TOARP Hat in Twined Knitting
@ All text and photography copyright Lars Yngersten 2011
TOARP - Hat in Twined Knitting
Knitted from a photo of an old hat in Twined Knitting from the parish of Toarp, Vastergotland, Sweden. During the 19th century these hats were usually knitted in natural white and then dyed red. Needles: 6 double-pointed needles, 21/2 mm (US 112) Gauge: 35-36 stitches/10 cm (4 inches) Size: Adult, finished hat circumference: 57 cm (22,5 inches) Yarn: 2-ply, for twined kniting (z-plied) from Walstedts (www.walstedts.se), 150-200 grams, or any other yarn that you choose to use. Always make a swatch! Cast on 200 stitches. I used cast on number 1 from the book "Twined Knitting, A Swedish Folkcraft Technique" by Birgitta Dandanell and Ulla Danielsson (new Swedish edition available "Tvaändsstickat" Dandanell, Danielsson, Ankert (red) 2010, Dalarnas Museum). Divide the stitches on 5 needles (40 stitches/needle). Join into round, being careful not to twist work. Brim: Alternate purl rounds with knit rounds in Twined Knitting until you have a total of 12 purled rounds. Charted it looks like this:
| 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | o | o | 0 | o | o | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | o | o | 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | o | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | o | 0 | o | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | o | o | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | o | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | o | 0 | 0 | o | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 0 | o | 0 | 0 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 | o 0 0 | 0 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 o | 0 0 0 o | o | cast on | knit stitch purl stitch | ||||||||||||||
| 0 0 0 0 | 0 o o o | o o 0 |
When the brim is finished, continue knitting until your work (including the brim) measures 16 cm (6,5 inches). Then start the decreases (using k2tog = knit 2 together): Decrease 10 stitches evenly spread over the round (decrease 2 stitches/needle), every 5th round, 3 times. Now you have 34 stitches/needle. Decrease 10 stitches evenly spread over the round (decrease 2 stitches/needle), every 4th round, 2 times. Now you have 30 stitches/needle. Decrease 20 stitches evenly spread over the round (decrease 4 stitches/needle), every 3rd round, 4 times. Now you have 14 stitches/needle. Decrease 20 stitches evenly spread over the round (decrease 4 stitches/needle) every 2nd round 2 times. Now you have 6 stitches/needle. Knit 2 stitches together, repeat this decrease for the entire round. Now you have a total of 15 stitches remaining. Knit one last round. Break the yarn and thread the remaining 15 stitches. Pull yarn to close the top. Weave in all ends. Wash the hat.
Notes:
The hat can be worn as it is, or with the brim folded up like a watch cap. Always make a swatch to determine your gauge. If you prefer a slightly bigger hat you can block it after washing. The decreases are based on a hat with 200 stitches on 5 needles. If you are using any other amount of stitches you may consider the following: - If you are using fewer stitches, e.g. 190 - then make the first group of decreases twice instead of three times. - If you are using more stitches, e.g. 210 - then decrease to 200 stitches before following the above instructions for decreases. The original hat did not have a tassel but you can easily add a tassel to the hat if you prefer that. It is not uncommon for Swedish traditional hats to have tassels. You can easily change the depth of the hat by knitting it longer (or shorter) before starting the decreases. You can use this pattern as a generic hat pattern by choosing another pattern or length for the brim. @ All text and photography copyright Lars Yngersten 2011
