Heidi's Horseshoe Hat is a Ringer!
While browsing the Ravelry forums one fine day, I stumbled across a post asking how would one would go about making a hat seen on a women's clothing website. Taking a look at the hat in question, I determined it was just lots of horsehoe cables and messaged the person who had posted the question. Then, I decided that I would see if I could indeed make one or if I was just experiencing a fit of grandiosity. Well, my first attempt got frogged as it looked a little like the hat the Scarecrow wore in the Wizard of Oz!!! It might have passed on a Paris runway just because those models can wear about ANYTHING and pull it off, but for the average gal, it was a disaster. So I rethought and revamped and voila! This pattern is the first I have ever really "written" - as in for others to follow as opposed to my “recipe" patterns I have occasionally jotted down on individual request, so I am incredibly excited to see if anyone makes this hat based on it. If you do, please, please let me know how it goes and feel free to make suggestions you come across on your own adventure with it.
Materials
· 2 skeins Plymouth Encore (or any other similar worsted; it will be used with 2 strands tog) · US 10 and 15 circular needles or DPNs · Jumbo cable needle ·St marker Tapestryneedle Waste yarn for provisional cast on This hat is worked provisionally from the body to the crown. Stitches are then taken off waste yarn and the brim is worked down. Gauge is roughly 3 sts/inch in cable pattern on US15s OR 3 sts/inch in 2/2 rib on US10s
Hat body and crown
Using size US 15 circs or DPNs and two strands of a worsted weight yarn held together, PROVISIONALLY cast on 96 sts. Knit two rounds even then begin pattern rounds.
Pattern rounds
Rnd 1: \*[3/3 RC, 3/3 LC]\* (8 sets of horseshoe cables) Rnd 2-8: Knit Continue, repeating these eight rounds until hat measures about 7 inches. It doesn't really matter where you end in the pattern rounds, but you do want to be a round or two after the last cable round. \*\*\*\* Dec rnd: K4, \*ssk, k2tog, $\mathsf{K}\mathsf{B}^{\star}$ ending k4 Dec rnd: K3, \*ssk, k2tog, $\mathsf{K}\mathsf{G}^{\star}$ ending k3 Dec rnd: K2, \*ssk, k2tog, $\mathsf{K}4^{\star}$ ending k2 Knit even (48 sts) \*\*\*\* Next rnd: $^{\star}[3/3\,\mathsf{R C},3/3\,\mathsf{L C}]^{\star}$ (4 sets of horseshoe cables / 48 sts) This is when I had to move mind from a 16-inch circular to double points: 12 sts per needle Repeat decrease section again (24 sts) On first needle, knit, turn and purl, ssk, k2tog, turn and purl, bind off. Repeat for each of the other three DPNs. Mattress stitch the opposite two sections together.
Hat brim
Before picking up stitches off of waste yarn, try hat on and see how big it is. This hat is slouchy so you want some volume, but you will want to figure how many inches of ribbed brim you want on it and how tight it needs to be. The instructions for the brim here are suggestive only. If you have small head, you may need to go more decreases, or if you have a larger head, you may need to go less. The ultimate goal is to end up with something close to a stitch count divisible by four for the $^{\mathsf{k}2,\mathsf{p}2}$ ribbing. You can always k2tog as you begin the rib in a couple spots if necessary after you have a firm stitch count. Using size US 10 needles, pick up stitches of provisional cast on and remove waste yarn. Decrease rnd: $\star_{\mathsf{K}1}$ , k2tog\* If you want the brim larger, $\star_{\mathsf{K}2}$ K2tog\* around instead. Knit desired number of rib rounds for brim and bind off in pattern or other bind off of choice. Make sure you don't bind off too tightly!
