Pattern note: The hat uses only 3 repeats of the checker rounds for all sizes and the Camp Hoodie Vest uses all four repeats of the checker pattern.

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

The Camp Hoodie Swatch Hat is here! I whipped up this quick little hat to check out my gauge and to test out the simple fair isle and embroidery pattern before I dove into the original Camp Hoodie. The small hat is perfect because you are checking your gauge while you are working in the round and with just a little extra effort you will have a wonderful hat to show for your swatching. It’s a win-win!

There are two video tutorials available for the fair isle section (click here) and for the embroidery (click here).

Here is some information you might like to know:

Sizes: newborn (baby, toddler, child, teen, adult)

Finished sizes in inches (numbers have been rounded): 12 (14, 16, 18, 20, 21) inches

Yarn: Spud & Chloë Sweater (55% superwash wool, 45% organic cotton; 100 grams/160 yards), 1 skein each in Toast #7506 (MC), Moonlight #7507 (A), Ice Cream #7500 (B), Grass #7502 (C), Firecracker #7509 (D)

Needles: US size 8 sixteen-inch circular and a set of 4 double-pointed needles or the size to obtain gauge.

*note: For the newborn size you may have to use a 12-inch circular or use double-pointed needles for the entire hat. I can fit the 56 stitches on 16-inch needles but it is very tight for the first inch or so and then eases up.

Gauge: 4 ½ stitches per inch in stockinette stitch

I hope you enjoy the Camp Hoodie Swatch Hat.

Tomorrow, January 19th, 2011, we start the Camp Hoodie Knitalong. I hope you’ll join us if you are able.

See you tomorrow for the kick-off!

Click here to download the free pattern for the Camp Hoodie Swatch Hat!

Click here for the Ravelry page for the Camp Hoodie Swatch Hat!

Hi Spud & Chloë Friends,

The story on the Go Team! hat is kind of a good one. My older daughter, Peachy, is on the high school swim team for the first time as she is a freshman this year. We have had boys on the team at the high school but this is the first time we have had a girl swimming. The girls team is a lot different than the boys team as you might expect. The girls swim team assigns each swimmer a sister. The sisters are required to make inspirational signs and to give gifts throughout the season to each other. This is not something the boys partake in so it took some getting used to.

As the season progresses the gifts are to become increasingly nice so I planned on knitting a hat for my daughter’s sister toward the end of the season. I was a little unsure of how it would be received because, well, you never know. Much to my delight the reaction to the Go Team! hat has been absolutely incredible! The sister could not have been more excited about her team-inspired hat. I received emails from both the swimmer AND her mother telling me how the swimmer had yet to take the hat off her head and it had been days since she received it. She told my daughter the hat is the best thing to ever be on her head. When she opened the gift the team gathered around her in the locker room and went crazy about the hat. The sister has not stopped wearing her Go Team! hat ever since.

The conclusion is that the Go Team! hat is a hit! I felt really good about it because my daughter felt really good about it. I guess a new tradition has begun. Each year I will make a Go Team! hat for my daughter’s swimming sister and hopefully it will be as well-received as this first one has been.

At first I wasn’t even planning on writing up this pattern but after I saw the reaction to the hat by the team I thought you might like to have this pattern for your fans and athletes, too.

One quick note on the pattern, the hat is a take-off on the basic hat from the Heart on a String pattern. I started with this basic hat pattern because I wanted something super fast on big needles AND Sweater has the perfect assortment of colorways for many, many different teams. Click here to see all of your color choices in Sweater. Next, I added the stripes, earflaps, edging and ties to create this new and revamped version of the Heart on a String hat.

The sample is made in the largest size to fit a 20 to 22 inch head circumference.

Here is some information you might like to know:

Sizes: toddler (child, adult)

Finished hat circumference to fit head sizes: 16-18 (18-20, 20-22) inches

Note: The hat is stretchy and is designed to fit snuggly on the head.

Safety note: Ties are not recommended for babies and young children as they could pose a choking hazard.

Yarn: Sample worked in Spud & Chloë Sweater (55% superwash wool, 45% organic cotton; 100 grams/160 yards), 1 (1, 2) skein(s) in Turtle #7514 and 1 skein Ice Cream #7500

*Note that the yarn is held double for the hat, earflaps, edging and i-cord ties.

Needles: US size 11 sixteen inch circular and a set of 4 double-pointed needles for the hat OR size to obtain gauge

Gauge: 3 stitches per inch in stockinette stitch with Sweater worked with 2 strands together

Have fun making this quick and simple hat for your favorite teams this season. This project is a quick one and you can finish it in the blink of an eye.

Click here to download the free pattern for Go Team!

Click here for the Ravelry project page for the Go Team! Hat!