I’m sure this winter’s arctic vortex won’t leave our memories anytime soon, but we felt that it was worth commemorating with a new winter hat pattern. Let me introduce Vortex!

I know not all of our readers are knitters, but if you’re ever given the opportunity or have the motivation to learn, I highly encourage it! There has been a true resurgence in knitting over the past decade, and this has led to awesome local knitting shops, knitting-focused blogs, and amazing pattern independent designers. If you’re new and wondering where to start, a quick google search will return a variety of handy tutorials and knitting guides. Ravelry is the place to start if you to explore knitting patterns and so much more (my username is winterfoliage, let’s be friends!).

I admit that there’s a slight learning curve, but once you grasp the basics, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to see how much you can do with just a few stitches. Plus, you can knit while watching TV! You know what this means, right? You’ll now have something to justify those marathon House of Cards sessions and the past two weeks spent doing nothing but watching the Olympics.

Now back to this pattern. Credit for this hat goes to Calder. He requested something soft (note the high alpaca content in this fiber) and thick, but not too bulky (holding the yarn double gives us a bulky feel, but using the size 10 needles creates a looser stitch). He also likes a hat that isn’t fitted like a beanie, and you’ll see that this one has some extra height per his request. Finally, since Calder’s favorite hats are often ones that I made for myself, he suggested that I just make a hat for myself, rather than trying to meet his precise specifications. So that’s what I did, and as luck would have it, he loves it! Of course, we both laugh that this hat does look a bit feminine, but he overlooks that because it’s soft and fits so perfectly.

This pattern is available for purchase through Ravelry (buy now). You’d don’t have to be a member to access that link.

Finished Size: Fits an average adult head size (approximately 22 in.)

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Eco Duo held doubled

Needles: Size US 10 needles ~ Either one long circular for magic loop or a short circular and a set of double pointed needles for traditional circular knitting

This is such an easy knit, and let’s face it, there’s still a chill in the air, so start knitting.

Tell us what you think. Are there experienced knitters out there? Anyone who would like to learn? Want some tutorials?