Worsted Weight Yarn
ISM/USM: KP 3 with 8 wedges on 70-72sts or KP 4 with 7 wedges and 58 sts
SK155: Plymouth Encore, 54gr, T5, 58st, 7 wedges; 18sts to 4"/23 rows; resulted in a toddler size aprox 16 1/2" circumference
LK150: LionBrand Fisherman Wool, T5.5, 70st, 8 sections; 20st to 4"/23 rows; don't know the exact size but it was too small for a 20 1/4" head.
Sportweight Yarn
KP 2 with 7 wedges over 68 sts and short row the end 16 sts (instead of 12).
Use an open cast on, and cast on 72 sts. One layer will get folded into the other, resulting in a hat that's 36 sts tall. 12 of these are for the crown and 24 are for the length down to the forehead. If you want to adjust the length or add a pattern, do it in the 24st section on both sides of 0. The hat that I made would have only a tiny brim, but I do not have a toddler to try it on.
Knit one row.
Put a needle into hold at each end of the bed, knit across. Repeat this row until there are 12 needles in hold at each end and you have knitted the row after pulling out the 12th needles. Make sure to use claw weights.
Place the needles on the far end of the bed into work position and knit across. Repeat.
This makes 14 rows for the section, plus the original first complete row.
Knit 7 or 8 wedges the same way (not including that very first plain row).
Take it off on waste yarn, and graft. Use the yarn ends to close up the little holes at either end.
There will be one row for the grafting, so the total number of rows will be 7 (or 8) x 14 + 2.
You may, if comfortable with grafting, eliminate the first plain row and the very last return row on the last wedge.
You can use an intarsia technique to make the inside and outside different colours. Change colours between L1 and R1. You can also change colours for each wedge. Or do intarsia and make the center 16 sts a different colour for a contrast brim.
In the gauge I got, adding an 8th wedge would add 2 1/2" to bring it up to 19", still a small child size; a 9th wedge would make it 21 1/2", an exact fit for my head which is not really a good idea; you want a little bit of negative ease. I think I'd try T4 for a wedge and see what that tension gives. Nine wedges of 14 rows makes a total of 126 rows; I could also try doing 7 wedges with 18 rows. To keep it to 12 sts at either end, instead of one stitch to hold at each end on each row, I'd have to do a little figuring. I do think that the sections are a little narrow which results in a pointy hat.
I'd also add about 18 sts in the middle so that there would be a fold back brim.
2 comments:
Hi Tracy,
I'm Ann in Tenn and that is my original hat pattern. I'm glad to see people are still using it. Several knitters in 2006 were using it as a hat to knit for the troops to be used as helmet liners. That was one reason I didn't have a folded back brim allowed for. Also, 8 wedges is less pointy than 7 and on the Bond, it never really is pointy, esp after it is worn and shapes to the head.
I made several with a cable worked in the 4 sts to the left of 0 and liked that look. I also worked shaker rib along the fold edge left of 0 to match a poncho that had shaker rib on its bottom edge. Still wear both of them.
What I thought was neat about this pattern is that when it is turned and grafted, there is no seam, gathering, start or finish, etc. the hat just IS! Of course that is only of interest to another knitter, not the average hat wearer.
That hat pattern grew out of the messing around I did while developing a class for knitting camp on knitting a short rowed circle, eg. a circular afghan. My favs in that are the ones with a contrasting spiral on them and this hat looks pretty neat with that "spiral" worked on it. Looks kinda like an octopus is sitting on your head with its legs hanging down! Vertical stripes. Hmm, gives me an idea that you could knit and stuff a contrasting body to sew onto the top. As you can see, I make all sorts of crazy hats, from jester hats to ones with spiders on top, snakes that hang over your shoulder, or are trying to swallow your head! At times I can't believe that my DH and boys actually wear these things!
Ann
I'm so glad to hear from you! I do really enjoy this pattern, it's sleek and trim but doubled so still warm. I'm a little baffled by my sizing though. I'm not knitting my worsted weight too tightly, in fact, a smidge loose, yet they're turning out toddler size. Would you happen to know what your gauge was?
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