Cast Iron, Cast On: Cooking and Knitting through the Seasons

Time on my Hands is a collection of hand patterns by Becky Herrick. Gloves, mittens, fingerless mitts, and wrist warmers will be included in the e-book.

Soft angora and purls in colorwork make this a bohus inspired hat.

Undulating cables sprout from the ribbed cuff, decorating a cozy pair of winter weight mitts.

Classic and classy - sweater dresses are the best of all worlds. This beauty is a whole outfit by itself. Pull it on and travel cross country in comfort and style.

Make this cozy garment part of your every day. Just like a morning walk or afternoon cuppa it will warm you up and brighten your smile.

Kinsman will add style, color, and warmth to your autumn wardrobe. Simple lace worked every round creates structural scallops which are both decorative and cozy.

October’s pullover is perfect for the chilly fall days as we loose the last of summer’s heat to the winter skies. This pattern is paired with a recipe for boiled cider apple dumplings which includes a flaky lard crust and boiled cider topping that will be amazing on any fall dessert!

September’s stole is inspired by the colors and shapes of harvest. Berries, tomatoes, and root veggies all racing against the oncoming winter frost. This pattern is paired with two recipes:

September’s hat and mitt set draws on the texture and color of flint corn. The heritage breed ears of corn so often used for decoration are also perfect for making cornmeal. Which leads into the paired recipe for harvest pesto cornbead.

August’s top is airy and light, inspired by summer fruits and refreshing drinks on the shady porch. It’s perfect for warm summer days wherever you live. The pattern is paired with a collection of infused green summer teas featuring herbal and fruit pairings that are as refreshing as this top.

August’s project is a simple cotton apron perfectly at home in a summer kitchen. The pocket is big enough for a tablespoon or a flour scoop and the waistband loop lets you hang a towel or a big spoon. It’s a perfect match for Dukie’s cross-cut pickle, a Hastings family recipe.

July’s blanket and picnic spread offer perfect cottony coolness for the heat of summer. The paired recipes include garden picnic pockets and luscious blackberry oat pancakes.

May’s skirt is inspired by the airy tendrils of young spring greens. This pattern is paired with a recipe for Fresh nasturtium and pea shoot salad.

April’s top is flirty and swishy, perfect for breaking out of the ruts left from mud season and welcoming the springtime! It is paired with two recipes for the edible dandelion:

March’s vest honors the very first harvest of the season - maple sap runs through the veins of our sugar maples while snow still blankets the ground. This pattern is paired with a recipe for mini maple pavlovas.

February’s sweater is a rugged pullover in the Nordic style this raglan has stick-to-your-ribs warmth perfect for deep midwinter. A touch of handspun at the cuffs, collar, and hem spices up the look without complicating the knitting. It is paired with two recipes:

December’s caplet grants a little elegance to your winter wardrobe. Think fancy holiday parties and theater performances. It is paired with a recipe for holiday chocolate bark.

December’s little gift bags are the perfect present to wrap up something special for your loved ones! From home made treats to quick gift cards these little bags will dress up any present. They make gorgeous little gifts in their own right, knit at a small enough gauge to hold most trinkets (stitch markers or mini-skeins, for example). This is ...

November’s pullover is designed for outdoor wear. Fitted and cozy it is not too bulky to wear as a layer under another coat. Knit cervus in delicious Spice or warming Ancient Fern and allow the heathered depth of the colors to shine through the textured stitches. This pattern is paired with two recipes:

June’s top mirrors the simplicity of a summer meal, grilled and served alfresco. This pattern is paired with a recipe for grilled summer veggie pasta.

The Meristem tunic is designed with casual elegance in mind. It is a simple, cozy garment perfect for the transition to autumnal weather. The front yoke features a slipped branching cable pattern.

A play vest with ties and a hood, Winnie is comfy enough to win any toddler’s approval and cute enough to wear out and about. Make the ties your preferred length, or leave them off.

