CABLE HAT LESSON 5

CABLE CROSSING

THE CABLE HAT
Lesson 5 -FINISHING!

THIS WEEK WE WILL FINISH THE HAT!

MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE STRIPS ARE SEWN TOGETHER ON THE LONG SIDE, EASING IN THE DIFFERENT LENGTHS. MAKE SURE, ALSO, THAT THE SHORT ENDS ARE SEWN TOGETHER AND THAT YOU HAVE A “TUBE” OF YOUR THREE STRIPS.

NOW TO MAKE THE TOP!

FOLD THE TUBE IN HALF, WITH THE SEAM AT ONE END. PLACE A PIN, OR SOME OTHER MARKER AT THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SEAM (1/2 WAY AROUND THE TUBE).

WITH A YOUR NEEDLES (CIRCULAR OR DOUBLE POINT – I USED 2-24” CIRCULARS) BEGIN PICKING UP STITCHES AROUND THE TOP EDGE OF YOUR HAT –“TUBE”. THIS IS THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE GARTER STITCH BORDER! YOU WILL PICK UP ONE STITCH IN EVERY OTHER ROW OF THE KNITTING ON STRIP 3.

WHEN YOU GET TO THE MARKER, WRITE DOWN HOW MANY STITCHES YOU HAVE PICKED UP SO FAR. THIS IS ONE HALF OF THE TOTAL STITCHES YOU WILL HAVE AROUND THE TOP.

CONTINUE PICKING UP STITCHES AND MAKE SURE YOU HAVE THE SAME NUMBER ON EACH HALF. WRITE DOWN YOUR TOTAL NUMBER OF PICKED UP STITCHES.

I GOT 33 ON EACH HALF, FOR A TOTAL OF 66 STS., BUT YOURS WILL VARY AS EVERYONE KNITS DIFFERENTLY.

NOW YOU WILL DECREASE AT REGULAR INTERVALS EVERY ROW. THIS WILL MAKE A FLAT TOP FOR YOUR HAT. IF YOU WANT A MORE ROUNDED TOP, DECREASE EVERY OTHER ROW.

TO FIND OUT HOW OFTEN YOU SHOULD DECREASE, TAKE THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STITCHES YOU PICKED UP AROUND YOUR HAT AND SEE WHAT NUMBER GOES INTO IT THE MOST EVEN AMOUNTS OF TIMES.

EXAMPLE: (OH NO!!!! MATH!!!!)

I GOT 66 STS. – TOTAL. 33 ON ONE HALF, 33 ON THE OTHER.

6 X 11 = 66, BUT 6 AND 11 ARE NOT EVEN CLOSE TO EACH OTHER (NOT COUNTING HORSESHOES AND HAND GRENADES!!)

I WANT A NUMBER IN BETWEEN 6 AND 11.

8X8 IS 64 – VERY CLOSE, BUT 8 IS THE EXACT SAME NUMBER AS 8, AND I DON’T WANT MY TOP TO BE TOO TIGHT.

I WILL GO FOR “7”***!! SO 7 X 9 IS 63…. I THINK I WILL TAKE THOSE 2 NUMBERS.

(THERE IS A LOT OF ROOM FOR PLAY HERE!!!!)

I HAVE 66 STITCHES, SO I WILL KNIT AROUND MY FIRST ROUND AND DECREASE THREE STITCHES EVENLY AROUND THE CIRCLE TO GIVE ME 63 STITCHES.

WORKING TOP WITH 2 CIRCULARS

NOW ON MY FIRST ROUND I WILL
{ K7, DEC.} AROUND. (THIS USES 9 STITCHES). I SHOULD HAVE 7 OF THESE DECREASES AROUND BECAUSE…….7 X 9 = 63!

THE NEXT ROUND I WILL {K6, DEC.} AROUND.

THE NEXT ROUND: {K5, DEC.} AROUND. (SEE A TREND??)

YOU CAN SEE, IN THE PICTURE ON THE RIGHT, AS I KNIT AROUND USING ONE CIRCULAR NEEDLE, THE OTHER RESTS. I DON’T KNIT FROM ONE SET OF CIRCULARS TO THE OTHER.

NOTE: YOU MAY HAVE TO SHIFT A STITCH FROM ONE NEEDLE TO THE OTHER (CIRCULAR OR DOUBLE POINT) AS YOU DO YOUR DECREASE ROUNDS, IF YOU NEED TO DECREASE ONE STITCH FROM ONE NEEDLE, AND ONE STITCH FROM ANOTHER. IT IS BEST TO PUT THE STITCH YOU NEED FROM THE LEFT NEEDLE ONTO THE RIGHT NEEDLE, THEN DECREASE THEM.

CONTINUE TO DECREASE AROUND UNTIL YOU HAVE 7 (OR YOUR NUMBER***) STITCHES LEFT.

YOUR LAST ROUND WILL BE {DEC.} AROUND.

NOW CUT THE YARN LEAVING A 12” – OR SO – TAIL. THREAD THIS TAIL THROUGH A TAPESTRY NEEDLE AND THEN RUN THE TAPESTRY NEEDLE THROUGH ALL OF YOUR REMAINING STITCHES. DRAW THE YARN TIGHTLY TO THE INSIDE AND MAKE A KNOT.

RUN YOUR YARN THROUGH THE WRONG SIDE OF YOUR KNITTING FOR AT LEAST AN INCH AND CUT IT ABOUT ¼ INCH AWAY. TUCK IN ANY REMAINING ENDS IN THE SAME WAY.

VIOLA!!! YOU HAVE
“LE CHAPEAUX”!

TOPPING IT ALL OFF.

YOU CAN EMBELLISH YOUR HAT WITH A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT TOPS.

YOU CAN MAKE A POM POM AND SEW IT TO THE TOP.
YOU CAN PUT SEVERAL LONG STRANDS OF YARN TOGETHER, TWIST THEM – LEAVING A TASSEL – AND PUT THAT ON TOP.
YOU CAN MAKE JUST A TASSEL AND SEW THAT TO THE TOP.
YOU CAN LEAVE IT PLAIN!
YOU CAN OMIT THE TOP SHAPING AND JUST WORK 1” OF RIBBING AROUND THE TOP CIRCUMFERENCE, SO THAT THE HAIR CAN GO UP (AND THE BREEZES DOWN).

GO HOG WILD!
AND HAVE FUN KNITTING MORE CABLES!