Ta Da: New Pattern & Charity KAL

As so many of us have been blogging and talking about how our knitting changes in the warm weather months, it got me thinking that a hat is the perfect small project to work on when you don't want to be sweating under a large WIP.  For those of you going through winter (yes, Wei Siew and Kirsten, I'm talking to you), isn't this also the perfect time to be knitting hats?

I'm excited to release my new hat pattern today and want to thank each of you for such warm words of encouragement as I worked on this design.  It was a real labor of love and friendship as I got to exchange thoughts with Gail (tech editor extraordinaire) and Ivy (test knit master), both of whom saw small details that helped make the pattern that much more fun to knit.  Erin is also in the process of test knitting this hat, and I'm looking forward to seeing hers when she's done. So, here it is:  The Miranda Hat!  It's a quick, one skein project, and I'm so pleased with how the design turned out.

Photograph by Ivy Mead

To celebrate this release, I'm hosting a charity Miranda Hat knitalong. Here's the plan: gather your materials and cast on the Miranda Hat anytime on or after June 24 and knit as many Miranda Hats as you'd like throughout the summer, ending on September 30. Please consider donating your hats to a local shelter or in-need program but, if you'd prefer, I'd love to receive your hats to donate to a very special group that my family and I volunteer with. Every other month, with a community group of volunteers, my family helps serve food to men, women, and children in need of a meal. Our team captain is a knitter, too, and she loved my suggestion of giving away hand-knit hats to any diner who would like one during November in anticipation of the holiday season. We're hoping to make this happen. To accommodate adults and children, the pattern comes in both adult and child sizes.

I've started a Project: Stash KAL Ravelry group so that we can keep track of each other's progress, and I truly hope you'll pop on over and join. Even if you only have time to knit one hat, that's one person who will have a little extra warmth this winter.


What else?  While I think knitting for charity is a gift in itself, I want to also give prizes as part of this charity KAL.  For July, I'm so pleased to have one of Gail's gorgeous box bags to giveaway.  

This is mine but the prize will be very similar

To be eligible to win, knit a Miranda Hat, post it on your blog, and link that to the Ravelry group. I'll create an FO thread. If you don't blog, please make sure to post it directly on the Ravelry group so we can all see your wonderful hats.  A random winner will be selected each month. There will also be a grand prize for the knitter who knits the most Miranda Hats by September 30 so stay tuned.

There are no restrictions on fiber -- natural will be most appreciated but as some people are allergic to wool and the like, acrylic hats are welcomed.  You pick the yarn, the color, and the size and in turn, someone will get a hand-knit hat this coming winter.


Thanks for reading all the way to the end of this long post, and I hope you'll knit-along!