ChemKnits: 14 Cable Hat Knitting Pattern

Friday, March 5, 2010

14 Cable Hat Knitting Pattern

Last summer

, Keith bought me a skein of alpaca yarn from a farm we visited on Martha's Vineyard. The wool has character. It is not uniform thickness, but is still rich and soft and a pleasure to work with. I wanted to create something fun to showcase the beautiful texture. I present to you the 14-Cable Hat; with a ribbed brim for warmth and 14 different cables around the crown. The 14 Cables include: Braided Cable, Mock Wavy Cable Rib, Cable with Bobbles, Traveling Rope, Claw Cable, and Little Pearl Cable.

Materials

1 Skein 100% Island Alpaca, Herd Mates Worsted Weight, 2 ply. About 40 yards/ounce. 5.89 Oz ($41.23). This yarn is from the Fleece of Peitro, Luna, Afteil and Tranquility. With 5.89 ounces, I should have 235 yards (according to the label).
Size 6 round needles.
cable needle
tapestry needle or crochet hook to weave in loose ends
Gauge: 9.5 sts/ 2 inches, 7 rows/inch. in stockinette

The Pattern:

Cast on 100 sts on circular needles
Join, Work in a 2x2 ribbing pattern (*K2, P2* repeat) for 33 rows or until the work measures ~5 inches.
Starting with row 1 of the chart, work Rows 43 rows of the cable chart . I would recommend placing markers before each P2. This should make it easier for you to keep track which cable you are on. The cable portion of the project should measure ~6 inches.

The 43-row cable chart. You should open this file in a new window to see the details better. Alternatively, you can view the chart in higher resolution over two pages in the following PDF file. Please note that this PDF is on over-sized at 11x17., not standard letter paper.

Key for the chart. This should also be opened in a new window and saved. Cables are shown color coded in addition to symbols to facilitate the translations.
Next Row: *P2tog, P1, Yo, K2tog* repeat across. (80 sts) (NOTE: Because of a question received I wanted to clarify that this decrease happens AFTER you are done working the cable chart.)
Work in a 2x2 ribbing pattern (*P2, K2* repeat) for 8 rows (just over 1 inch)
Bind off, keeping with the ribbing pattern.
Weave a piece of yarn through the YO's at the beginning of the ribbing, and tie tightly closed.
Weave in all loose ends, and Enjoy!

Images of the Project:

Stitchmarkers placed in between each of the cables makes it easier to keep track of your progress.

Demonstration of how to weave a piece of yarn through the YO's at the top to cinch the hat crown together. I used blue yarn in this picture to illustrate it better, but you would want to use yarn the same color as the rest of your hat.

Different views of the 14 Cable Hat

Rotations of the 14 Cable Hat. See it from every angle!

When I was working on my sampler afghan, I hated the complex cabled squares. It would have gone differently if these cables had been charted, rather than reading line by line instructions. If you want to extend the cable chart beyond the 43 rows, then you need to make sure that you end on an odd number row (when you have 100, not 101 sts) before you begin the decrease/YO round.

This chart is extended to 49 rows. The extra rows are shown in Red.

I wanted this hat to be as functional as it is fun. I designed a large ribbed brim so I would be able to stay warm while waiting for the bus. I also knit it tight since I have had other hand-knit hats stretch out a lot.

References:

99 Knit Stitches (Leisure Arts #2973)
365 Knitting Stitches a Year Perpetual Calendar
Cables Untangled : An Exploration of Cable Knitting - Over 20 Designs & More than 100 Cable Stitches
Tea Cozy Hat - for the idea of a cinched ribbed fake-pompom like closure

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Abbreviations Used in this pattern:
Kfb - increase by knitting into the front and back of a single stitch.
K - knit
P - purl
YO - Yarn Over
K2tog - decrease by knitting two stitches together.
P2tog - decrease by knitting two stitches together.
CN - Cable Needle

Key to Cable Charts