Indie Gift-A-Long project: Paper Snowflake!

(photo credit and copyright, Amy van de Laar)

It seems very fitting to be writing about knitting a snowflake hat on a night when people in mostly snow-less Seattle are having a bit of freak-out about the possibility of snow overnight. It is very likely that the only snow that will happen is right here in my living room in the form of this impossibly cute and clever hat. First things first - the pattern is Paper Snowflake, by Amy van de Laar of Baroque Purls, and you can get your own copy here. Even better, this pattern is part of Baroque Purls's bundle for the Indie Gift-A-Long 2015, so you can get a 25% discount on it using the coupon code giftalong2015 on Ravelry until 11:59 US EST 11/27. (this coming Friday).

I first fell in love with this pattern about this time last year, when it came out.  It's part of an e-book available on Ravelry called Paper Hats, all based on fun things many of us grew up doing by folding and cutting paper - crowns, PLANES!, hearts, boats, and my favorite, snowflakes. Here at RocketBoy Knits Mission Control, there is a serious ongoing multigenerational obsession with origami, paper planes, and paper snowflakes, so clearly this was a match made in heaven. What a fantastic idea for a series of patterns. Truly, I wish I'd thought of it myself, but am even happier that Amy got there first. The pattern is extremely well written and clear, and completely addictive! Since I started this pattern yesterday I have hardly been able to put it down. I can't remember the last time I said, "Oh...just one more row, and then I will..." so often with one project.

But all of that is just swooning. Why do I like this pattern so much? Apart from the ingenuity and beauty of the design, the pattern is written to cover 5 different sizes from baby to Adult Large. There are 3 size-specific graphs to cover all sizes for both the main part of the hat and the decrease sections AND fully written out directions for those who do not care for graphs. Also, the pattern layout allows the knitter to only print the pages relevant to the size they wish to knit. Best of all, the instructions for how to do the tiny cables that outline the snowflake without ever touching a cable needle are fantastic. I've mostly done this with slightly different technique, but am now a convert to the way Amy recommends doing the cables. As with any new technique, if you've never tried it before a bit of practice on some scrap yarn never hurts. But if you have done this before, I urge you to try it according to the instructions in the pattern.

I'll have a photo of my project tomorrow, and a quick interview with Amy very soon. In the meantime, happy knitting and hope you're having fun with the Gift-A-Long!