Grethryn

You all know that I have been trying to learn Fair Isle for a little while now. Well, back when it was still so freshy-new to me, I put together a little hat design for Ravenwood Cashmere and this week it went live on my Mirth site!

It's called the Grethryn Hat and it's a super easy Fair Isle beanie. Since it only uses two colors and has such a simple pattern, it's a perfect beginner project for new Fair Islers.

This is one of my very favorite hats because it is so lightweight that I almost forget it's on my head, but is very warm because of the cashmere. Did you know that cashmere is 30% lighter than wool, yet eight times warmer than wool? It's true. Clara says.

Grethryn was also fun to knit up in two of the natural cashmere colors that Ravenwood offers. You might think that a soft, smooth yarn would not be good for two-color knitting, but sometimes it works. As you can see by comparing the two hats above, when fresh off the needles (as in the reverse sample on the left) it can be a little crinkly. Once you block the hat, however (as in the larger sample on the right) things settle out nicely. This picture also illustrates that the pattern includes sizes from newborn all the way up to adult large. It also includes measurements for a deep hat, like I choose to wear (completely covering the ear), and a slightly less deep hat, which comes mid-ear.

If you are new to two-color knitting or even if you've never tried, you will love the Grethryn Hat project. The colorwork is only on the sides of the hat, keeping it away from the shaping at the crown. This keeps things beginner friendly. 

As with all our collaborative patterns with Ravenwood Cashmere, you may either buy the kit* from Ravenwood, which includes yarn and pattern, or simply buy the PDF download from Mirth.

Happy Hat Knitting and Toasty Noggins to You! 

*ETA: Ravenwood is no longer selling the kits, but you can still buy yarn from them here.