat by Olga Buraya-Kefelian

Tectonic Hat by Benjamin Krudwig (There's a knit version too!)

Tectonic Hat by Benjamin Krudwig (There's a knit version too!)

Winnimere by Becky Herrick

Winnimere by Becky Herrick

Cinnamon Sticks Hat by Lindsey Stephens

Cinnamon Sticks Hat by Lindsey Stephens

St Jean des Briques Tam by Mona Zillah

St Jean des Briques Tam by Mona Zillah

Cables n' Lace Hat by Kalliopi Aronis

Cables n' Lace Hat by Kalliopi Aronis

Barry by Lee Meredith

Barry by Lee Meredith

I know, it's a lot of hats. And if you can believe it, there are even more. Here's a link to all the great hats designed for Anzula yarns - Anzula Hat Land.

Do you have a huge gift list to fill? What are you planning to make? Tell us all about it in the comments below!