New Knitting Pattern Release Thursday! https://www.debramilstein.com/post/it-s-bobble-hat-release-week

Happy February!

In this week’s post, I’m sharing all the details about the Bobble Hat pattern release, scheduled for February 13th, along with a behind-the-scenes look at the journey that brought it to life. Don’t forget to subscribe—newsletter subscribers get 30% off all new pattern releases!

Image of a white woman wearing a pink bobbled knit hat. Only the hat is in focus. Her torso and the background are blurred

Bobble Hat

I’m really excited about this pattern release! The idea for Bobble Hat first sparked when I saw The Lemonade Shop’s yarn in the Valentine Stripe colorway. I cast on right away, but shortly after, I began applying to graduate school. Once I was accepted, my free time disappeared. I held onto the sample and my scattered notes (scribbled on the back of scrap paper) until I finally completed my degree requirements in December 2024. Here’s a breakdown of my process in bringing the hat to life.

December:

I knit a second sample using The Lemonade Shop’s Classic DK in Purdy Camo. This time, I adjusted the fit and reworked the crown decreases while also studying hat-sizing resources from Woolly Wormhead, Tin Can Knits, and Sister Mountain.
I created a spreadsheet to grade the pattern across a range of sizes, from preemie to adult XL.
I needed a new tech editor—my go-to editor since 2018 (when I released my first pattern, the Aspen Hat) had stepped away from tech editing. After some searching, I found a great replacement within my budget.
I rewrote my style guide. There were a few things I wanted to update, and it made sense to do so while onboarding a new tech editor.
Writing the pattern and doing all the spreadsheet math took about 3–4 days.

Image of a smiling white woman in a black turtlneck and wearing a green and yellow knit beanie with pompom. She is crouching in front of a rusty gate and a turquoise brown and gold textured plaster wall — Bobble Hat Knit in green and yellow Purdy Camo from The Lemonade Shop

January:

I sent the pattern off to my new tech editor.
I scheduled a photo shoot—on what turned out to be one of the coldest days in January! Unfortunately, my photographer had to cancel at the last minute. Thankfully, my husband (aka the Colonel) stepped in. I quickly showed him my mood board and explained what I needed, and off we went. I definitely married the right guy!
Once I had the images, I started reaching out to test knitters. I also made a few YouTube Shorts and reels, which turned out to be pretty fun!
Testing kicked off on January 13th and runs through February 12th. Here’s a shot from one of my former CBS coworkers who volunteered to test knit.

image of a cream knitting project with brown bobbles in progress sitting on a grey sewing table near the sewing arm of a sewing machine. — Bobble Hat test knitting in progress. Thank you, Juliet!

Kiko from Kiko’s Podcast is also one of my test knitters, and she’s been sharing her progress on her podcast (linked below). You can see Bobble Hat at the 18:03 mark.
- Kiko's Podcast link
The next step was creating the social media campaign. So far, I’ve focused mostly on still images, but I’m exploring video editing software and considering starting a podcast.

And that brings us to today! I’m working on incorporating final tester feedback, and then the pattern will be ready to go. It will be available on Ravelry (where I’m Debra Milstein/hrhdeb) and here on my website. If you purchase through my website but would also like the pattern to appear in your Ravelry library, just send me an email after purchase with your Ravelry username, and I’ll take care of it for you.