The latest design in our Year of Bulky Hats is here! The School House Hat is modeled after a cap Courtney’s mother wore as a schoolgirl in the 1950s, knit by her grandmother. While inspired by a hat for children, it’s also a perfect hat for the young-at-heart! This vintage style is super flattering with bangs, a…
Tag: hat

Year of (Bulky) Hats: Midvale by Kate Gagnon Osborn
The latest design in our Year of Bulky Hats is here! A two stitch garter panel is paired with a four stitch left leaning cable making the August YOBH, Midvale, a classic and cozy accessory. Worked in the round from the bottom up, the ribbing beautifully transitions into the cable pattern that begins with integrated…

Year of (Bulky) Hats: Awbury by Courtney Kelley
The latest design in our Year of Bulky Hats is here! You may recognize Awbury as a bulky version of our popular July Hat from 2019! Courtney initially designed the July Hat as a nice break from more complicated knitting projects – it is small enough to be portable, and simple enough that you can knit it while hanging…

Year of (Bulky) Hats: Upsala by Kate Gagnon Osborn
The latest design in our Year of Bulky Hats is here! Knit this cute hat during the spring or summer months and the delightful color and fun flowers will brighten your days when winter arrives! Upsala is worked in the round from the bottom up. It begins with a twisted knit 1, purl 1 ribbing at the…

Year of (Bulky) Hats: Sedgwick by Courtney Kelley
The latest design in our Year of Bulky Hats is here! Sedgwick is an oh-so-jaunty beret perfect for transitioning to May weather. Y’all, I am so so so into this! Do you know that feeling when you’re trying to do something that you know should work, but it just keeps not working? That has been…

Year of (Bulky) Hats: Ivy Hill by Courtney Kelley
Courtney really likes to shake things up in the spring with some wild hat designs and bold colors, and her contribution to this month’s Year of Bulky Hats, Ivy Hill, is no exception! Ivy Hill is bobblicious! These bobbles are big and bold and fun to knit. The hat starts with a garter rib and jumps…

Year of (Bulky) Hats: Fernhill by Kate Gagnon Osborn
Y’all blew us away with your response to January’s Wister hat, and we’re excited to share February’s design with you, Fernhill! Fernhill is the February Hat you know and love, but somehow even squishier! The February Hat from the 2019 Year of Hats continues to be an incredibly popular design, which I am so pleased with and proud of….

Introducing the Year of (Bulky) Hats: Wister by Courtney Kelley
We continue to be overwhelmed at the positive reception to our Year of Hats from 2019, and it was a no brainer to do it again in Germantown Bulky! As with the Year of Hats, the Year of (Bulky) Hats is a year long series featuring a FREE hat pattern every month. The first pattern in the series…

New Free Pattern: Cumberland Falls Hat
When I start a new project I always begin with a hat (or hats). It’s a perfect way to practice your pattern, check your gauge, and try out color combinations. Swatches are great, but I like to have something I can use after all that knitting! (This is also why I have quite a few…

Year of Gifts: Delphinium Beret
The October Year of Gifts is here! The Delphinium Beret is a jaunty little cap designed in Kelbourne Woolens Andorra. Worked in the round from the bottom up, it begins with a K1, P1 ribbing, then integrated increases shape the body of the hat. After working the body in a lace repeat, integrated decreases shape…

Free Pattern: Gilda’s Hat
It’s been quite the week for all of us, hasn’t it? With people out of work, kids out of school, and a lot of uncertainty about the future, we have been trying to maintain a sense of routine and calm at our house. We’ve quickly created new routines that allow both my partner and I…

Year of Gifts: Snowdrop Hat
It’s here! The first pattern in the Year of Gifts! The Snowdrop Hat is a modern colorwork design in Andorra that features a provisionally cast on folded brim, bold graphic colorwork, and a large pom pom. A Kelbourne Woolens leather tag provides the perfect finishing touch! Although the design includes a few different colorwork patterns,…

