Hello, fellow fiber lovers!

This is my first blog post on the new website and we are going to dive right in. Let me first say how glad I am you are here! Please visit often 🙂

I have been blogging on and off since 2011, and really let’s call it “dabbling,” as it’s been more “off” than “on.” At first, I was using the blog to practice writing and to casually share my joy of knitting.

However…

Over this past year I have been thinking. Really thinking. About what I want to do with the blog. Things are very different for me now in the crafty realm. I have 12 years of knitting under my belt (along with the potato chip Covid-19) and I find myself itching to share the love. I might even share my chips if the opportunity presents.

Here is the plan:

• Share a weekly or bi-weekly post that includes a free pattern or a new tutorial.
• Share progress on patterns that are upcoming and will be for sale in my Etsy and Ravelry shops.
• Show you my clunky progress in crochet and crochet pattern writing — yikes!
• Share anything cool I find that might interest other knitters or crocheters or any other crafty people. These may not always be fiber art related.
• Share this years’ progress on my craft fair adventure
• I plan to create video and written/photo tutorials for the site as well!

Let’s kick it off with my latest pattern release, Plain Jack & Jane Watchman’s Cap.

You can purchase a downloadable pdf pattern that contains all the sizes from preemie to Large adult for sale in my Ravelry and Etsy shops!

Here is the adult medium size for free:

Plain Jack & Jane:
Ye olde Watchman’s Cap

Watchcaps became popular with seamen in the 1940’s and 50’s. They were dense, worsted wool and they protected sailors’ heads nicely from icy wind and weather as they stood watch or performed other duties aboard their ships.

They are still popular today. My brother, a real-life Navy man turned Merchant Marine, and a nice guy to boot, loves hats like these as they stay on when you are on deck of a moving ship since they are nicely head-hugging. He says the wind doesn’t easily blow them off and they keep his head warm, even in the iciest of winds.

This is an amazingly easy knit and is a lovely palate cleanser after a complicated project. It is also a good place to start if you are new to hat knitting.

This pattern does not, as shown above, intend to stop completely above the ears. We will extend our watchcap to protect our precious lobes. No offense, history. I just hate cold ears.

These hats are knit up in one piece and, for the simplest project, made in a single color. If you’d like just a tiny bit more spice to your hat, there is an option for a two-color hat with a friendly, tiny tweak to hide the color change inside the fold, hidden away from public view.

The band of ribbing is meant to be long, to create a squishy, thick fabric sitting around your chilly ears. You can easily make your band shorter for a more traditional fold, or even a bit longer than the pattern suggests. You can even make the fold as long as the body of the hat, ending it at the same length the decreases start! Just keep in mind: the longer the band, the more yarn it requires.

The Pattern

Ribbing
Using Main Color (A) and circular needles (or dpns if desired), CO 100 stiches. Place stitch marker at the beginning of the round, join stitches in the round taking care not to twist them.
R1: *K1, p1; repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat round 1 until ribbing measures 4.25in/11cm from cast-on edge; approximately 26 more rounds.
Next round: Knit to end of round. (100 total stitches.)

Body
For two-color hat only:
Purl one round with Main Color (A). Break main color.
Purl one round with Contrast Color (B). This color change will be hidden in the fold of the ribbing in the finished hat. Continuing with (B), proceed to body instructions for both hats, shown in the next section (below the pics)

For both one and two-color hats:
Knit all stitches until hat body measures about 5.25in/13.5cm from the beginning of the stockinette section (excludes ribbing).

Crown decreases
R1 (Set-up): *K20, pm; repeat from * to end of round (5 sections of 21 stitches created).
R2: *Knit to two stitches before each marker, k2tog, slip marker; repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat R2 (Switch to dpn’s when there are too few stitches for 16in/41cm circular needles): 18 times (10 stitches remain).

Finishing
Break yarn, leaving a tail about 6-8in/15-20cm long. Use a darning needle to cinch remaining stitches tightly together. Weave in all ends and, for best results, lightly block your hat.

Wear with pride … in the iciest wind.

Optional Pom Pom
If you are a pom pom sort of person and would like to embellish your hat with one, you can opt to use a store-bought pom pom or make your own. Here are some pom pom resources, including a tutorial from my blog. (My favorite is the Clover pom pom maker!):
Resources for Pom Pom Making
Using a cardboard form
Using a Clover pom pom maker

Here are some photos to aid you in seeing the details of the finished product:

Stay tuned! This is the first in a series of watchcap-style hat patterns. The ribbings will all be worked from the “wrong side” to make the “public side” clean and attractive! Next up, and in testing now, “Fresh Ribs!”

©Freckled Girl Knits 2021

About me

Hi, friends! I’m Janelle! I’m a knitter, crocheter-in-training, sewist and all around lover of crafts. I enjoy literature (especially through the CraftLit podcast!), learning anything new, travelling (Europe you are next on the bucket list!)

I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. And, while I have lived all over the U.S. in adulthood, I call it home once more. I have 6 kids, a cute hubby and a dog, Beans, The Ginger Chiweenie. We like to pretend he is a super hero that fights crime.

While knitting made me frustrated as a child (think shiny, slippery aluminum needles) I tried again at the very strong suggestion of a tough, sweet and caring, older firecracker of a woman at church. When I resisted, saying I “could never” knit like her (and so I shouldn’t try), she demanded that I just do it and refused to hear any excuses. She did me a favor that day. Now, I am a true knitting enthusiast, and so many other things have opened to me because of Mona, my friend. She is gone now, all these years later, but I still carry on her command: “You go to the store, you get the supplies and you DO it!” I especially like the part where you get to go the the yarn shop. 😉

I am glad you stopped by and, here on the website, I hope to encourage you to be curious to try and learn new things and to dive in to knitting (or any other craft your heart desires) for real. The world of fiber art is ever-expanding and its all yours. Techniques, ideas, inspirations and patterns to try new skills are what I am planning for this site.

Site mantra: Never give up, never surrender! I know I borrowed that from Galaxy Quest. But Mona would agree.