BESHERT CHAPEAU - a Yarnover Chicago Pattern

Here's my second pattern.  It's a basic watch cap pattern.  I'd estimate it to be at the advanced beginner level.  Please feel free to teach this pattern, or to sell hats made using this pattern.  If you teach it, please ask your students to purchase their patterns directly if possible (if that's not possible - that's okay).  If you sell on a website, such as ETSY, I only ask that you attribute the pattern to me.  Other than that - knock your socks off.

Why do I call it the Beshert Chapeau instead of something more descriptive, like, oh, I don't know - Basic Watch Cap or Really Warm Hat for those Bitter Cold Chicago Winters?

Well, in Yiddish, beshert means meant to be; an event or circumstance that's just a given; not in doubt.  Its secondary meaning is beloved.  So if you refer to a person as your beshert, you're saying that person is not only your beloved, but the person with whom you were meant to be.  I've made this hat for several people.  The orange and yellow striped one pictured in the pattern was made as a sample for Windy Knitty, which is a fabulous LYS in the 5600 block of N. Clark Street, in Chicago.  I've given it as birthday gifts and even as a chemo cap.  But I designed the hat for ........ well, you get the idea.

You can purchase this pattern on Ravelry here:  BESHERT CHAPEAU

If you aren't on Ravelry, you can sign up for free.  If you're not interested in Ravelry, but want this pattern, please comment below, and I'll arrange to send you a PDF of the pattern.  The price is $3.75.

Enjoy and please feel free to share your opinions, comments, complaints, or whatever.

The Swirl: A Ruffled Moebius

Here is your first chance at a Yarnover Chicago original pattern.  This is a ruffled moebius scarf I designed for my beginning crochet classes at Sifu Design Studio and Fine Yarns, on Clark Street in Chicago.  The original pattern was called The Sifu Swirl, but I changed it to The Swirl for purposes of this blog.  The photos are of Lisa Whiting, owner of Sifu Design Studio and Fine Yarns, modeling the finished creation, made in Cascade 220.  If you stop by Sifu, you can see the scarf up close and personal.

I like this scarf because it's super warm.  If you make it a little longer than is called for in the pattern, you can double it up.  I do recommend that you use a nice soft yarn.  A number of my students tried this pattern in worsted weight crochet cotton (the kind you often see used for tote bags or dishcloths).  The results were pretty, but very stiff and dense, and not comfortable to wear.  Since I'm allergic to wool, I've made a few of these using Lion Brand Cotton Ease and they came out pretty nicely.

This is a free pattern.  Feel free to download and share.  If you're using it to teach a class, I'd very much appreciate it if you'd have each student download his/her own copy.  Feel free to sell these at craft fairs and the like.  If you choose to sell on ETSY or other similar on-line marketplaces, please be sure to include a link to the pattern.

I hope you enjoy this easy-as-pie beginner pattern.