Positively Glowing

Isn't it funny how some knitting trends — and fashion trends in general — seem to come in little by little and then, BOOM, you see them everywhere?

Fluffy yarns, like mohair or alpaca, have been slowly making a comeback for a couple of years now but I feel like this fall they've stormed in with gale force. And in particular fluffy yarns knit together with another, smoother yarn. Camilla Vad's Magnolia and PetiteKnit's No Frills Sweater are both striking in this trend.

I'm usually quite resistant when it comes to new trends — I tend to gravitate more towards timeless rather than à la mode. But even I succumbed to the call of the fluff this fall. (And this is not the only fluffy piece that's been on my needles.)

The Glow hat pattern was designed with the combination of fluffy and smooth in mind. The original pattern is written for a truly luxurious yarn pairing: ITO Karei, 100% cashmere, and ITO Sensai, a lace-weight mohair/silk. I used something a little more affordable: 100% organic wool and a mohair/silk/wool blend.

I've seen a lot of projects where you pick the different yarns in either the same or similar colors. But I wanted something completely contrasting: a bright, autumn-y orange and very dark gray. Couple that with a textured stitch pattern and the effect you get is quite interesting.

The hat pattern is very easy to knit: a couple of inches of twisted rib, lots of broken seed stitch (another trend!), and then decreases.

I'm in two minds about going back and modifying the decreases, though. Instead of placing them on opposite sides of the hat, I could try dividing the hat circumference in four, and following the same decrease instructions. This would make the increase section only half as long and thus the crown more rounded. The hat is wonderfully slouchy as it is but for my small head I might try to make it slightly less long.

• On Ravelry: ✨G✨L✨O✨W✨

• Pattern: Glow by Tiina Huhtaniemi

• Yarns: 185 m / 202 yd of BC Garn Bio Shetland in Slate Gray + 153 m / 167 yd of Sandnes Garn Tynn Silk Mohair in colorway #2727 (orange)

• Needles: 3.0 mm for ribbing, 3.5 mm for broken seed stitch

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#knitting #hat #mohair #silk #wool #shetland #organic #BCGarn #SandnesGarn #brokenseedstitch #trends