Verbena is a simply knit summer top with a casual draped body and fitted bodice. The asymmetric shape catches the eye while the fitted and draped top will pair well with many styles.

A soft hat for little heads with a diamond pattern inspired by snowbanks and mountains!

Fool your feet into thinking your socks are more complex than they really are! Frost Asters uses simple techniques to create cables that look difficult but are actually a snap. The ideal showcase for multi-colored yarns--or knit a pair in a solid to really show off the cables.

Eowyn is the unsung hero; the woman who destroys the Nazgul King. She is a sheildmaiden, a healer, and a ruler. The transitions of her life are played out across this shawl.

Stripes, ripples, lace, texture; Ondulation is perfect for showing off gradient or highly variegated yarns with plenty of bright colors! Designed for gradient yarns the long stripes and garter stitch will also break up any pooling caused by variegated yarns.

Simple mittens knit with rustic yarn are perfect for cold Vermont winters. This yarn blooms with blocking and softens with use, but never shows wear or pills.

A classy cable frames the face making this simple hat stand out. Dress it up with a button, choose complimentary colors, or leave it plain. No matter what this hat is fun to knit and still practical to wear.

She’s glad her simple worsted gray

A simple autumnal top designed to keep you toasty warm. The A line shaping created a comfy, flattering garment and fits comfortably over long sleeves. The gathered sleeve caps add a touch of whimsy. A simple broken garter pattern highlights the complementary yarn on the hems.

Graduated stripes of bright color make these fun socks just a touch surreal. Tone them down with neutral colors or spice them up with even brighter ones!

Nymphaea is a humble little circular with water droplets sprinkled around on the surface. This shawl is inspired by the humble lily pad; always overshadowed by the showy water lily flowers.

Sassy and fun this little summer cardi is for cool lakeside breezes, stormy summer evenings, and bike rides at sunset.

Super-chunky doesn’t necessarily mean super-clunky. When you knit a lace pattern with very bulky yarn, the

Hyssop is inspired by the delicate wildflowers, crazy vines, and tall grasses that surround me in summer. In Vermont this is a short, intense season when all the plants strive to make the most of the daylight. The top echos the ephemeral wildflowers with petal shaped lace around the yoke while the flutter sleeves and hem remind me of leaves. Bu...

Ganseys have a classic style and look that draw a knitter in, but the fitting on a traditional gansey leaves something to be desired. My Grand View gansey adds modern shaping to the classic appeal of this sweater!

Full many a glorious morning have I seen, flatter the mountain-tops with sovereign eye, kissing with golden face the meadows green, gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy…

Asymmetric cables inspired by the grape vines of my local winery grow up the right side and down the left sleeve. Fitted waist shaping and seamless set-in sleeves make this sweater as enjoyable to knit as it is to wear!

In the transitional seasons of spring and fall we pay special attention to the leaves coming and going from the trees. These fingerless mitts are perfect for transitional seasons whether the leaves are green or brown.

It’s the crazy quilt of scarves!

This warm hat can be worn fashionably back and slouchy. Or pull it down over your ears to provide all the warmth needed when taking hay out to the pasture.

Hats are a great place to test funky colors. You don’t have to buy much yarn and almost everyone owns a black coat that will match their colorful hat!

Celtic knots flow along the lower edge of the shawl to both tips. This shawl is inspired by my familys’ Scottish heritage. It is named in memory of my sister who was fiercely proud of her heritage.

Named after a forward thinking newspaper editor, suffragette, and constant knitter who lived in Vermont. This shawl combines stockinette with stripes and texture to keep the knitting interesting!

Simple ribbing allows the lacy, double layered flounce to define these cuffs. They’ll add flair to that cute little black dress, and keep you warm on chilly nights or in an air-conditioned room.

Old fashioned tea time calls to mind a chance to use delicate tea cups and old family silver. A break in the afternoon to eat tasty biscuits and ask “one lump, or two?”

