A Very Nittany Christmas

At the end of December, 2009, I decided it would be a big help to start working with a trainer at my gym.

Jeff is really awesome and we’ve gotten to be good friends while I’ve improved my strength and fitness through 2010. He’s also a Penn State grad, so when I decided (at the last minute) I should knit him something for Christmas, color choice was simple.

I started with a pair of Knucks. I had Jeff try on a different in-progress pair and from that input I went up a needle size for his pair.


I added the two-row white stripe just above the ribbed cuff and finished with Jeny’s Surprisingly Stretchy Bind-Off

Modeled, reluctantly, by the Hubster.

Jeff’s Penn State Knucks

Pattern: Knucks from Knitty.com
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash
Colors: Navy and White (left over from Scott’s Xmas Scarf)
Quantity: about ¾ of a skein of Navy, tiny bit of white
Needles: US 6, magic looped with my KnitPicks Options set
Started: 17 December 2010
Finished: 23 December 2010

And then, I decided I should knit him a hat as well. I had seen the Watch Caps that KnitNat posted on Ravelry and decided that it looked like a quick, good-looking project. Fortunately, that proved to be the case!


I started with my 16” fixed KA circs in a US 8 and ribbed my little heart out. I added the two white stripes based on a finished project someone has posted for that pattern on Ravelry, then kept going on the 6” of ribbing.


As I was going along, I kept feeling like the ribbing was a little too loosey-goosey for my taste, so I dropped down to a US 7 from my Switch set for the last inch or so of the 2x2 ribbing and stayed with that needle for the rest of the hat.


The decreases for the crown of the cap are cleverly done and the finished project looks good. Jeff seemed to be pleased with his Penn State gloves and hat, and all seemed to fit properly when he tried them on Christmas Eve. Here’s hoping they’ll be enjoyed for years to come!

Jeff’s PSU Watch Cap

Pattern: Classic World War II Watch Cap by Helen Waittes
Yarn: Cascade 220 Superwash
Colors: Navy and White (left over from Scott’s Xmas Scarf)
Quantity: about ¾ of a skein of Navy, tiny bit of white
Needles: US 8 and US 7, 16” KA circs
Started: 20 December 2010
Finished: 23 December 2010