Entrelac-a-long
Materials: Size US 8 16" Circular needle. Size US 8 dpns or second circular for top hat. 2 balls Noro Silk Garden or Kureyon ( $50\;\mathrm{g}$ each) or 1 Ball Noro Kochoran $(100\mathrm{g})$ or 2 Balls SWTC Karaoke (50g) or similar worsted weight long repeat striping yarn. Cast on 60 sts on US 8 16"' needle using your preferred cast on method.
Set-up Ribing:
Round 1: K2, P2 all the way around. Round 2: Repeat round 1. Continue for approximately 1.5 inches. [Optional: K2, M1 all the way around (90 sts) JThis will make a much more slouchy and snood-like version
Get ready for entrelac.
Turn work. (You should be looking at the inside of your hat now.) \*\* purl two, turmn Knit two, turn Purl 3, turn, Knit 3, turn, Purl 4 turn Knit 4, turn, Purl5, turn Knit 5, turn, Purl 6\*\* Repeat from \*\* to \*\* around. (Yes, that is correct. We go from P6 right into the next P2...but it is better to think of this way, rather than saying P8, so it is clear you have completed one triangle and are beginning another. Really.) If you did this correctly, you will now have 10 base triangles made or 15 if you did the Mi increases after the ribing.. Choice: If your yan is at the same color as thebase triangles, you can use your second ballor pull frm the other end of the ball to use a contrasting color..orjust continue with the color the current yarn is now. Try various ways to see what you like on subsequent hats. You will make more of these!
Left Leaning Rectangles:
$\bullet$ Pick up 6 stitches along the lft edge of the trangle you are closest to from the top down to the bottom left edge. Now turn and purl your picked up stitches (or knit them backwards, if you are ready for that),tun K5,ssk tYou sk wilb th lst ofth 6 sts and t frst f th xt triansyu pced y will be getting rid of these triangle sts by sking them to the current rectangle], turn p6, turn k5, ssk, turn p6, turn...etc until all of your triangle stitches have been used up. On the last ssk which completes this rectangle, you do not turn and purl back, you simply return to $\bullet$ and repeat ... until all riangles have been worked and you have you 10 (or 15) left-leaning rectangles. [Note: If you are doing the knit-backwards in stead of purl, you need not turn’ make sure you are always working the stitches of the rectangle at hand and not moving beyond those 6 and their adjacent trianglebeing-absorbed.] When you have come full circle with your Left-Leaning Rectangles, you are ready to begin your
Right-Leaning Rectangles
Pick up 6 stitches from the closest rectangle on previous round, starting from the top going down. (If you are using the same yarn from previous rounds you may pick up from bottom up, but omit next knit row) , turn Knit inese o sts, turn. Purl 5, p2tog, turn. (this p2tog contains 1 st from current rectangle plus 1 st from previous rectangle.) Knit 6, turn, p5, p2tog, turn...continue until all sts from previous rectangle are used up, at a time. Pick up 6 from next rectangle (top down) and repeat for each rectangle until you come fullcircle. We willalternate rounds of left-leaning rectangles and right-leaning rectangles until we are ready to decrease for crown of hat, Approx. 35 rounds total, depending on the style you dsire. More round $=$ more slouchy,fewer $:=$ snugger hat, less slouch. Decreasing for Crown--Decreases will be accomplished via a one stitch per rectangle reduction as follows: Starting on a Left-Leaning Rectangle Row: Pick up 6 sts, purl back. On first knit row, knit 5, SSK, then purl back, and return to usual k5, ssk until all sts are used up. Repeat around. This makes the rectangle shorter but still 6 sts. The next row will reflct the stitch reduction because you will pick up 5 sts evenly across the side of previous rectangle instead of 6. Next round of Right-leaning rectangles will be: Pick up 5 sts evenly, knit your way back, and on first purl row, p4, p3tog. knit back and p4, p2tog for the rest of the rectangle. Repeat around. This reduces the height of rectangle but you still have 5 sts per rectangle.
Starting on a Right-Leaning Rectangle Row:
Pick up 6 sts evenly, knit your way back, and on first purl row, 5, p3tog. knit back and p5, p2tog for the rest of the rectangle. Repeat around. The next row will reflect the stitch reduction because you willpick up 5 sts evenly across the side of previous rectangle instead of 6. Next round of Left-leaning rectangles will be: Pick up sts, purl back On fist knit ro, kit , K, thn pur back, and k, k uil sts ae u u. Repeat around. This reduces the height of rectangle but you still have 5 sts per rectangle. Continue in this fashion in each round to decrease top of hat. I stop when Ihave 2 sts perrectangle and thread darning needle to draw through allsts and into inside of hat to secure the tail. Another optional trick: you can slip the first stitch of triangles and rectangles along the long side (not where you decrease) and this creates elongated stitches which $*_{\mathrm{may}}*$ make it easier to pick up stitches on next round. In other words, sl, knit 4, sk or sll, p4, p2tog and work back as usual. Try it and see if you like it. Visual it makes little difference since you are picking up these stitches and thus concealing them on next round. Nangellini 832 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147 Please visit us when you are in the area!
