Although Amber is no longer working at Loop (she moved back to her Pennsylvania country home) she’s still contributing to our blog and very much a part of the shop. Enjoy her latest post! -Craig
It’s no secret the Loop staff loves everything Brooklyn Tweed. Ever since Shelter made its appearance in October 2011, it’s been one of the most coveted yarns in the shop, and with good reason. Aside from its gorgeous tweedy color palette and lofty 2-ply spin, Shelter is 100% made in the U.S.A! How awesome is that?!
Before I picked up and moved out to the country, I made sure to stock up on all things BT. I wasn’t sure when I would have access to these beautiful yarns again (currently only 8 shops in the USA carry Brooklyn Tweed) and I was afraid of suffering from yarn withdrawal!
One of the patterns I brought with me was Rosebud by Jared Flood from the BT Fall 2011 Collection. This pattern uses Shelter, which is the worsted weight yarn, and includes two versions: a fitted tam and a more casual, slouchier hat. Rosebud is composed of two main design elements, a simple garter stich body and a large plaited cable. It’s simple and chic and exactly what I was looking for in a new winter hat.
Shelter in Almanac (left) and Button Jar (right)
After going back and forth between Almanac and Button Jar, I finally settled on Almanac because 1.) I NEVER ever knit with blues and 2.) I needed to take a break from my mostly green and brown color palette. I will admit, the change was really nice!
As usual, after swatching, I realized that I needed to go up one needle size from the recommended one. I decided to knit the slouchier version, so I needed two skeins; the smaller tam calls for one. In the end, I used exactly 1.25 skeins.
Me in my new Rosebud Hat!
It only took me two days to finish Rosebud and it was really fun to knit. I found the chart extremely easy to follow.
I was wearing my new Rosebud hat just seconds after sewing in the loose ends. I never bothered to block it, though they suggest you do because of the type of crown decreasing. After a few days of wear, I decided it was actually a tad too slouchy for my liking, so I just folded up the ribbed brim and voilà, the perfect fit!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Rosebud is gorgeous,
Almanac is blue,
Your blog post is terrific,
And we miss you!
Erika’s poem is perfect and so true. Great post! The hat looks beautiful on you.
Great hat, Amber!
Erika–you’re a poet, did you know it?
I love and miss you all!!! Hope you’re all having a wonderfully knitty winter <3
Love your FO! It’s funny that you posted about BT and Shelter because I was just in Loop over the MLK weekend to buy some and then wrote about coveting BT for ages. I ended up getting three skeins of Loft instead but I’m so excited about knitting with BT.