New Pattern: Cas Hat

Introducing my latest pattern, the Cas Hat. 

Cas (‘kos’, meaning twist in Irish) is a two coloured hat, with an interlacing ribbon cable, which takes its inspiration from the Golden Age of Irish Art. The cable motif is a variation of the cable used in my Cas Shawl, released earlier this year. I wrote about the Cas Shawl in more detail for the KDD & Co blog, which you can read here.

This pattern is worked in the round, beginning with a ribbed brim. It features a single cable motif (based on my Cas Shawl pattern), worked in two colours, over a background of garter stitch stripes. Only one colour is worked in each round: the cable stitches are slipped when working with the ‘other’ colour. The hat has a gathered crown, worked over just a few rounds, which adds to the overall slouchy fit. The pattern is written in three sizes, with cables adapted to suit each size.

The samples are worked in KDD & Co Milarrochy Tweed. 

(70% wool / 30% mohair. Single ply. 100m / 109 yards per 25g ball). 

The yarn is spun by Donegal Yarns here in Ireland, and features very subtle tweedy flecks, and slightly heathered colours, visible on close inspection. The yarn is available in a beautiful range of colours - some subtle, and some bold - and all of which work beautifully together.

 

The main difficulty with this pattern is that there are quite a lot of slightly different cable stitches, so the cable requires attention, though there is also plenty of restful knitting with the garter stitch background. You may prefer to highlight individual stitches in different colours, to help differentiate, especially if (like me) you tend to knit in low light conditions. Cable instructions are provided in both written and charted form.

The Cas Hat pattern is available on Payhip at this link, or Ravelry at this link.

The Cas Shawl pattern is available on Payhip at this link, or Ravelry at this link..

I owe a massive thanks to the wonderful test knitters who helped me whip this one into shape, and to my young models who accepted payment in the form of ice cream