Sunday, September 8, 2013

Chunky Triangle Rib Hat

Chunky Triangle Rib Hat

I've been eyeing this yarn for a while, but it took it finally going on sale for me to buy it (I think this color is discontinued). And once I brought it home, I knew that I needed to make a pattern simple enough that the variegation and chunkiness wouldn't hide the design. So here's what I came up with. Incidentally, I gave it the slouchy shape because I had enough yarn to do it; if you prefer a more traditional beanie shape, repeat the main pattern 6 times instead of 9, and the work the decreases as stated. Also, if you have a 16" circular needle in a 10 1/2 or a 10, you may want to work the ribbed band in that instead of the size 11, if you want it to fit tighter.

Yarn: Berroco Borealis (60% Acrylic, 40% Wool; 108 yards [100 meters]/100 grams); #5079 Hekla - 1 skein 

A close-up of the pattern.
Needles: one 16" circular needle in size #11, one set of double-pointed needles (dpns), also in size #11

Notions: tapestry needle

Gauge: 12 stitches = 4 inches

Using circular needle, cast on 70 stitches, place marker, and join in round. Knit 4 rows in a (k1, p1, k1, p2) ribbing. Then we'll move on to the main pattern, which goes like so:

Row 1: * yo, k3tog, yo, p2; rep from *

Rows 2 & 3: * k3, p2 *

Repeat rows 1 - 3 nine times, and then we'll begin the decreases. As follows:

Decrease row 1: * yo, k3tog, yo, p2, yo, k3tog, yo, p2tog * (63 stitches)

Decrease row 2: * k3, p2, k3, p1 *

Decrease row 3: * k3, p2tog, k3, p1 * (56 stitches)

Decrease row 4: * yo, k3tog, yo, p1 *

Now's the time to switch to your dpns!

Decrease row 5: * k3, p1, k3tog, p1 * (42 stitches)

Decrease row 6: * k3tog, p1, k1, p1 * (28 stitches)

Decrease rows 7 & 8: * k2tog * (14 stitches; 7 stitches)

Clip yarn, leaving tail of about 18", and thread through last 7 stitches. Pull tight, bring to inside of hat, and knot. Tuck in ends.



41 comments:

  1. thanks for telling beginners to switch to dpns

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    1. Ha! I'm ridiculous, and agonize over whether or not I should on every hat. Then I try to make it sound like a very gentle suggestion, so as not to offend anyone who doesn't need the advice. I probably shouldn't worry about it so much, huh? :)

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    2. Wouldn't magic loop method work as well?

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    3. Of course, and you're welcome to use it! :)

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  2. Hi, would it be possible to knit this pattern with straight needles? Thanks!

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    1. Hi Rita! See below. :) And let me know if you find any discrepancies or have any questions - I think this should be accurate, but since I didn't actually knit the pattern this way I may have missed something.

      Cast on 70 stitches. Then we'll knit a few ribbing rows, like so:

      Row 1 (right side): * (p1, k1) twice, p1; rep from *
      Row 2: * (k1, p1) twice, k1 *

      Knit rows 1 & 2 twice, and then we'll move on to the main pattern, as follows:

      Row 1: * p1, yo, k3tog, yo, p1 *
      Row 2: * k1, p3, k1 *
      Row 3: * p1, k3, p1 *
      Row 4: * k1, yo, p3tog, yo, k1 *
      Row 5: * p1, k3, p1 *
      Row 6: * k1, p3, k1 *

      Repeat rows 1 - 6 four times, and then knit rows 1 - 3 again. Then we'll begin the decreases, as follows:

      Decrease Row 1 (wrong side): * k1, yo, p3tog, yo, k2tog, yo, p3tog, yo, k1 * (63 stitches)
      Decrease Row 2: * (p1, k3) twice, p1*
      Decrease Row 3: k1, * p3, k1, p3, k2tog * until you have 4 stitches left; p3, k1 (57 stitches)
      Decrease Row 4: p1, * yo, k3tog, yo, p1 *
      Decrease Row 5: k1, * p3tog, k1, p3, k1* (43 stitches)
      Decrease Row 6: p1, * k3tog, p1, k1, p1 * (29 stitches)
      Decrease Row 7: k1, p1, * p2tog * until you have 1 stitch left, k1 (16 stitches)
      Decrease Row 8: p1, * k2tog * until you have 1 stitch left, p1 (9 stitches)

      Transfer final 9 stitches to scrap of yarn. Seam from bottom of hat, threading seaming thread through final 9 stitches once you reach them. Pull tight, bring to inside of hat, and knot. Tuck in ends.

