Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Search for the perfect Ear Flap Hat

UPDATE 2/23/2012 - The Search for the Perfect Earflap Hat has been updated to include dozens of newly discovered patterns!  Follow the link to see the new list.  

--------------------------------------------------------------------
When I was traveling through London, Bath and Bristol, there were many styles of Peruvian ear flap hats (aka Chullu, Chullo, or Ch'ullu). I personally through that £10 (about $15) was too much for a hat that I would like to make myself. The problem that I have come across is that there are actually limited free patterns available that I could locate. I think my plan is to take one of the basic patterns, and design my own colored design. Below I have listed many of the (adult) ear flap hats that I could locate. I have not attempted any of the patterns, I am just consolidating a list.

  • 4 Chullo Patterns - Four different patterns, all in one place!
  • Zig Zag ear flap hat - Tri-color with a zigzag like pattern separating two of the colors.
  • Lion Brand Ear Flap Hat - Textured, not color blocked (You need an account to access the pattern)
  • Lion Brand Ear Flap Hat 2 - This is also textured, with a single color. It has a cuff that goes above the ear flaps.
  • Knitty's Vinter Lue - This is getting closer to what I've been looking for. Shown in two colors, with different patterns up and down the hat. The pattern uses a double strand, so it may work with chunky yarn. It could be fun to add more colors to the pattern.
  • ABC Ear Flap knit hat - this one is not a traditional chullo, but more reminiscent of a bonnet.
  • $5.00 Cable knit ear flap hat - if you like to buy patterns, this is a cute textured one
  • Knitty's Cross Country Chullo - The pattern has cute skiers around the hat, and snowflakes on the ears.
  • Basic Ear Flap Hat - One color, no texture. The ears are continuous, they do not get sewn on after.
  • Blue Whoville hat with ear-flaps - one color, textured.
  • $4.99 Andean Chullo Hat Pattern - Knitpicks includes the yarn you need with the pattern in this handy kit. It is of the create your own adventure variety, so you can vary how the patterns go up the hat. Note, this kit has sold out as of April 2009, but the pattern is available for purchase. You now also have the extended freedom to choose the yarn colors that you want.
  • Cabled ear-flap hats - one color, textured.
  • Ear flap hat - this is not of the chullo variety, but the ear flaps curl out in a cute way. Single color.
  • Roman ear flap hat - this hat has a single color with texture, but in a more structured "classical" way.
  • Ch'ullu Hat - this one looks very authentic, from a "knitting biologist." I may try to adapt this pattern to a chunkier wool.
  • Peruvian Llama Hat - As the title suggests, the pattern creates little llamas on the hat.
  • Camo ear flap hat - this could serve as a template to design your own pattern. Has detailed pictures of each step of the knitting process.
  • Ear flap hat - two colors, will calculate and update the number of stitches you need in each step based on the gauge you enter! I have not tested the calculator, but this is a neat idea for people who create patterns.
  • Knitted toque with earflaps - recommended for knitters with some experience.
  • Alpaca Peru Hat and Mitts with Fur trim - just as the title implies, the hat and mittens have a fur trim. Without trim, solid color.
  • Chullo Hat pattern - contains both plain hat and hat with a llama pattern. The pattern is more guidelines, but there are some good color charts for traditional patterns and an American flag chullo.
  • Fair Isle Toddler Chullo Hat - In this list, I have mostly ignored children and baby hat patterns, but the vibrant colors in this hat are inspiring.
  • Chullu Chart: Letters of the alphabet - From A-Z, incorporate letters or initials into your chart. This link will result in automatic download of the PDF.
  • Hardcore Earflap Hat - New 10/16/2010 Chunky and looks really warm. A simple charted pattern around the sides.
If or when I start designing my own Chullo, you'll be the first to know!

(Want to find more Earflap Hat knitting patterns?  Check out the updated search 2/23/2013!)

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

The Sampler Afghan



I selected this booklet, a sampler afghan made up of 20 - 12"x12" to teach myself how to do cables. Since this blanket would only be 4'x5', and I really wanted something larger, I ordered enough yarn to make 30 squares (making a 6x5 blanked). I am about 17 squares in, and am ready to move on to another project. (I usually have a rule that I can only have one project in progress at a time, but I let each square count as a mini-project or else I would never get my holiday presents completed!)



What should I do with 15 extra balls of fisherman's wool if I decide to call it quits at 20 squares? I am either 85% done (20 squares), or just over 50% done (30 squares).


