In Norway and Sweden, Father's Day is Sunday 8 November. That's nine days away. Few people can finish a sweater by then, but you can finish a hat. Here is what I would knit, and what you can do if you'd rather give something that takes longer.
A hat in a few evenings
The Beanie is my set of men's hats in Everyday Life. They are knitted in Vams on 6 mm needles, with a folded ribbed brim and a small orange star where the stitches gather at the top. You need two balls, and the pattern is graded in five sizes.
- The Beanie · Blue: midnight blue, in stockinette.
- The Beanie · Green: green, in stockinette.
- The Beanie · Grey: grey, with ribbing all the way up.
If you want it without the orange, gather the top in the same colour as the rest. It's in the pattern.
How to find the size without asking
Borrow a hat he already likes to wear. Lay it flat without stretching it, measure the width and multiply by two. Compare with “Circumference” in the pattern, and choose the size that is closest. That way you get it right without giving away the gift.
For cold hands and feet
If you have a little more time, mittens and socks make good Father's Day gifts. They get worn every day for as long as winter lasts.
- SkiStar – The Mitten: a mitten in traditional style with a star motif.
- SkiStar – The Socks: white wool socks with a brown pattern, knitted on double-pointed needles.
If you don't make it in time
Give a promise instead. Buy the yarn, put the balls in a bag together with the pattern, and write on a note when he'll get the finished piece. That way he can choose the colour himself, too. In Knit for him I've gathered the jacket and the sweater in Everyday Life, graded in five men's sizes from S to XXL.
You'll find all the men's patterns in Men's knits.
The last thing I knitted for Dad was a pair of mittens. He never got to wear them. Knit for yours while you can <3
Did you know …
that Father's Day in the Nordic countries was celebrated in June between the wars? Retailers wanted to move it to November, further away from Mother's Day. Today it is celebrated on the second Sunday in November in Norway, Sweden, Finland, Iceland and Estonia. The idea came from the USA, where Sonora Smart Dodd started the first Father's Day in Spokane in 1910. Her father had raised six children on his own.
Source: Store norske leksikon, Farsdag.
Feel free to share what you knit for Father's Day with #cosymonday.
Sources: Store norske leksikon, Farsdag.
Anne-Turid <3