I love Ravelry. I resisted it for so long; I held out, demurred, didn’t want to get on their little waiting list (if they didn’t want me right then, I didn’t want them, either!), and finally, reluctantly, crankily signed up. Man, if I ever got my comeuppance for being a cranky old lady, that was it. It was like the first few months after getting Tivo when you reached out to rewind the radio or the first time driving after playing Grand Theft Auto when you had the irresistible urge to jump the curb and just scoot on through the park to get where you were going a bit faster. Suddenly, you want to be able to search recipes by ingredient and see progress pictures of meatloaf and everyone’s variations (my, that loaf looks excellent in lamb), or to be able to winnow down choices for sewing projects, food, shopping, into manageable little clicks and have the perfect thing for you delivered on a platter with a link to download.

The best thing about it is that you find these patterns that you would never have seen from designers that haven’t been published, but should be, things that you JUST MUST KNIT RIGHT NOW OR ELSE! My stash has never seen so much action! Hm, what have people knit with this pretty yarn I bough 12 years ago and have just taken out occasionally to fondle… click! An illustrated list of 345345 patterns for your perusal.

The Junie Cap is just one of those patterns. Not only is it the cutest hat ever (twee jaunty little point at the top without being too precious!), but it has some amazing and innovative construction that will make you want to knit one for every kid you know.

It starts as an i-cord, which was an awesome way to start a hat – providing the point and also eliminating the casting on of a zillion stitches and joining them, then knitting for several rows before realizing you’re making a mobius or you’ve laddered somewhere like as if you’ve never knit in the round before (because tell me I am not the only one that happens to, even if you have to lie). The increases are structured such that it fits on the head as if it grew there and cradles the back of little delicate necks from the windy weather. The shortrow earflaps not only look fab, they fit over little ears without squashing them down, which if you are my child means that you will leave the hat on instead of flinging it from you in a fit of earflap discomfort.

Clearly, this designer has children, because she’s thought of everything. The ties call for 7inch i-cords. If you are an auntie or a special friend of a small child, you may not realize, but string-like objects near babies and toddlers shouldn’t exceed 8 inches for safety. Who thinks of this stuff except for a mama knitting for her little Junie?

I knit the 18 month size and played a little fast and loose with gauge and yarn, so it fits both my 13 month old chubba and my teeny-weeny 3 year old. If I stretch it, it fits me, which gives me hope that I could do just a smidge of alteration and make a Junie cap for myself…

Because I love it so much, I’m giving away FIVE copies of the pattern! OMG! I know! The super duper grand prize winner will also get a $10 gift certificate to Knit Picks to buy the yarn for their Junie Cap of Supreme Fabulousness (I suppose you could choose your own title, but I think that one has a nice ring to it…)

I have not been paid or provided the patterns – I’m using my own hard-earned dough to buy them from Ravelry and gift them to lucky you because they are JUST THAT AWESOME!

Win the Pattern & Knit Picks Gift Card!

Easy peasy to enter! Just leave a comment here with your contact info! For an additional entry, tweet, Facebook share, or blog about this giveaway and post a new comment with a link! You can also visit A.P. Watts’ store and download the free Sleepy Mouse Pattern (because it is the second cutest thing ever – if only it had a little Junie Cap on…) and post that you’ve downloaded it to your library. An additional entry will be given for each! You have until midnight MST on 12/23/2010 to enter!

Five winners will be randomly selected via integer generator on 12/24/2010 and I’ll contact you for your Ravelry username (which, if you aren’t already a member of you have surely already gone and signed up, right?) so that I can send you the pattern, and if you’re the super duper winner, I’ll also send you $10 from Knit Picks as well! YAY!