FiBERSPACE Warm Walker Cloche P-52
Designed with active winter walkers in mind, the Winter Walker Cloche will keep the winter chill away. Knit from the top down, there's extra room and a double layer of felt over the ears for insulation. The combination of a feltable yarn (NatureSpun) and a washable sock yarn (Wildfoote) creates a beautiful nubby texture. Before felting, the hat looks like something Darth Vader might wear over his helmet on a chilly day in the deep void of outerspace!
Materials
1 (100g/245y) skein Brown Sheep Co NatureSpun Worsted (100% wool) in Bev's Bear 2 (50g/215y) skeins Brown Sheep Co Wildfoote Luxury Sock Yarn (75% washable wool, 25% nylon) in Soft Jazz Handpaint Size 11 US double pointed needles & 24" circular Ring marker, locking stitch marker Large tapestry needle Gauge before felting: 3 sts/inch in st st
Techniques
Provisional/Crochet Cast On: With smooth yarn, the same weight as the project yarn, and crochet hook, the same metric size as project knitting needle, make a chain 4-10 stitches longer than number required for cast on. With project yarn(s) and dpn, pick up and knit required number of sts through the bump on the back of the chain stitch, beginning 2-5 sts from first stitch of chain. m1 - Make one. Make a st by picking up the loop lying between the st just worked and the next st. Knit into the back of this st. w&t - Wrap & turn. On right side (RS) - slip next st as if to purl, bring yarn forward between needles, slip slipped st back onto left needle, return yarn to back of work, turn work, and begin to purl. On wrong side (WS) - slip next st as if to purl, bring yarn to back of work, slip slipped st back onto left needle, bring yarn forward, turn work and begin to knit. W&T can produce small holes at the turn. Avoid this problem by picking up the wraps, and working them along with the corresponding st when they are encountered. Knitted cast on - Hold the work in left hand. Insert the right needle between the last 2 sts on the left needle. Bring yarn around back and knit, pulling the new st between the last two sts and up onto the left needle. Make sure the tension is loose enough to easily insert the right hand needle between the stitches for the next cast-on st. Repeat until desired number of stitches have beencast on. Applied I-Cord Bind Off - (3 st version) Using knitted cast on and dpn, CO 3 sts at beg of rnd. \*Slide the three I-Cord sts from dpn to circular along with the first st to be bound off. K2, k2tog tbl (through the back loop)\*. Repeat\*\* until all sts on circular needle have been worked.
Top & Crown
With one strand each of NatureSpun and Wildfoote, provisionally CO 8 sts to dpn, leaving 6" tail.(See Techniques) Distribute sts on 3 dpns and join in the round, being careful not to twist sts. Place marker for beginning of round. When work reaches approx 60 sts, transfer to circular needle. Rnds 1, 4, 6, 8, 9: Knit. Rnd 2: \*K1, m1\*, around. (16 sts) Rnd 3: \*K2, m1\*, around. (24 sts) Rnd 5: \*K3, m1\*, around. (32 sts) Rnd 7: K4, m1\*, around. (40 sts) Rnd 10: Repeat Rnd 7. (50 sts) Rnds 11 & 12, 14 & 15, 17 & 18: Knit. Rnd 13: \*K5, m1\*, around. (60 sts) Rnd 16: \*K6, m1\*, around. (70 sts) Rnd 19: \*K7, m1\*, around. Mark rnd. (80 sts) Work until hat measures 7" from marker at Rnd 19.
Earwarmer Shaping
Rnd 1: \*K5, m1\*, around. (96 sts) Rnds 2 & 3, 5 & 6, 8 & 9, 11: Knit. Rnd 4: K38, w&t, p33, w&t, k29, w&t, p26, w&t, k24, w&t, p22,w&t,k tolast5sts,w&t,p33,w&t, k30,w&t, p26, w&t, k24, w&t, p22, w&t, k to end of rnd. Rnd 7: K32, w&t, p22, w&t, k24, w&t, p26, w&t, k30, w&t, p33, w&t, k to last 10 sts, w&t, p22, w&t, k to last 8 sts, w&t, p26, w&t, kto last 5 sts, w&t, p32, w&t, k to end of rnd. Rnd 10: K1, m1, k5, m1, k50, w&t, p16, w&t, k5, m1, k6, m1, k4, w&t, p16, w&t, k6, m1, k4, m1, kto last 6 sts, m1,k5, m1, k1. (104 sts) Bind Off: Using knitted cast on, CO 3 sts to left hand needle and begin Applied I-Cord Bind Off, working around all sts. 3 sts rem. Slip 1, k2tog, PSS0. Break yarr and bring tail through last st. Sew end of I-Cord to beginning, taking care to make the cord appear continuous. Work in tails and secure on WS. Carefully remove waste yarn from cast on edge, bring tail through CO sts and tighten. Knot and work tails to inside.
Felting
Set washer for heavy-duty cycle, low water level and hot water. Add a few drops of liquid laundry soap to the water. To avoid having to rinse hat, use one of the NoRinse wool wash products on the market. Place hat in a zippered bag and drop in the washer. Agitate. Check on hat after 5-7 minutes of agitation, then every 3-5 minutes until it is the desired size. Reset agitation cycle, if needed, until felted to desired size. Continue with either method listed below to finish the felting process. "Faint of Heart Method": Remove hat from washer and squeeze out excess water - do not wring. Place in tub or basin of cool water and rinse by hand. Squeeze out excess water, shape hat and let dry. "Living Dangerously in the Spin Cycle Method": (Disclaimer: Do not attempt this method while talking on the phone, polishing your nails or disciplining children. Your undivided attention is an absolute necessity!) Let washer proceed to rinse cycle. Agitate hat for 10-20 seconds. Stop washer. Reset washer to pump out water and spin. Once spinning begins, spin hat for about 20 seconds. Stop washer. Reposition hat in tub so that brim is up against the tub wall and the top is facing the agitator. Spin for another 20 seconds. Most of the water will be spun out and there should be no unsightly creases. Shape hat and let dry.
Finishing
When hat is completely dry, brush lightly with wire brush to remove any excess fibers. Then, take it for a test walk and discover how warm it keeps your ears!
