50 Knitted Gifts for Year Round Giving

I'm happy to announce that I'm part of an upcoming book - this time it's a Hanukkah hat designed for Universal Yarn and Sixth&Spring Books.  The goal with this project was to create an easy to follow pattern using the dreidel as a symbol for the holiday of Hanukkah. 

Judaism is a religion steeped in history.  I was drawn to the dreidel not only for its shape, but also because, in addition to it being the centerpiece for a game that millions of kids have played for generations, it is a reminder of how, during the rule of Antiochus, Jews who were reading the Torah would hide their studies and quickly pick up (and play with) the dreidel when armies appeared as a way to avoid persecution. 

Stories of religions are interesting and full of the unexpected.  The little dreidel motif repeated around the hat is a bit camouflaged, but for those that know the symbol, it invites inquiry.  And as always, if you ask, you'll learn that there's more to the story.

I love the slow striping color change of Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted Long Print (color #05 Midnight Blues).  This yarn was the perfect background for using the solid worsted yarn (color #12270 Natural) as the motif in the design.

Also in the book you'll find so many other fun projects, including a pattern for a market bag, Christmas tree skirt, gloves, socks, and scarves.  This is the kind of book that would be fun to buy and work the patterns as each holiday arrives.  I have yet to see the final published book but the issuu link (below) will give you a small taste of some of the projects you'll find in this new book. 

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Hanukkah Hat by Kyle Kunnecke from 50 Knitted Gifts for Year Round Giving, published by
Sixth&Spring Books. Photography by Jack Deutsch and text copyright © 2013 by
Sixth&Spring Books. All images used by permission.

Check with your local yarn shop or bookstore to get your copy of this book - it's scheduled for release in about a month.