Year of Hats: November Hat
I haven’t been able to walk the dogs without a hat to keep my ears cosy, which is how I know fall has officially arrived in Philadelphia. Hats – arguably one of the most useful fall accessories – are perfect for fall knitting, wearing, and gifting! The November Hat by Meghan Kelly is a cute…

Year of Hats: October Hat
Is there a better month in the year than October? We think not! The leaves are changing, the air is crisp and clean, and firewood is stacked and ready for the first fire of the season. October is perfect hat knitting and wearing weather, so grab your needles and get ready for the October Hat…

The Knit Vibe: Chaleur by Kate Gagnon Osborn
Vickie Howell’s new book, The Knit Vibe, was released today and I’m delighted to share my contribution, Chaleur! Chaleur is a quintessentially “Kate” hat: deep ribbing, intricate cables, integrated increases and decreases, and a slouchy fit are all incorporated into the design. Knit in Scout in orchid heather, Chaleur is a wooly, modern, and functional…

Year of Hats: September Hat
Grab your pencils, erasers, protractors, and knitting needles! It’s back to school time and also the third Tuesday of the month, which means we’re unveiling a new (free!) hat in our Year of Hats series! Caroline Dick is one of our guest designers in this series and we’re delighted by her sweet September Hat. It’s…

Year of Hats: August Hat
We love hats—we love designing them, we love wearing them, we love giving them to our friends and family, but we also love our friends design hats, too! Fortunately, we know many talented designers, so for the second half of our Year of Hats series we’ve invited a few of our friends to share the…

Year of Hats: June Hat
Are we halfway through the Year of Hats already?! I guess we are because it’s the third Tuesday of June, and that means the June Hat is ready for you! If this is your first time coming across our Year of Hats series, we are releasing a new, free hat pattern made in our Germantown…

Designer Feature: Bynx Hat by Hayley Geary
We have a soft spot in our hearts for our snuggly Scout yarn. The entire Kelbourne Woolens team can’t get enough of its heathered, saturated colors, and versatility. It’s one of those yarns that just works for most textures, including our favorite – cables! Hayley Geary’s Bynx Hat, made in Scout’s Moss Heather, shot to…

Provisional Cast On
A provisional cast-on is a way to cast on stitches using waste yarn as a temporary cast on so that it can be easily unraveled after the knitting is complete, leaving you with live stitches which you can then place on your needle. I use the crochet provisional cast on often, most frequently when working…

New Free Pattern: Llumeneres Hat!
When we received the new colors of Andorra this season, I saw the deep navy and immediately fell in love. I had always wanted to knit my Seathwaite hat in a smaller gauge with a slouchier fit, and with the release of the new colors and Small Business Saturday just around the corner, it seemed…

Andorra Collection: Delia
When we received the samples for Andorra (at that time only referred to as “Courtney’s Yarn”), I knew I wanted to make a hat. Partially because I love knitting hats, but also because I knew the wool and mohair blend would make for an excellent warm, durable, practical accessory. When swatching, I went a…

Andorra Collection: Patsy Bohus Hat
If you know me at all, you know that I have a deep love for the Bohus Stickning Cooperative. What is Bohus Stickning? Well, I’m glad you asked. You can read all about it on a previous blog post, or listen to this interview I did with Very Pink Knits, or go buy this fabulous…

Introducing The Andorra Collection!
A little bit vintage, a little bit classic, a little bit contemporary. It’s here! The Andorra Collection, the first collection for our first Kelbourne Woolens yarn, Andorra. Kelbourne Woolens Andorra Collection showcases the best that knitting has to offer. Cables, lace, and color work adorn sweaters and accessories in just the right ways. Designed to…

