Feeling that Knitting and Designing feeling again...

I have to admit, the Shopping with Katie shawl almost did me in.  Love the final piece, but oh my, the journey.  So many little stitches in fingering weight wool left me feeling a little burned out.  But, it's a new season, and I'm a feelin' that knitting and designing itch again!!!

Enter my latest hat design, Idunn.  In Norse mythology, Idunn is a goddess associated with apples and youth.

“Idunn” is a worsted weight beret knit in the round. My inspiration was the lines and textures created by looking through branches still bearing tiny frozen crab apples to an old stone building beyond them. Its pointed arched windows seemed to merge and part with the gently waving branches through the mist of my cold breath last winter.

I had completed this design early spring 2011, but I decided to hold off on releasing it on Ravelry and my website.  Though I really love the design and how the main stitch pattern grows almost organically out of the pointed arches above the band, I wanted to revisit the motif created at the crown closure.  Now, Idunn is ready to be charted!  Here is a sneak peak at a couple of my swatches...

Ahhh, worsted weight feels wonderful after fingering weight!