These extremely basic gloves are perfect for knitters who’ve never tried gloves before. The simple styling is equally well appreciated by men who don’t want anything fancy on their hands.

Thick sport weight socks are perfect for keeping your feet warm in cold weather. Celtic cable knots are placed just below the cuff so they peek out above your boots while simple cables run down the sides of the leg, heel flap, and foot to keep the knitting interesting.

Those horse-drawn, pumpkin carriages can be chilly (to say nothing of cottages in the woods and tall stone towers); so what’s an enchanted princess to wear? These elegant gloves are just the thing under a long cape.

Play time, recess, whatever you call it everyone knows how much fun a playground is! These colorful mittens have ties at the cuffs. They can be clipped or tied to the sleeves of a coat or right to your (or your child’s) wrists so they don’t get lost. Tie them together when they’re not being used so they don’t get separated.

The ubiquitous lace trim of Victorian-era dresses inspired the details of this fitted feminine pullover. The airy laciness of the collar and cuffs provides an interesting contrast to the slim silhouette of the body. This sweater has turned hems to keep it laying smooth on the hip and wrist and is worked entirely in the round, achieving its’ cur...

Root Cellar is an earthy, comforting vest in the colors of yams, potatoes, beets, and onions. It’s rustic but stylish - just the thing to warm your core on cold winter days.

A simple yoked sweater designed to appeal to the basic style sense of men. Garter ribbing trims the hem and cuffs. Above the ribbing stranded color work diamonds complement the main clover pattern at the yoke. This sweater is designed to be plain enough for men while still being interesting to knit.

Gnarled is a matching set of collar and cuffs designed in a super-bulky yarn to keep out the chill. Wear them to warm up a dressy outfit or dress up a warm outfit- either way they add a touch of Victorian style to your day. The slightly felted yarn keeps warm air trapped next to your skin where it belongs in cold weather, while the merino is so...

A squooshy embossed diamond hat with a split garter stitch brim. Dunkelipa is named after a dark IPA beer Neil was brewing up the same day I brewed up the pattern.

Trefoil is a cabled winter hat and mitten set with an elegant three pointed celtic knot on the crown and a single leaf of the knot mirrored on each mitten. The knot is framed by arching stockinette and trimmed with stretchy i-cord edging.

Catamount is a cardigan with buttons at the top and an A-line front opening. This sweater has some waist shaping as well to provide a flattering fit. The stripes of color are highlighted by changes in texture which involve working both knit and purl rows on both the right side and wrong side of the fabric. Catamount will be perfect for wearing ...

Nordic stranded colorwork and complementary spiraling stripes make these hat and mittens a set. The angora halo gives the yarn its softness and allows the colors to blend, softening the colorwork. The patterned hat and mitten cuffs are bordered with left and right facing braids created using purled stitches. The shape of this hat is inspired fr...

The Jay hat is designed for serious warmth – worsted weight yarn worked in a double-knit pattern makes a very thick fabric perfect for trapping warm air. The geometric design keeps the two layers of fabric attached and makes the hat fully reversible.

Asters is a warm hat with a deep brim to cover your ears and keep you toasty warm on snowy winter walks. The mohair and slipped stitches create a dense stretchy fabric.

These boot socks knit up quickly in sport weight yarn for warmth. The cables begin halfway down the cuff and pull the fabric in to add shaping. The stripes at the top and before the toe are worked in the same contrasting color as the heel and toe. This allows even the large size to be knit from just two skeins of Stroll Sport.

An understated tunic sweater with wear-anywhere potential.

A one-row, reversible, garter rib scarf with blocks of color perfect for showing off special hand spun fibers. The blocks of color allow the knitter to use as much or as little handspun as they want. Commercial yarns can be chosen for the other blocks.

The color and braided cables of this vest remind me of a frozen river in winter. La Moelle is the old French name for the river in my county.

Two color felted mittens with ribbed cuff knit in after felting.