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    2. This works perfectly! Made one for myself and had two requests from friends.

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    3. Yay!

      Glad to hear it. Sometimes converting patterns gets tricky, so I appreciate the feedback that it works. :)

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    4. That was extremely nice of you to translate it to straight needles!

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    5. Glad you appreciate it - I try! :)

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  3. Replies
    1. I wish I knew! Unfortunately I've never done any loom knitting. I'm sorry!

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  4. I love this pattern and plan to knit it with another yarn soon. I was thinking that this pattern would look good in an infinity scarf. I haven't tried knitting an infinity scarf. How many stitches do you think I should use for the scarf and do you think the chunky yarn would be too bulky around the neck?

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    1. Hi Denise!

      First off - do you mean an infinity scarf like just a tube? Or do you mean one with an actual twist in it? Of course I simply ask because this fabric definitely has a right side and a wrong side, so would be more suitable to the tube form. :) Which brings me to my next point - yes, I think this pattern would be great for that! And I think chunky around the neck would be perfectly lovely. So really, you just need to figure out how long you want it, in terms of how many stitches to cast on. You could go with the same stitch count as the hat for a snug cowl, or you could double or triple it if you wanted to be able to wrap it around twice. What are you thinking you'd like to do?

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    2. I didn't realize until you mentioned it that the hat has a right and a wrong size. I was planning to use circular needles and doing a tube form, but I'm wondering now if it will be hard to wrap showing only the right side. what do you think? I want it to be long so it can wrap. If I triple the number of stitches, will that work? Thanks for your help.

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    3. Hi again!

      I don't think it's a big deal to have a right and a wrong side on an item like this - only itty bits of the wrong side would show. And yeah, I think tripling the stitch count would definitely work out. And be very pretty! :)

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  5. I would like to use smaller yarn and needles for this pattern. If I cast on 80 stitches would that work? Or anything close to that number? I love your patterns and have made quite a few of them. You are a GEM for offering free patterns and answering questions some of us may have :)

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    1. Hi Debbie!

      Yes, 80 stitches would work perfectly. The only difference might be that you'd want to repeat the main pattern rows one more time (or not - you'll have to gauge the length), and then at the end you'll have 8 stitches left instead of 7. Let me know if you have any other questions! :)

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  6. Just made this hat in Malabrigo Rasta. Dud 7 rounds of patern 3 row repeat abd on l y cast on 50 size 12 needle. Gst is so lovely and so cozy but is a bit big, too. Next time would cast on even fewer but will do this pattern again. Thank you!!. See in comments someone did cowl with this pattern. Thinking of doing too. Any suggestions or discoveries in others doing scarf or cowl? Wendy

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    1. Hi Wendy!

      I am so jealous that you made it in the Rasta! I bet that turned out beautifully. And I don't think I've seen any finished cowl or scarf projects, but I imagine either would turn out really well. Let me know if you need any help with conversions or anything. :)

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    2. Hi Gretchen,

      Did cowl with size 11 needle two rows garter after cast on and before cast off with four repeats of your pattern. Warm and snuggly and very pretty. Thank you!! On ravelry I am wensjudy if you want photo. I am now make another of your hats with.lovely Icelandic wool from a friend's farm sheep. It is more bulky than super bulky. Using Size 11 needle and 60 cast on so not quite do big as the Rasta hat. It will br gifted to an adult granddaughter in Alaska.

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    3. Glad to hear it worked out! And I'll look for your project on Ravelry. I love seeing all of them! And I'm sure your granddaughter will appreciate it!!! :)

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    4. Hi Gretchen,

      Great stitch definition with this undyed Icelandic wool. :)
      Wendy

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    5. I hope you'll post more pictures! :)

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    6. Hi Gretchen,

      Great stitch definition with this undyed Icelandic wool. :)
      Wendy

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    7. Hi Gretchen

      Hat completed in the local wool. Stitch definition really shows your beautiful pattern. Two photos on ravelry.;)
      Wendy

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    8. Hi Gretchen

      Hat completed in the local wool. Stitch definition really shows your beautiful pattern. Two photos on ravelry.;)
      Wendy

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    9. Awesome! I'll go check it out. :)

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  7. Cannot correct misspelling above, sorry. Size 11 needle, not twelve.

