Two-Tone Marrowbone Hat

Two-Tone Marrowbone Hat

Okie dokie!  First of all.  The reason I started knitting this hat was to test my hypothesis that I could knit two of the beasts out of the same ball of yarn (since this is the same stuff I made the Twisted Check Hat out of).  And guess what?  It couldn't be done!  However, instead of going the boring route and buying yet another ball of the same color, I decided to switch it up and change colors, partially so that I wouldn't have to knit a THIRD hat out of the gray (I've got big plans for the blue, though, let me tell you).  Obviously, you wouldn't have to change colors to make this hat, if you didn't want to, or you could even stripe it every six rows, since if you look closely at the color change (there's a better picture below), the way the fabric tugs into the cables actually looks pretty good.  Or you could trim it with a crochet stitch on the bottom, if you wanted to tie the blue back in, or even add a tassel or a pom-pom of the gray.  So many options!  Any way you do it, I think this is a gorgeous texture for a hat.  So let's get this party started!

Yarn: Cascade Yarns Pacific (40% Superwash Merino Wool, 60% Acrylic; 213 yards [195 meters]/100 grams); #500 Duo Tone - one skein, and #505 Caribbean blue - one skein

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size 8, one set double-pointed needles (dpns), also in size 8, cable needle (cn) or extra dpn

And... from the back!

Notions: Stitch marker, tapestry needle

Gauge: 18 stitches = 4 inches

Cast on 96 stitches, place marker, join in round

Knit in k1, p1 ribbing for 1 inch

Now, before we begin the main pattern, which is adapted to the round from the Marrowbone Pattern from page 204 of Barbara G. Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns, let's do a little notation note:

fc (front cross): slide 3 stitches to cn and hold in front, k3, then k3 from cn

fc2 (front cross 2): slide 2 stitches to cn and hold in front, k2, then k2 from cn

fc1 (front cross 1): slide 1 stitch to cn and hold in front, k1, then k1 from cn
Whew!  Now that that's done, let's get started.
Rows 1 & 3: knit

Row 2: * k2, p6, k4; rep from *

Row 4: * p6, k6 *

Row 5: * p6, fc *

Row 6: * p4, k6, p2 *

Rows 7 & 9: knit

Row 8: * p2, k6, p4 *

Row 10: * k6, p6 *

Row 11: * fc, p6 *

Row 12: * k4, p6, k2 *

Repeat rows 1 - 12 twice through, and then repeat rows 1 - 6 again.  Now it's time to change colors (or not, if you're not out of yarn like I am, or you didn't want to buy two balls, or you think color changes are tacky!) and then knit rows 7 - 12 one more time before beginning the decrease.

Decrease row 1: knit

Row 2: * k2, p2tog, p4, k4 *

Row 3: knit

Switch to dpns

Row 4: * p2tog, p3, k6 *

Row 5: * p4, fc *

Row 6: * p2, ssk, k4, p2 *

Row 7: * ssk, k3, p4 *

Row 8: * fc2, p2tog, p2 *

Row 9: * k2, p2tog, p1, k2 *

Row 10: * p2, ssk, k2 *

Row 11: * ssk, k1, p2 *

Row 12: * fc1, p2tog *

Row 13: * ssk, p1 *

Row 14: * ssk *

Cut yarn, leaving a 12" tail.  Thread on tapestry needle, thread through final 8 stitches, pull tight and knot.  Tuck in ends.