Knitting patterns for hat- NQC and others?

[giraffeski]

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I don't know any patterns for this. Find me a picture of one, and talk to me about what kind of texture you want (and do a sample square!), and I'll make you a pattern of sorts.

I saw a picture of a v big beanie with a bobble on the top in the Guardian, is that what you mean?

(Oh, also, measure your head.)

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Ok, well, I have to sleep now anyway, but find me a picture and think about what texture you want (ribbed is good, has more give, and I know a lovely deep rib that's nice, and easy, but slightly fancier than a normal rib).

To make a pattern, I need

• picture (more than one is good, things like "Like this but more bulgy" are good, too)
• texture decision
• sample square info (ideally we'll do sample square in texture you want?)
• info about needles - are you knitting in the round? Please do!
• head measurement

Cables also an option, too, obviously.

(Cables work a lot like ribbing, anyway.)

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I like the one in the lemonade one - I think part of the charm is the big yarn, though, and big yarn is harder to do texture in - as you don't have much room for texture with a big yarn.

Have you done cabling? What kind are you considering? Travelling cables are nice for hats, you can hide the decreases under the travels, iyswim.

The rib I love is a 3x2, three knits, two purls, but with a slip (wyib) on every other row for the middle stitch of the 3 knits. It makes the middle stitch stand up more, for more texture. It's a more stretchy rib, too, imo.

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Is the sample pattern right, other than the tension/yarn issue? Actually, what I need to know, is is the shape right? If your yarn is really chunky, then yeah, a normal rib, or a slightly fancy rib, would be best, cabling at that size would be a bit strange I think.

Do a sample square with a good number of stitches and rows, and give me your stitches per inch, and we can work with it. (Don't do rows per inch, I think we'll do rows by inch, as in "knit until it measures X", not "knit X rows".)

Hmmm, had another look at that pattern picture, and really it's a beret, it just doesn't quite look like one in the photo. (Um, also, the associated pages are all in Japanese? I think? I can't read Japanese.)

But we can do something midway between a beret/tam and a normal hat, or do a normal hat with a bit more volume in the middle, iyswim. The other sample picture actually looks quite a bit like a rasta cap in shape - a really really big normal hat, really.

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We're making progress here. Ok, do you want just a rib then? Can you do a sample square in the rib I described, and then measure it relaxed, and measure it fully taut?

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Ok, so maybe rib on the edge, and plain or cable for the rest?

I'm actually not entirely sure on the difference between a beret and a tam-o-shanter ...

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I think you need to felt it or something to make it sit nicely, slouchy is the norm I think.

I mad a tam'o'shanter once, albeit by accident ... knitting from the top gives better choices for this sort of thing imo, as you can evaluate it better as it goes on ...

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Going from the top is easier for this. Well, except that casting on, from the top, sucks ass. There's a special technique, I'll see if I can find it. (You are working in the round, right?)

This page gives some details of a crochet-hook style of this cast-on.

You do need to do a sample square for the bottom edge - you do the sample square in the rib of your choice, and measure it slightly taught, if you want it to hold on via the square.

My normal rule, when doing a regular hat, is that the "tube" bit of the hat should be about a third of the circumference of the head, so an 18" head gets a 6" tube bit. You'll want to go for something a bit longer, for this style of hat. But knitting top-down will mean you can do a provisional cast off (as in, transfer the stitches to a piece of yarn), and try on the hat properly, when deciding how much more to do.

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Ah, there's a special cast-on method that makes for a tidier top, which is important if you're not having a bobble. It probably only makes a difference to knitting pedants.

I'd cast about 4 stitches/row for the first few inches, so the top is nearly flat. Then reduce cast on rate, when you're up pretty big, and then reduce stitches a bit. The more poofy you want it, the more over your final band size you want to go.

You have to plan if you start from the band, too, although I guess the size is pretty forgiving, more so than a normal hat. If it's too big you may look rasta-ish, but that's unlikely to be a problem.

It's worth noting that the same number of stitches in SS and ribbing will come up quite a bit narrower in ribbing. So the switch from SS to ribbing for the band will be another reduction, even w/out reducing any stitches.

FWIW there's an Ann Budd book that is good for this sort of thing- completely flexible patterns for all sorts of hats, gloves and so on (i.e. ones that you can use for all sizes and weights of yarn).

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