Happy Saturday, everyone! This IS post is coming to you later in the afternoon because somehow, I found myself out of the house pre-8 am for a yoga class… which has never happened, especially not on a weekend. It was lovely, though, and a very zen way to start the day.

Giving Comfort, click for pattern page.

This week I’d like to talk about my free hat pattern, Giving Comfort. It’s a simple, chunky weight beanie that is perfect for charity or gift knitting and especially useful in the dead of winter. It’s been getting lots of favorites and new projects on Ravelry lately, so I thought it would be a good place to start with the pattern updates I’ll be releasing over the next couple of weeks. With my new logo, I’ve changed the layout of my patterns to something I think is easier to understand, space-saving, and more pleasant to read

Copyright peggatha. Click for project page.

Since the pattern has over 260 favorites and 97 projects on Ravelry to date, I thought I’d choose a few of my favorites to showcase here. Above is peggatha’s version, knit in a gorgeous, long-striping hand-dyed Icelandic wool. It reminds me of a tropical sunset, which is a pretty great thing in the middle of winter. And she donated it to charity, too, so it’s even sweeter.

Copyright Jellybean21. Click for project page.

I also love the yarn that Jellybean21 used in her version, aptly named ‘Comfy Rockstar Hat’. There’s something badass about those black/grey/purple stripes.

Copyright beadbijoux. Click for project page.

Beadbijoux used the same yarn as in the previous hat, Loops & Threads Charisma. Those long color repeats really punch up the fun of the hat, I think. And is anyone surprised I love one that is blue/green?

Copyright Cinderga. Click for project page.

Cinderga was an early knitter of this design and I remember feeling so pleased that she liked it enough to knit 4 of them at once! I believe these hats were also donated.

Copyright AnnaW. Click for project page.

Last but certainly not least, AnnaW’s version is just too cute not to share. The pattern is sized from child to large adult, and the child version looks like it fits this little fella perfectly. I especially love that she used handspun yarn, the simplicity of the design makes it great for yarns that might be irregular in thickness.

I hope you enjoyed perusing some of these fabulous projects! Giving Comfort is my go-to hat pattern and I  hope it becomes yours, too! What’s been inspiring you lately? Leave a comment below and share.