OhSewCrafty Blog

• Pattern by Kate Gagnon Osborne, from “Modern Vintage Knits”
• Yarn: Miss Babs Northumbria Aran “Blackwatch”, 157 yards
• Size/Gauge/Needles: as per patt, 6.4 spi on US 7’s, 6’s for brim
• Time to knit: 5 days in January 2012

Shortly after finishing Glashütte, I decided that I needed another pom-pom trimmed hat.  I’d always liked the Vorderrhein pattern, it qualified for the SKC “cables” KAL, and the pattern is actually from the same designer.

I learned my lesson about uneven rib patterns, so I used a regular long tail cast on this time.  The pattern calls for 5’s in the brim, but this yarn just seemed too thick for 5’s, so I used 6’s.  The elaborate cabling, all with twisted stitches, creates a richly textured fabric.  It requires much attention but with aran weight yarn, progresses quickly.

Miss Babs Northumbria aran is 100% bluefaced leicester wool, a rather plump, cushy 3 ply.  While not quite as soft as merino, this BFL is very soft, with luster and drape.  It’s strong too, a good hard tug doesn’t seem to weaken it all.  I really loved working with it, and I’ll definitely seek out more BFL yarn in the future.  Miss Bab’s dyejob “Blackwatch” is beautiful and subtle; kind of reminds me of a dark forest.

This is a fun, easy project, and the yarn I used is quite special.  “Modern Vintage Knits” has many lovely patterns and I hope to try one of the sweater projects at some point.