brigid — available now!
Brigid is a striking and innovative cabled beanie rooted in Celtic-inspired knotwork and knitwear design. This lusciously cabled hat features a twisting cable motif, which repeats around the hat with a favorite flanking braided cable, for an evocative design made for everyday wear.
This design is a cross-border collaboration with Deanna Guttman of Needles in the Hay — located in Peterborough, Ontario — sparked by our mutual love for beautiful fibers and the long-standing and enduring friendship between Canadians and Americans. She introduced me to the heavenly Lamana Como Cashmere, which gives this hat an elegant, soft, and romantic look and feel that — IMHO — any knitter would fall in love with at first touch.
As Brigid grew on my needles, the temptation of making another version in a steadfast favorite, Brooklyn Tweed LOFT, was too great to resist, so this pattern is written with options for sport and fingering weight yarn, with charts and specs for each version, making this hat perfect for any lighter weight yarn you love.
Saven & Saven II | Hudson + West Co. | Image by Hudson River Photographer
about me
Welcome! I’m Meghan Babin, the knitwear designer behind all these cable knit sweaters. My knitting journey began 20 years ago when my mother taught me how to knit on a weekend home from college. The trajectory of my life was forever altered as my knitting journey morphed from independent design, to editing Interweave Knits (2015-2018), to starting my own American yarn company in 2019— Hudson + West Co. — with my dear friend and fellow cable enthusiast, Sloane Rosenthal. I’ve grown into my design aesthetic through my experiences in the industry and my own passion for cable knitting, learning and honing my skills through designing one sweater at a time, studying construction and technique, and remaining true to myself and what I love most about knitting — CABLES!
As nearly a lifelong resident of the Hudson River Valley, my design aesthetic is inspired by dichotomy of New York City and the woods and wilds of Upstate New York. My eternal goal as a designer is to successfully marry two seemingly opposed aesthetics — rugged and sophisticated — in every sweater, making them practical and desirable for a slush hopping city-dweller or a firewood chopping Mainer.
Porter | Hudson + West Co. | Image by Hudson River Photographer
my designs
Around these parts we are “Team Seam,” meaning that all my designs are worked from the bottom up and seamed. Cable knits require the stability and structure of seams — which, on occasion, includes a three-needle bind off — to keep your gorgeous sweater from stretching out and losing its shape over time. We’re making hand knits that stand the test of time!
The control and precision of pieced construction allows for critical adjustments without the added horror of having to rip back huge chunks of a WIP. Not to mention, it’s way easier to travel with a wee sleeve or a back/front than an entire sweater stuffed in a bag or sitting like an octopus on your lap.
Explore all my hand knitwear designs available for purchase through Hudson + West Co. and Ravelry. Each design is crafted for the best fit possible, with clear, concise instructions for the best results. Find all abbreviations for Hudson + West Co. patterns here, while my independent designs sold on Ravelry include abbreviations in the pattern.
“my designs are for those who seek thoughtful, well-crafted knits made to stand the test of time and trend.”
