Archive of Thread: Hat I Made Using 2 Decrease Styles in One Hat Back

2 years ago
So, I used my head measurements, my gauge and what I have learned at KIN in the last couple weeks. 

Here is the hat





I did a fold up hem that was just stockinette. I used CT of 3 for the hem, CT 4 for the hat.

Here is my thinking as I designed it.

The stripes were random. I just changed the color when I wanted to. The only set plan was to have the top and bottom the dark color. I always feel the dark color makes a nice frame whether a quilt, card, hat, etc. So, that part of the coloring was planned. The other, sort of plan was, the color that is used for a decrease row, is used for 2 rows after. I just felt that with two stitches on a needle, it would be best not to have a new color until after knitting two rows. Not sure if that is necessary, but I thought a continuous yarn piece would be more stable. That was my thinking process for the colors.

I knew the EON with keeping the empty needles out of work is basically mock rib, there are strands going from one stitch, over the empty space, and connecting to the next needle. This makes a loose fabric. 

My dilemma, if you can call it that, I wanted a little body and use the decreases as part of the shaping. I decided to take the time and after moving EON to its neighbor, I adjusted all of the stitches to fill the empty needles. This made a slightly stiffer decrease line, and made a defined shape. It took time, but the saving grace was, there was only half the needles to do this with, after doing it the first time, �.

Continuing with my thinking, I did not want it stiff at the top final decrease. To get the stitch count down to the number I wanted for gathering at the top, I needed three decreases. I did the first two decrease rows by filling the empty needles by moving the stitches over after the initial step of placing EON on its neighbor.

The decrease at the top was done with the EON, but placing the empty needles out of work, a mock mock rib 😂😂😂.

I had 130 stitches. At row 60 I was going to do my first decrease I needed to change my color around that point. I knew I was going to need 3 rows for the color and did not want three more rows of the light pink, so, I switched to the dark pink at 59. I did not want to use a new strand of yarn in the decrease row, I then knit with the dark pink to row 65, I did not want a wide stripe there. I was now using the light color. Row 68 was going to be my next time consuming decrease. I did that second decrease where I moved all the needles over to fill the empty needles created when placing stitches on their neighbor needle.

At that point, I was only going to do one more color change, that would be the change to the dark for the tippy top of the hat. I did that decrease at RC 68 with the light, knit a row and changed to the dark yarn. At row 74 it did the EON decrease, but I left the empty needles out of work to make a less stiff and lighter feel top. It is easier to gather the top tight this way. 

I knit two rows after that last decrease row. I wanted it to point up a little when I gather it. I had a feeling that doing that would give it some interest and it would spread out and flatten a tad when worn, It would help not make the top look like it was pulling.  That is what I was picturing in my mind.

I was done, and the result would soon be seen. I cut the yarn with a long tail, long enough to gather and sew down the side, I thread the double eyed needle, whose name I forgot, (bobkin?) through the stitches in the needles, I pulled all the needles out to E, or if you are not an LK150 user, into hold position. I tugged a little on the fabric to make sure that I could see clearly that all the stitches have that yarn pulled through. Not going to lose a stitch now.

I removed the fabric, and carefully ran the yarn through the stitches a second time. I prefer to gather with the yarn through twice. You have to be careful when doing this. A split stitch or tangle with the first yarn through might cause extra work. 

Then I pulled it tight, fasted it a little and continued down the side with the Bickford seam, going down the front side of the folded hem and around the bottom and up the other side. I did not seam the front and back of the double layered hem together. 

I am deciding if I want a pompom or not. I love the way this fits. I like the shape of the body of the hat. The result of the way I decreased accomplished what I was hoping for. I like the hem that fold up to about 1 inch. I increased the CT to 5 when I did the row where the hem was knit into the hat body, then I put it to CT 4. 

I really like this. I actually like it on my head, sorry, I don't like photos of myself, so the roll of paper towels will have to do, I did give you a face �.

I thought it through. Made it simple, but added a little bit more to advance a little and make me think of the result, and used planning, etc. I know this is a long explanation, but I wanted to share my thought process, and why.

2 years ago
Cynthia!
Congrats!  This is great!  I love that you are playing with techniques and are thinking things through.

The happy face on the roll of towels made me smile.
Thanks for sharing!

Sue

2 years ago
Thanks, Sue. I hope my explanation of what I was thinking and how I achieved what I was thinking helps someone else. I was thinking it might.

I really like this one. It is very comfortable.

Thanks for all of your help.