Designer Feature: Last Lavender
There’s nothing more exciting than seeing what comes out of a new generation of knitters. I am happy to share this super cute hat design called Last Lavender by budding designer Jessica Gingerich. I asked Jessica to tell us about her design experience in her own words. “I learned to knit on YouTube a little…
Designer Feature: Solas by Ysolda Teague
The designs in Ysolda Teague’s 3rd annual gift collection, Knitworthy 3, have recently become available as individual PDF downloads. Intended as projects with unique and special details destined to be well-appreciated gifts, her hat, Solas, is a lovely slouchy cabled beanie featuring The Fibre Co. Arranmore. From Ysolda, in her description of Solas: “A slouchy…
Vogue Knitting Early Fall 2016 / Modern Chullo by Kate Gagnon Osborn
The preview for the Early Fall 2016 Vogue Magazine came out, and I designed a hat for the “Chullo Challenge” story. The idea was to do a riff on the Andean Chullo hat. When researching the traditional accessory, I was most drawn both to the use of multiple colors and geometric motifs. My intention was…

Seathwaite Round Up
The Seathwaite Hat, published last October through our friend Karen at Fringe Association has been a huge hit! I have absolutely loved seeing all of the fabulous versions pop up on Instagram and Ravelry, and especially enjoy hearing when people say it was their first time working cables, charts, or a provisionally cast-on folded brim. I…
Vogue Winter 2015/2016: Fitted Hat
I was recently asked to design a project for the Bohus inspired story in the newest Vogue Knitting magazine, and immediately thought of creating a hat out of four shades of The Fibre Co. Cumbria Fingering. Unlike the angora-heavy yarns of traditional Bohus, the Cumbria Fingering has a very subtle halo from the mohair, making…
Free Pattern: Bardon Mill Hat by Kate Gagnon Osborn
The Fibre Co. Cumbria Fingering lends itself perfectly to winter accessories. With a healthy 328 yards per 100 gram skein, there is plenty of yardage to create a classic hat or pair of mittens. (I’m also scheming up a pair of boot socks…) In honor of the newest fabulous addition to the Fibre Co. lineup, I…

Joining a Folded Brim
One of the items I love knitting most are hats, and the folded brim is a technique I use often. When you begin with a provisional cast-on – I prefer and exclusively use the crochet provisional cast on, detailed here – and join the cast on and live stitches, the end result is a seamless folded brim…

KW Style It: Seathwaite Hat
Karen and I have been really please with the positive response to the Seathwaite Hat, so I thought it would be fun to work up a few outfit possibilities for the hat to show both its functionality and versatility. STYLE ONE: Urban Office It may seem counterintuitive to pair a heavily cabled hat in a…

