Ambler Hats

A Really BIG, Totally Huge, Majorly Amazing  Announcement!!

Bohoknits is now designing and consulting for Ambler Hats. You will be seeing some Bohoknits designs peppered in their upcoming 2012 collection. Whether you are Canadian or American, odds are you've already seen their hats in your local outdoors store, MEC or REI.

I am super excited about this, so I want to talk a little bit about Ambler, because they are a fantastic company and I'm thrilled to be working with them and to be a part of their new collection (which will include some old Bohoknits faves as well as some brand new amazingness).

@ the Ambler offices wearing my Ambler hat!

 

Ambler is based in Canmore, Alberta and was founded by a local man who began by sewing up fleece hats in his basement. Fast-forward 10 years and Ambler offers multiple lines of hats all over North America, including a machine-knit merino and the woolly, hand knit Himalayan line (which is where you will see some Bohoknits designs next year!).

The thing that impresses me most about Ambler is that the owners employ actual, responsible practices. Not only are they interesting people in their own right, but business-wise, it is important to them to buy local, they purchase carbon offsets for their shipping, and they employ women in Nepal to create their hand knit hats and even pay them a fair wage (imagine that!). I'm betting they also do things like recycle and come to full stops at stop signs.

Their marketing is also ingenious. The logo tags on their hats read: "Use your head." Good advice. Their facebook catch line is: "There's only one person like the person under your hat." Aw, so true. While checking out their website for the first time, I clicked on "FAQs" expecting standard questions about how their hats fit or where they source their materials. Instead, they answer the truly frequently asked questions: What is the meaning of life? and Why is the sky blue? (My mom taught me the answer to that one when I was little: a scattering of light rays off the blue end of the spectrum - thanks, Mom!) For the answer to the former, you will have to visit their website:

http://www.amblermw.com/

Classic Granny Square Blanket

Here is a classic throwback from the 1970’s that everyone loves. It crochets up quickly, making it great for gift-giving. This blanket is lightweight and reversibile - perfect for babies or adults! This pattern is suitable for beginners and includes tips on seamless colour changing.

Craft: crochet
Skill Level: Rookie-Apprentice-Virtuoso-Genius
Skills: ch, dc

Sizes: one size (adjustable)
Finished Measurements: approx. 35" square

Gauge: not crucial
Yarn: 5 x 100 g, 241 yds (220 m) worsted weight yarn
Suggested Brand: 5 balls Paton’s Canadiana worsted acrylic or medium weight stash yarn

Needles: 5 mm hook
Other Materials: teeny crochet hook or tapestry needle

Instructions:

Alternate colours every rnd.

Make a slip knot. Ch 6. Join in a ring with a sl st.

Rnd 1: Ch 3 (first dc), 2 dc in sp (1 “square” made), *ch 3, 3 dc in same sp*, rep from * to * three times total (4 squares made); ch 3, insert hook into first ch 3 made at beg of rnd and YO with next colour, pull through. (Cut first colour.) Turn. (WS should now be facing you.)

Rnd 2: Ch 3 (first dc), 2 dc in sp, ch 3, 3 dc in same sp, *ch 1, 3 dc in sp, ch 3, 3 dc in same sp*, rep from * to * three times total (8 squares made), ch 1, sl st into first ch 3 (change colours as before). Turn.

Rnd 3: Ch 3 (first dc), 2 dcs in sp, *ch 1, 3 dcs in sp, ch 3, 3 dcs in same sp, ch 1, 3 dcs in next sp*, rep from * to * three times, end 3 dcs in sp, ch 3, 3 dcs in same sp, ch 1, sl st into first ch 3. Turn.

Rnd 4: You will make a 3 dc square + 1 ch in every sp across and two squares + 3 chs in every corner as foll:
Ch 3, 2 dcs in sp, ch 1, *3 dcs in next sp, ch 3, 3 dcs in same sp, ch 1, (3 dcs in next sp, ch 1) rep to corner, rep from * to * around finishing with a sl st into the first ch 3. Turn.

