Test of my first idea for a cabled slouch hat. I deemed this one NOT A SUCCESS.
The free Cratchit Cable Braid gloves were a big hit, so I have decided to see how an accessory pattern or two would do if I offered them for sale. First up is going to be a slouch hat with some kind of cabling pattern.
The picture at the top of this post is the first attempt. I had some time yesterday, but didn’t have any graph paper with me, so I drew my own grid and designed a pattern of diamonds created with cable stitches. I put a small square of knit stitches with some more cabling in the center of each diamond. The rest of the interior stitches are purls. The pattern is a repeat over 12 stitches and 20 rows.
I then pulled out some leftover worsted weight yarn, which is the size I’m planning to use for the hat. I cast on enough stitches to try out three repeats of the pattern so I could get an idea of how it would look without making an entire hat. I knit through row 10 of the pattern, but have decided I don’t care for how it is knitting up. The areas of purl stitching are too large for my taste, so I’m putting this idea aside and moving on to the next, whatever that turns out to be. Right now I am thinking a mix of cables and seed stitch.
This is how designing a pattern goes – think up an idea, make a prototype, squint at it for a while and, if you don’t like it, change something and try again.