Successes!

I needed a quick success this past weekend, firstly as a break from the Big Projects I'm working on, and secondly to take my mind off Friday's crushing defeat. The crushing defeat involved an experiment for a hat (of course) with a unique construction. I didn't get to see the results of the experiment; I'll have to retry as soon as I muster the resolve to rip out the disaster. The disaster being: 324 stitches. K1, p1 ribbing in the round. Over TWENTY rows in before I notice the twist.

Anyway, on to the good stuff. I decided to try out a quick and easy hat design that's been floating around in my head, a Barbara Walker stitch pattern in a bulky yarn. I loved how it came out, so I decided to share the pattern here. E-mail me if you make one; I'd love to see how it turns out!





Wavelet Hat
3 skeins Karabella Aurora Bulky in color #22. (That's right, 3 skeins. This yarn has the worst yardage EVER!) 100% merino wool, 54 yds/50 g per ball.
47" Addi Turbo circulars in US sizes 9 and 10.5 (I use the Magic Loop technique. Obviously you can use 16" circulars, and a spare circ or set of dpn's in size 10.5 if you prefer).
Gauge: 20 sts and 23 rows in Wavelet pattern, knit circularly with larger needle

Wavelet Pattern knit circularly (this is my name for the stitch pattern; I can't remember what BW called it but I think it might be "Little Cables" or "Cable Fabric" or something like that):
Multiple of 6 sts
Rounds 1-2: Knit.
Round 3: *Slip 2 sts to cable needle (cn) and hold to front, k2 from left needle, k2 from cn, k2, repeat from * around.
Rounds 4-6: Knit.
Round 7: *K2, Slip 2 sts to cn and hold to back, k2 from left needle, k2 from cn, repeat from * around.
Round 8: Knit.
Repeat rounds 1-8 for pattern.

Hat:
With US 9, CO 56 sts. Join into round, being careful not to twist. Work 5 rounds in k2, p2 ribbing. Switch to US 10.5 and work one more round in rib pattern.
Work increase round: *K4, m1, k3, m1, repeat from * around. [72 sts total.]
Work 32 rounds (4 full repeats) in Wavelet pattern.
Work decrease rounds:
1. (K10, k2 tog) around [66 sts total].
2. (K9, k2 tog) around [60 sts total].
3. (Slip 2 sts to cn and hold to front, k2 from left needle, k2 from cn, k4, k2 tog) around [54 sts total].
4. (K7, k2 tog) around [48 sts total].
5. (K6, k2 tog) around [42 sts total].
6. (K5, k2 tog) around [36 sts total].
7. (K4, k2 tog) around [30 sts total].
8. (K3, k2 tog) around [24 sts total].
9. (K2, k2 tog) around [18 sts total].
10. (K1, k2 tog) around [12 sts total].
11. (k2 tog) around [6 sts total].
Cut yarn and thread onto tapestry needle. Pull yarn tail through remaining sts and pull to close. Weave in ends.

Sizing notes:
1. The hat will stretch. Right after knitting, it was 8.75" tall and only 15" in circumference. It was uncomfortably tight when I first put it on. After wearing it for 20 minutes, the height stayed the same but the unstretched circumference had increased to 18" and the hat was comfortable to wear. I wore it on and off for an additional 3 hours, but there was no more stretching.

2. I have a biggish head (22.5") and this hat fits very snugly, which is how I like it. Kids don't usually like tight hats, so you can probably use the same stitch count for a kid size, and just make the hat shorter by working the Wavelet pattern for 24 rounds instead of 32. If you have a superbig head, or just a big head but like a looser fit, try adding 4 (or 8) stitches to the ribbing and 6 (or 12) to the main body. You will need to redo the math for the increase round so the increases occur evenly around the hat. Also, there will be 1 (or 2) more decrease rounds to work. I can't guarantee that the cool flower effect will be preserved, but it will probably be similar enough.