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  8. I love your patterns. I've made 3 so far. The Belt Welt turned out so nice I'm making it in several colors.
    Could I make chunky weight by holding worsted yarn and sock yarn together? I love the color patterns that emerge by using a solid color and self striping together but I'm not sure what weight I've created.

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    1. Hi Jean!

      I'm glad to hear you're enjoying my patterns. :) As far as your other question is concerned, the easiest way to figure out what new weight you've created it to simply knit up a swatch and measure for gauge! Using different weights together on different needle sizes will give you different looks, as well - two worsted held together on size US 10 or 11 might give you a chunky gauge and a very thick, sturdy fabric, while a worsted and a sock knit on the same might still match gauge but have a looser look. My only word of caution is that if you're going to hold two together for a hat pattern, you may want to make sure it's a pattern that has you repeat a certain number of rows until you reach a length, rather than one that is written from start to finish with no room for user-added length (am I making sense here?) (and this pattern is a good example of one that will work for you!). That way if your stitch height isn't quite the same it won't make a difference!

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  9. Since yarn is discontinued, do you have substitute suggestions? What is the number of the yarn used for this pattern? Worsted is a 4, chunkies start at 5 and go up.

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    1. Hi there!

      First off, all of my posts are tagged with the yarn weight at the bottom, below the pictures but above the comments - this one is a chunky, in the #5 category. And of course there are tons and tons of yarns to choose from - Berroco Ultra Alpaca Chunky Tonal, Cascade Pacific Chunky Multi, and Malabrigo Mecha would all be good fits. Basically anything that matches gauge (12 st = 4 inches in stockinette) and is at least 40% wool, for shape!

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  10. I have made this hat three times and I keep having a problem when I get to the third decreasing row. I don't know if this problem is specific to me, but I can't seem to get over it and I'm assuming that I must be doing something incorrectly. When I near the end of the second decrease row, the number of stitches doesn't match up with where the repeat is meant to end. I knit my final p1 and still have 2 excess stitches from the row. I have been stumped as to what to do from there. Doing an entire other repeat seems excessive with only two extra stitches left on the row, but starting the third decrease row on what is technically the last row seems so wrong. I have just decided to continue on to the third decrease row each time I've knitted this, but I know that I must be going wrong somewhere. I was extra careful this time to ensure that I didn't miss a p2tog on the first decrease row, which I had thought was maybe where I had messed up the previous two times. Any thoughts on what I'm doing incorrectly? Thanks!

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    1. Hi Angela!

      I looked back through the pattern and (unfortunately!) I do think it looks good. I also added stitch counts after all of the decrease rows so you can keep better track. :) And I know you double checked your p2togs so you didn't miss one, but maybe you made too many? Or somehow missed a yo or two? It's hard to diagnose from here, but my recommendation is to place stitch markers every ten stitches before you do the first decrease row, and then make sure you've decreased each section to 9 before you move on to row 2. Then you'll certainly find your problem! :) Sorry I can't be more help! Let me know if you have any other questions, or if you're still struggling!

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    2. Just as an update using stitch markers and going very slowly on the decreases helped! Everything worked out perfectly; thank you for the advice!

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    3. I'm really sorry, I thought I'd had it figured out, but at the end of decrease row 1 I am still ending up with 65 stitches. I even wrote everything out and did the math and it still isn't making sense to me.

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    4. Wonderful! :) Glad to hear it, thanks for updating me!!!

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    5. Oops - sorry for the premature response, my spam filter ate your second comment. Again, it's hard for me to diagnose from afar but here's what I can offer.

      First off, you should have 70 stitches on your needle to begin with. Then, your first decrease row looks like this:

      Decrease row 1: * yo, k3tog, yo, p2, yo, k3tog, yo, p2tog *

      As you can see, the first part of the repeat (yo, k3tog, yo, p2) is the normal pattern - two yos to offset the k3tog, and the p2, so your regular 5-stitch repeat. Then, the second part of it (yo, p3tog, yo, p2tog) still has the 2 yos and the p3tog to balance each other out, but a p2tog instead of the p2. That means that you're reducing 10 stitches to 9, and since you had 70 stitches to begin with, you should be reducing the whole row by 7 stitches, down to 63. I'm not exactly sure what's going wrong, but my best guess is that it's the p2togs or possibly the yos. And again, I'm sorry I can't be more assistance. I hope that helps some though! :)

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  11. Hi, How many stitches would I need to cast with gauge size 22stitches = 4 inches on size 6 needles.

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