This yarn was in a clearance section on WEBS….I was
intrigued and bought several colors.
The first had that I made was a test knit for a very skilled Finnish
Designer – Annina Juuti – called the Lovi Hat. This hat turned out beautifully. The mohair content gave a beautiful
fabric. Then I did a several Two by Two
hats. The came out fairly nicely. The last one though…it stretched a bit more
than I was happy with during blocking.
As I was oh so not pleased with that stretch, I decided to
experiment. What would a 1x1 rib at a
tighter gauge do with this yarn?
After doing a gauge swatch in 1 x 1 rib and looking at some
other patterns, I came up with a plan.
As I wanted to do a striped hat to make best use of the leftovers from
other projects, I decided to graph out the hat. Knitbird
is software, now free, that I have used a long time. It is a bit clunky but much better than Excel
for me.
I graphed out the hat with the stripe repetition where I
wanted it. And set out to do the hat.
As I am always interested in trying ways to do things
better, I also did a little research on jogless jog techniques. This time, I chose a technique explained
very well by Roxanne Richardson.
Following the YouTube gleaned advice from those who know
more than me …the many who know more than me….I measured the hat and took the
gauge before and after blocking. Both
the row gauge and the stitch gauge did change
as the yarn relaxed during blocking.
Materials
Hi Koo Highland Lux Yarn (90% Wool 10% Mohair, 273yds
(250m)/100g (3.53oz), Worsted)
Partial balls left over from other projects in Charcoal,
Ocean, Bark, and Mist. Each ball was
half or less in size.
Size 3 US Needles
Tapestry needle
Scissors
Gauge
Pre-blocking: 7 stitches
and 7 rows/inch.
Post-blocinkg: 6 stitches
and 8 rows/inch
Finished Size
Pre-blocking: 17 stitches
and 7 rows/inch.
Post-blocking: 6 stitches
and 8 rows/inch
Instructions
Cast on 108 stitches in Charcoal. Work 1 x 1 Rib for 18 rounds.
Stripe Sequence
On the first row of each stripe, knit. On the subsequent rows, work K1, P1 ribbing.
Mist: 5 Rows
Ocean: 3 Rows
Mist 5 Rows:
Charcoal 3 rows
Repeat this sequence until the hat measures six inches. This works out to six stripes total with
the last stripe of the sequence being Ocean.
Crown Decreases
Work the decreases as follows while continuing the stripe sequences.
Row 1: *Work sixteen stitches,
k2 tog*
Row 2: Work row in pattern to the two stitches knit
together in the previous round, knit those stitches.
Row 3: *Work fifteen stitches,
k2 tog*
Row 4: Work row in pattern to the two stitches knit
together in the previous round, knit those stitches.
The final decrease row in this pattern will be done as *Work
two stitches, k2 tog*. At this point,
there will be 18 stitches left.
Next row: *K2 tog* 9
stitches
Next row: *K2 tog* K1
Finishing
Cut yarn with about 16 inches left to finish. Run the yarn through the stitches, pull tight
and fasten off.
Sew in ends and block.
I will admit that I am unsure if the end of the decreasing
in 100% accurate…but..it will work.
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