Baby It’s Cold Outside: Guest Post & Free Patterns by Donna Druchunas

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On a cold winter night, there’s nothing quite as cozy as sitting on the couch, wrapped in a favorite hand-knit shawl, watching an old movie or listening to holiday music. A fire crackling in the wood stove. A glass of dry red wine or cup of rich hot cocoa in arm’s reach. Perhaps the only thing that might improve the situation is to be knitting a new favorite shawl, with a pile of luxurious yarn in your lap and a pair of polished wooden knitting needles in your hands.

I don’t have a big stash—my personal yarn fits into a single cedar chest—and I rarely buy yarn without having a specific project in mind. In fact, buying yarn for no particular reason stresses me out. I’m an impulsive knitter but not an impulsive shopper. When I buy something yummy, I want to knit it. NOW! Of course the fact that I usually have twenty-odd projects for publication on the needles, with several others in the planning, pattern writing, or tech editing stages, may play into my preference to make fast, rewarding projects to give as gifts.

If I buy yarn and don’t start a project tonight, who knows when I’ll find the time to fondle my newly purchased fiber? If I cast on and don’t finish today, who knows when I’ll have a chance to pick up the same needles and project again? So I dive in with my favorite fibers and knit like a whirlwind whenever I have the chance to play hooky for a day or a weekend, whenever I need a break from the more complex projects I’m working on for publication.

Combining textures and fibers in a single garment reminds me of the way we combine various herbs and spices, vegetables, broths, and sauces to make Thanksgiving dinner. Juxtaposing different textures, even more than combining colors, gives an extra element of depth and flavor to a knitting project. I love seeing the same colors reflect light differently on different fibers. The luster of silk playing off the flat texture of linen, the halo of mohair against the smooth wool. The way different fibers absorb the same dyes in different ways is a never ending fascination to me. And so any time I stumble on a chance to use different yarns that have been dyed in the same colorway, I’m ready to cast on.

I love gift knitting.

Truth be told, I love all kinds of knitting but there’s nothing quite as satisfying as choosing just the right yarn, color, and pattern to make something special for a friend or loved one. And the last couple of months of the year—when, Baby, it’s cold outside!—are the year are prime time for gift knitting.

This holiday season I’m working on a cashmere hat for a close friend, beaded fingerless gloves for my niece, and matching hats and booties for two new babies. Plus this week, I’m finishing up the sample socks for two new Bluprint classes I’ll be recording just after Thanksgiving.

What are you working on?

If you haven’t decided yet, here’s a pattern for an easy cable scarf and hat set that I designed a few years back. It’s a quick knit and all you’ll need to do is change the yarn to something in your recipient’s favorite color.

Baby It’s Cold Outside Hat & Scarf Set

Usually I make hats in the round but I knit this one back and forth for those of you who don’t like circular and double-pointed needles. It knits up quickly in chunky yarn on size 10 needles.

Hat –

Size: Adult, fits heads up to 22″ (56cm) in circumference. 16″ (41cm) circumference, unstretched

Gauge: One 11-st repeat of Cable & Rib patt = 2 1/2″ (6.35cm) wide unstretched, cap stretches a lot as shown in the photos

Materials:

Yarn: 123 yards (112m) of chunky weight yarn. I used 1 ball of Plymouth Galway Chunky (100% wool, 100 grams = 123 yards per ball).

For a machine washable hat, Plymouth Encore Chunky or Lion Brand Wool-Ease Chunky would work well.

Knitting needles: Size 10 (6mm) needles

Notions: Cable needle and tapestry needle

Cable & Rib Pattern (multiple of 11+1)

Rows 1 and 5 (RS): *P1, k4, (p1, k1) 3 times; rep from * to last st, p last st.

Rows 2, 4 and 6: Work in patt as est, knitting the knits and purling the purls.

Row 3: *P1, sl 2 sts to cable needle and hold to back, k2, k2 from cable needle, (p1, k1) 3 times; rep from * to last st, p last st.

Repeat rows 1 – 6 for patt.

Hat Instructions:

CO 67 sts.

Work in Cable & Rib patt until cap measures approx 6 3/4″ (17cm) long, end after working row 6 of Cable & Rib patt.

Hat Crown

Next row (RS): *P1, k1, k2tog, k1, p1, k1, slip 2 kw, k1, p2sso, k1; rep from * to last st, p last st.

Work 3 rows in patt as est (k3, p1 ribbing).

Next row (RS): *P1, slip 2 kw, k1, p2sso; rep from * to last st, p last st.

Work 3 rows in patt as est (k1, p1 ribbing).

Next row (RS): K2tog across to last st, k1.

Finishing

Cut yarn leaving a 6″ (15cm) tail. Run tail through rem sts and pull tight to draw the top of the hat together.

Sew side seam. Weave in ends.

If desired, make pom-pom and sew to top of hat.

Scarf –

Size: Approx 6″ (15 cm) wide by 64″ (162 cm) long, without fringe

Gauge: 27 sts = approx 5″ unstretched and unblocked in Cable Rib patt

Materials

Yarn: 369 yards (326m) of chunky weight yarn. I used 3 balls of Plymouth Galway Chunky (100% wool, 100 grams = 123 yards per ball), 1 ball each in MC (turquoise), A (green) and B (hot pink).