Fringe Hatalong: Seathwaite
When Karen Templer first approached me about the Fringe Hat Along series she was scheming up on her blog, I was firmly on board. Originally, the intention was to provide a free pattern from our existing collection, but the logistics of that were a little wonky, so it made sense to design something new exclusively…
Independent Designer Feature: Scorpion Bowl by Thea Colman
Last summer, while we were at Squam, we had the opportunity to hang out a bit with Thea Colman, the hilarious designer behind Baby Cocktails. At the marketplace she picked up a skein of Canopy Worsted in tanager, a bright, tropical blue. After some brainstorming with Courtney (We’re always up to talk shop, especially when…
Knitter Projects: Frick Frick Beret
You can never have enough hand knit accessories, and this definitely applies to hats! We love Pamela Wynne’s Frick Frick Beret. You’ve probably seen her popular February Lady Sweater and this little beret is another clean design with a touch of lace to spice it up. This version, knit by Kelly, uses Road to China Light in Riverstone….
Twist Collective Spring/ Summer 2013
With the summer months quickly approaching we’ve been looking forward to simple lace patterns and lightweight projects for easy traveling. In the latest issue of Twist Collective, Iris Wildsmith combines lace with textured stitches to create Galliera. We love the transitions Iris incorporates throughout the hat. From a twisted rib to the subtle lace detail…
New Free Pattern: Genmaicha
Spring has sprung here in Philly, and what better time to share with you this super cute free pattern than a beautiful cool sunny day? Genmaicha is a lovely colorblocked hat with limitless color possibilities. Knit in Canopy Fingering and designed by Kate Gagnon Osborn, this cute hat is worked from the top down with…
knit.wear Spring 2013: Amplified Cowl, Chevron Hat + High Relief Dolman
The latest issue of knit.wear was just released a couple of weeks ago and we couldn’t be more excited! This issue features some of our favorite yarns, Acadia and Tundra, and some new designs by Kate and Courtney. To start is the Amplified Cowl Designed by Kate and knit in Tundra’s creamy Snowdrift colorway, this…
New Free Pattern: Picket Hat
Originally knit way back in 2011, Maura kept wearing this hat to work all fall + winter and after we all threatened to steal it from her (more than once!) we though it was high time to write it up into a pattern. The beauty of this hat is in its simplicity – a gorgeous…
Knitter Projects: Botanic Hat
With winter showing its brutal face here on the east coast, it’s time to bring out the hats, scarves, mittens and everything warm to protect us from the harsh winter winds. The Botanic Hat by Stephen West is a great way to mix and match colors and textures of different yarns, plus it’s reversible! In…
Knitter Projects: East Falls Hat
The East Falls Hat, designed by Kate and published in Knitscene, showcases striping with not only color, but texture. Add in some lovely Acadia and you have a winning combination for the winter season. In this awesome version knit by Julie, the usage of contrasting colors with her choice of Acadia in Blue Heron and…
Knitbot’s Simple Beret
With the winter season just around the corner, even though it’s currently 57 degrees in Philadelphia (what?!), it’s the perfect time to gear up for the upcoming chill. To battle the grueling winter weather, Hannah Fettig has released the Simple Beret pattern, a great hat collection that features four of our yarns! From Canopy Fingering…
Twist Collective Winter 2012: chime by Amy Christoffers
The latest issue of Twist Collective went live today and we couldn’t be more excited about it. Showcased in this issue is chime by Amy Christoffers. Not only does this pattern showcase three interesting designs, but as an added bonus, each item is reversible. The play on eyelet stitches and a subtle garter chevron truly…
Tundra Collection: Available Now!
We’re delighted to announce the full release of The Tundra Collection, 8 accessory patterns featuring our newest yarn, Tundra! Designed to use 1-3 skeins of Tundra, each design features simple textural stitches for optimum visual interest and easy-intermediate knitting. Patterns are sold individually. Arctic Circle, a textured cowl by Antonia Shankland featuring Tundra in glacier Auckland,…
Interweave Knits Fall 2012: Amstel Hat
The fall 2012 Interweave Knits is here and it is easily one of the best issues we have seen in a long time. Filled with garments and accessories – even two bags and a children’s toy – it is the perfect antidote to the warm + humid summer we’re experiencing on the east coast. Courtney…
New For Sale Pattern: Amaranth
Designed by Kate Gagnon Osborn, Amaranth features Organik in painted desert, a bright cheery pink. The lace pattern creates and organic motif over the body of the hat and the yarn makes for a warm and soft accessory. The combination of beauty and practicality is a win-win! Specifications: • Yarn: Organik in painted desert, 2…

Knitscene Winter 2008/Spring 2009
We were delighted when Lisa Shroyer approached us about including an article in the Winter 2008/Spring 2009 Knitscene Magazine on Kelbourne Woolens and the Fibre Company distributorship. It was a delight to work with Lisa and we are so happy with how the article came out! It is a wonderful insight into Kelbourne Woolens and…

Wesley
Our holiday gift to you: Wesley, a beret knit out of the amazingly soft Organik! Continuing with knits inspired by woven textiles, (and hats!) Kate designed this beret in three colors to best showcase the stitch. True to her other designs, the decreases are incorporated into the stitch pattern to create a continuous crown. As an…