Rnd 5: Ch 3, 2 dcs in sp, ch 1, *(3 dcs in next sp, ch 1) rep to corner, 3 dcs in next sp, ch 3, 3 dcs in same sp, ch 1*, rep from * to * around finishing with a sl st in first ch 3. Turn.

Rep Rnd 5 until blanket is desired size or until you run out of yarn. End with a sl st into first ch 3 of last rnd worked, cut yarn and pull end through.
Weave in all ends.

Notes:

• Make sure you are working two squares in every corner.
• Don’t forget to turn your blanket at the end of every rnd - you should have a sp available to being your next rnd.
• When changing colours, work the first two dcs of the first square over top of the strands for fewer strands to weave in at the end.

Easy As Pie Crochet Hat Recipe

Thesaurus.com

Main Entry: easy as pie

Synonyms: duck soup, easily done, easily managed, easy as can be, like falling off a log, like shooting fish in a barrel, like stealing candy from a baby, no sweat, simple as ABC.

Use this recipe to make an easy crocheted hat in any size (literally).

What you need:

• Approx. 100 g, 220 yds (201 m) of almost any yarn. You might need more if you are using a very bulky yarn.
• Hook to suit yarn – check your label or make a gauge swatch and see how you like the fabric (you don't want it too dense or stiff, but not too loose or else it's not very warm)
  

Mmmmm, pie.

Instructions:

Chain enough sts to fit around your head (or the recipient’s head). 
Now you get to count all those little guys!  

Your chs should be a multiple of 6 + 1. 

Make sure the string doesn’t fit too tightly – you should be able to comfortably fit a finger or two between your head and the string. This takes a little bit of intuition since wool has a little bit of ease whereas some fibres, like cotton, have no stretch or give.

Using a slip st, join your string in the rnd. Try not to twist your chs. 

Work a sc in every st around. 
Note: I usually like to insert my hook through both loops, depending on the project, but you should do what feels right for you.

Keep working in a spiral (just keep single crocheting, see Note below) until your hat measures approx. 4” for a baby, 4.5” for a child and 5” for an adult. (Use your judgement and instincts to find the right size – if you try your hat on, it should look like an oversized headband with the crown of your head just peeking out.)

Note: Usually, to work a crochet rnd, you would ch1 at the beg of each rnd and then sl st into that ch when you come back to the beginning to keep everything straight. Some people find this easier so that they can keep track of their rows - for a hat like this, though, I like to keep it simple. However you prefer to do it, just make sure you aren't skipping chs and gradually making your hat smaller.

Decreases:

Use a scrap piece of yarn to mark the beg of the rnd. Slip it as you go.

Rnd 1: *work 5 scs, sk one st*, rep from * to * to end of rnd.

Rnd 2 (and all even rnds): work sc in each st around.

Rnd 3: *work 4 scs, sk one st*, rep from * to * to end of rnd.

Rnd 5: *work 3 scs, sk one st*, rep from * to * to end of rnd.

Rnd 7: *work 2 scs, sk one st*, rep from * to * to end of rnd.

Rnd 9: *work 1 scs, sk one st*, rep from * to * to end of rnd.

Rep Rnd 9 until you run out of sts. If it looks like your hat is getting too pointy at the top, omit the even numbered rnds from the last few inches of the hat.

Cut yarn and weave in ends.

Get Creative:

• Add earflaps
• Tassels (twisted or braided)
•  Add a little brim
• Trim (hold yarn double stranded and single crochet around the bottom)
• Pom Poms!
• Hold two strands together for entire hat (see photo, bulky weight wool with a variegated fingering weight)
• Make patterns, designs or stripes by combining scs and dcs
• Slouchy (make the body of you hat longer before you begin the decs)  

Check out: fakefoodonline.com....for some reason I find this really funny...in an amazing way. Can you believe that pie is fake?