February Quickies: Seceda Beanie
This month’s quickies pattern could not have arrived at a better time or be a better pick, a lovely beanie that is guaranteed to keep you warm while the snow falls all around! Knit in just two skeins of Malabrigo Rios, this one will knit up quickly and keep you toasty.
The design was inspired by the complex mountain peaks of the Dolomites near Santa Magdalena in South Tyrol, Italy. Specifically, the Seceda Ridge, where you see the jagged peaks sprouting up before you creating layers, imitated by the garter stripes in alternating colors. This warm, slouchy design is a perfect knit to introduce yourself to knitting two color brioche stitch in the round for the first time, but elegant enough to be the envy of any knitter friend.
This month’s designer is Elise Ljiko. Who’s Trieste Cowl pattern you might remember from last year! It has been such an honor and a privilege to watch her design career bloom and she really has a talent for using Malabrigo yarn to its full potential. Elise comes from a long line of knitters, sewers, and crocheters, so she grew up watching the magical process of creation out of simple yarn and fabric into clothing, toys, and art. Frosia Knits -- Frosia stemming from her Italian great-grandmother -- grew out of her love for knitting, her ancestry, and her life in Italy. While living in Siena, she fell in love with the people, culture, and how the country awakens each of your senses with its food, architecture, and language. She now lives in Northern Virginia with her husband and son but continues to infuse her life and work with the passion and love of Italy.
We were able to ask Elise some questions about her design and we are delighted to share them with you on today’s blog!
1: What is your favorite part of your Quickies design and why?
This is one of my favorite designs I have done. I think my favorite part would have to be how the contrasting colors play off each other in two different ways. One with the brioche and one with the garter stipes. Each is striking on its own and together I feel like they create a balanced piece.
2: What should knitters pay attention to when working this pattern? Do you have any tips or tricks that will make knitting this pattern easier?
For the brioche rounds, make sure to leave the tail of the color you just finished with hanging on the side of your work where you end. For the garter stripes, make sure you when you start a new color, do so only at the beginning of a knit round.
3: What do you think knitters will enjoy the most about this project?
If they have not done two color brioche before then I would say tackling that new and exciting task. If they have, then choosing colors and playing around with the striping and really making this beanie their own.
4: What does your design process look like?
Sometimes my ideas are sparked by a specific yarn, a color, or a place but usually it ties back into my Italian heritage and things I have experienced in Italy. Once I have my inspiration, I hit the ground running and choose a yarn. From there I plan out the basic outline of my pattern and swatch as many times as needed before I cast on. I write my patterns up mostly as I create the piece using google docs so my notes are accessible from anywhere.
5: Was there any particular inspiration you had when creating this piece?
This piece was inspired by the Alpe di Seceda in the Dolomite Mountains of northern Italy.
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/09/a0/f1/09a0f1772993f771fafde25679492855.jpg
The inspiration for this hat comes from the complex mountain peaks of the Dolomites near Santa Magdalena in South Tyrol, Italy. Specifically, the Seceda Ridge where you see the jagged peaks sprouting up before you creating layers, imitated by the garter stripes in alternating colors. This warm, slouchy design uses the complex two color brioche stitch with a simple garter stitch to balance each other out. It is a perfect knit to introduce yourself to knitting two color brioche in the round for the first time but elegant enough to be the envy of any knitter friend. Bring this hat on your next adventure, be it hiking the Seceda Ridge or walking down your neighborhood street in the chilly winter air.
We don’t know about you but we are about to go hunt through our stash to find two colors of Rios that we can use to make this sylish hat!
We are curious, is this going to be your first Brioche pattern?
Be sure to check out Elise’s other work here: