Bedlam

Bedlam Closeup
Originally uploaded by lothruin

A couple of weeks ago I was planning to take the dog for a walk, but although it was sunny, it was very cold. I figured I should wear a hat while I walked. Then I realized that I actually did not own a hat for myself that I had made. I owned NO hand-made hats at ALL. I decided it surely couldn't take long to make myself a hat if I did it up big and bulky and funky, so I should be able to make the hat and walk the dog all that afternoon. You know, I think I would have, too, except that once the hat was done, the sun had hidden, the wind had come up and it was altogether not as congenial for dog-walking as it had been earlier in the day. So the dog did not get a walk, but I did get a new hat. And YOU get a hat pattern.

I call it Bedlam, and you'll soon find out why!

(For a printable PDF of this pattern Click Here)

Needles: A US 13, 16" circular and a pair of similar DPNs, although in truth I had to improvise for lack of DPNs that large.

Yarn: Brown Sheep Co. Lamb's Pride Worsted worked in double-stranded throughout.

Guage: 3 stitches to the inch over stockinette. Rows aren't really important, but I got 9 rows over 2".

Cast on 60 stitches loosely. Join round, being careful not to twist. (That's standard wording for a pattern on circs, right?)

Work k 2 p 2 rib for 4 rows, or roughly 1".

Round 1: Sl 1, k 1, psso, k 2, k2tog, p1fb, p 4, p1fb, repeat around

Round 2: K 4, p 8, repeat around

Round 3: Put first two stitches on a cable needle, bring to front of work. Knit next two stitches, then knit stitches off cable needle. P 8. Repeat around.

Here's where the Bedlam comes in. You're going to knit the knits and purl the purls. There are five cable ribs running up the hat. Every so often, throw a cable in there across the knit stitches of only one or two of the ribs per row. My cables are almost completely random, with a minimum of 3 rows and a maximum of 6 or 7 (I don't remember) rows between each worked cable and the previous one. So each of my five cable ribs is completely different, and none of them are uniform within themselves either. The only thing I kept the same was always working the cables to the front of the work so the twist was consistent.

So, knit the knits and purl the purls except for the random cable now and again, until the hat is 6.5" from the bottom edge.

Now our decreases start. You'll continue to knit the knits, and cable away to your little heart's content. The decreases are all in the purls until you get to the very end. In other words, on the decrease rounds, I'll refer to the cable ribs as "k 4" but you can cable in there any time you like. Switch to DPNs when it behoves you to do so. All that being understood, they go as follows:

Round 1: K 4, p 1, p2tog, p2tog, p2tog, p 1, repeat around. (45 stitches)

Round 2: K 4, p 6, repeat around

Round 3: K 4, p2tog, p 1, p2tog, repeat around (35 stitches)

Round 4: K 4, p 3, repeat around

Round 5: K 4, p2tog, p 1, repeat around (30 stitches)

Round 6: K 4, p2tog, repeat around (25 stitches)

Round 7: K 3, sl 1, p 1, psso, repeat around (20 stitches)

Round 8: K 1, k2tog, k 1, repeat around (15 stitches)

Round 9: K 1, k2tog, repeat around (10 stitches)

Break yarn, leaving a long tail. Pull tail through remaining 10 live stitches and remove from needles. Pull tight and weave in ends.

Fin.

Hope you like it! Here's another view: