Quck, fun knit: One Hour Mitts

Try my new free pattern: big gauge, i. e. instant gratification, fingerless mitts with no fancy pattern (not even ribbing!). Perfect for a last minute gift (or for you to keep).

Free pattern: One Hour Mitts

Kürbis* Baby Hat

Here's another free pattern for you. It's a cute pumpkin-shaped hat with a rolled hem. It's very similar to some other pumpkin hat patterns I've seen on the internet, but I consider it sufficiently different to publish it here as a pattern. Feel free to use it, but please don't redistribute it without my permission.


Size: The hat should fit a head of about 39 cm circumference.

Yarn: I needed less than one ball (<50g) Gedifra For You, originally col. 1616 (silver gray), which I had dyed with Kool-Aid (1x mandarina tangerina + 1x orange). For the stem, I used leftovers of Rowan Lightweight DK, which had the perfect shade of green but was unfortunately a bit too thin (I should have used two strands of it).

Gauge: 24 sts (4 inches/10 cm) with smaller needles, 21 sts with larger needles

Needle size: Unfortunately, I can't remember which needles I used (d'oh!). I think it was either 3.0/3.5 mm or 3.5/4.0 mm.

Directions: Cast on 75 sts with smaller needles and join to round, place marker. Knit 1 inch (2.5 cm) in stockinette stitch (= knit every round). Next round: *knit 15, m1 (= make one)* [5 sts increased]. Next round: Change to larger needles and *k9, p1* all around. Keep knitting in pattern for about 4 inches (10 cm) with hem rolled / 5 inches (12.5 cm) with hem unrolled.

Next round: Start decreasing
*ssk, knit 5, k2tog, p1* all around, knit next 2 rounds in pattern
*ssk, knit 3, k2tog, p1* all around, knit next round in pattern
*ssk, knit 1, k2tog, p1* all around

Change to green yarn and knit one round of stockinette stitch.
Next round: Knit 4 sts, *work centered double decrease (= slip 2 sts together as if to knit, knit 1, pass the slipped stitches over the stitch just knit), knit 1* 8 times [16 sts]
Knit to marker and the next 3 rounds in stockinette stitch.
Next round: *k2, k2tog all around* [12 sts]
Next round: knit all sts
Next round: k1, k2tog all around [8 sts]
Next round: knit all sts
Next round: k2tog all around [4 sts]

Place the remaining four stitches on one needle (it has to be a double pointed needle) and knit an I-cord. The stem should be 2-3 inches long. Break yarn and thread it through all stitches twice, then thread it through a tapestry needle. Bend the stem to the side and pull the needle with the yarn to the inside of the stem and down, then weave the end in on the inside. Now weave the other ends in too and you’re done!


*Kürbis means 'pumpkin' in German and is pronounced ['kYrbIs]. The sound [Y] is a close, front and rounded vowel, similar to u in the french déjà vu. If you want to articulate it correctly, try to pronounce i (like in bit), but with rounded lips.

New home

I've never been much of a blogger person (I guess I don't have that much to say after all :)) and mostly used my old place to post pictures and a few details about my knitting projects and, more recently, to publish my patterns. Now that I can organize my projects much more efficiently on Ravelry, the blogging has stopped altogether. So I finally decided to abandon the old blog and give my patterns a new home.


I would never have expected that my first pattern, the Primavera Socks, would become such a success. At this moment, there are more than 200 projects listed on Ravelry. I still can't believe how many people have used my pattern to knit socks either for themselves or to give them to someone else. Can you believe there are actually 141 finished Primaveras out there?

I regularly check the project gallery on Ravelry and I'm very impressed by all the finished socks I see there. Apparently, knitters find the instructions clear enough to follow them - I wasn't sure about this at all when I was writing the pattern, especially since English is not my mother tongue! Even people with no prior sock knitting experience did not seem to have major problems with the pattern. Look for example, what great job otrembarific did with her teal Primaveras - her very first socks!

I was so proud when the first person queued the pattern - now it's 1062 people! Some liked the pattern so much they want to knit it again, others have already done so. If I remember correctly, KnittingPixie's Primaveras was the first finished pair. Many more followed and among them are such beautiful examples as franklin's Violet Primavera Socks or hollyberry79's Vinca Socks - the two even picked the same yarn! Or, check out these beauties, knit by Maja! Some knitters spared no effort to showcase their FOs: Look at the pretty spring themed setting WickedPyssa used to photograph her pink Primaveras or woolwinder's pictures, shot at the seashore. Very nice!

Writing down the pattern for these socks was so much fun and seeing other people actually knit them is so exciting that I definitely want to try to design another sock pattern. Actually, I already have an idea, so stay tuned!