Ultimately, I've learned that 1) cables are not hard and 2) when you crochet you have to hold the yarn WAY more loosely than when you knit since there is less give in the stitches.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Search for the perfect convertible mittens pattern

Every work day, I commute across the river to get to my lab by bus. While I am waiting for the shuttle, I read the Metro (a free paper). During the winter season mittens and gloves hamper my ability to turn the pages of the paper and to get my bus pass out of my wallet. I have embarked on a quest to locate the perfect convertible mittens pattern, to allow access to my fingertips without making my entire hand cold.


  • Convertible Mittens with optional cables and beading – These have ribbing at the cuff, finger holes and edge of the glove flap and contains buttons to connect the mitten flap to the cuff. DK weight yarn.
  • Broad Street Mittens – These are ribbed at the cuff. There is a nice diagram showing how many sts are used/ increased/decreased in each portion of the glove, finger holes etc. Very cute button hole to connect the flap.
  • Convertible men’s mittens – Pattern shown with two colors striped. Thumb can be converted to fingerless, too.
  • Women’s Open Palm Mittens – Striped pattern. These do not have a button hole to connect the flap to the back of you hand.
  • $1.29 Downloadable Men’s Fingerless Gloves – No button clasp. Uses a heavy worsted weight yarn. Some of the free patterns above are very similar, so I would not recommend purchasing the pattern unless you want the gauges for that particular yarn.
  • Convertible mitten pattern – Looks like it would be a fast project with chunky yarn, but these are not as elegant as some of the other patterns. It has you using a knifty knitter loom.
  • The Converts – These mittens were knit with a different yarn for the flap and hand portions. There is not a fingerless glove inside the flap.
  • Striped Convertible Mitten Pattern – Contains button fastening, finger holes. Optional to make thumb whole or fingerless.
  • Glittens – these are not convertible mittens, but a glove/mitten hybrid with two different finger holes (which should make gripping easier).
  • Knit pocket mittens – this pattern is not the easiest to read (because of the webpage format), but this is another option.
  • Fetching Convertible Mittens – The pattern adapts a fingerless glove pattern into convertible mitts. This pattern has great cables and texture.
  • Fingerless mittens with a flap - top of the flap has a hexagonic shape. Contains button fastening. Thick rib cuff and top of fingerless region. Not gloved for fingers.
  • Playground mittens – These are child sized convertible mittens. No button clasp or fingerless glove interior.
  • Camera Mittens – Rather than removing a whole flap, what about having a little slit to remove a finger so you can take that photograph?
  • Men’s Convertible mittens – These look ribbed through most of the entire mitten. Fingers are not separated in fingerless portion. This is a 1940’s pattern, so you may need to check the conversion chart on this page to get the right size needles.
  • Mittens for Women – Ribbed cuff, textured mitten. Fingers are not separated in fingerless portion. This 1940's pattern may also require the conversion of needle sizes.
  • Kim’s Mittens – In the instructions, the flap is only on one hand. The designer says that she wears glove liners under them to keep her fingers warm.
  • Rock-Along Glittens – These have a pattern with two colors. Super cute and funky!
  • New! May, 2011: Convertible Fenway Mitts by ChemKnits - These convertible mittens are designed with the Red Sox "B" on the back so you can stay warm as you cheer at baseball games.

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Hurrah for finished socks!

I finished my pair of simple socks that I started on a plane. I've been very bad about my one project at a time rule lately, I have too much yarn, and too many projects to try!

I'm now dying to try two-at-a-time sock knitting... Starting a blog has really inspired me to actually complete all of these different kinds of projects.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Molecule Knitting Charts

Please note for non-chemists: the charted molecule may be drawn in a slightly different orientation than the accompanying molecular structure. I have not yet tested these structures, but I want to make charts for more molecules available.

I may eventually complete the 20 natural amino acids. I decided to make charts for the ones that people would be able to recognize as molecular structures rather than just patterns (except for serine, which I think looks cute!)

Feel free to use these charts for your personal use, but they are not to be sold or reproduced on another web page.







To make this searchable: Amino acid knitting charts, molecule knitting chart, phenylalanine knitting chart, tyrosine knitting chart, glucose knitting chart, histidine knitting chart, tryptophan knitting chart, serine knitting chart, THC knitting chart, Capsaicin Knitting Chart.

This this pattern was created by ChemKnits for your personal or charity use. This pattern is not to be replicated, sold or redistributed without permission from ChemKnits. © 2009 ChemKnits

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Bringing it Back to Science

I thought it would be fun to search for Science related knitting projects. I was somewhat disappointed about how few Chemistry related knitting projects I was able to find.

Updated 2/16/2012 with new free scientific knitting patterns!


After finding the Heterocyclic hat, I searched for charts for other molecules. Disappointingly, there are no other charts to be found. I may have to design some myself...