Ziggy

By Woolly Wormhead

Design story

Slouchy hats and berets have been having a come back, and so they should! No more squashed hair after taking your hat off, the casual nature of such hats is perfect for the modern lifestyle. But what if you have big hair? Or fancy something with a bit more room and extra drape to keep you fresh this spring?

Enter Ziggy - a modern, fresh take on a classic rasta style. The gentle drape of the yarn combined with the open lace pattern make for a soft, charming hat, ideal for spring and summer.

Knitted sideways, this hat is ideal for those who fancy a change from regular, vertical knitting or those who loathe the thought of using DPN's!

Materials

Lorna's Shepherd Worsted (100% wool) - 1 skein (114g/206m/225yds)
4.5mm (US #7) straight needles
Approx. 2 yds (2m) of scrap yarn for provisional cast-on
Tapestry needle

To fit sizes: S (M, L), 18 (20, 22) inches, 45 (51, 56) cm
Size prior to blocking: 16 (18, 20) inches, 40.5 (14, 51) cm

Tension required: 20sts x 24 rows 4 inches (10cm) using 4.5mm (US #7) needles

PLEASE READ THESE PATTERN NOTES CAREFULLY BEFORE STARTING PROJECT

This hat is constructed from panels - the pattern listed below and shown in the chart is for one panel, and this is repeated 8 (9, 10) times for the sizes shown.

The hat is shown is size large, and uses most of 1 skein. If you wish to make the hat larger or smaller this is easy enough, as each panel measure 2 inches (5cm) after blocking, and the pattern allows for 2 inches (5cm) of negative ease to ensure a comfortable fit, so for a 24 inches (61cm) head you would knit 11 panels, but you will probably need extra yarn.

Row gauge is the one important factor here, as this will determine whether the hat fits widthways or not. Stitch gauge determines the length, although the length is alterable by how much the lace is blocked out.

Each panel starts with a wrong side row, and finishes with a right side row.

The recommended method for provisional cast-on is the crochet or chain cast-on.

Stocking Stitch Kitchener is required for grafting.

THE PATTERN IS PROVIDED IN TEXT OR CHART FORM

Abbreviations / Definitions

w&t - Wrap and turn - On a knit row bring yarn forward, slip next stitch purlwise then take yarn back. On a purl row, take yarn back, slip next stitch purlwise, then bring yarn forward. This ensures that after the wrap the yarn is always in the right place to work the next stitch.
To pick up and work the wrap - pick it up from the right side of the work, then either knit or purl depending on pattern requirements into the backs of the loops, knitting/purling both the loop and stitch together.

yo - Yarn over or yarn forward, bringing the yarn forward between last st worked and first st on left hand needle. (Creates a false stitch).

K2tog - Knit next 2 stitches together.

Sk2po - Slip next stitch, then knit following two stitches together, then pass slipped stitch over.

S1 - Slip one.

Orange Text - Indicates an amendment to the pattern has been made since first published.

Pattern

(Work panel required number of times for head size)
Using waste yarn and provisional cast-on, cast on 56sts.
Change to main yarn and using 4.5 (US #7) needles continue as follows:

Row 1: (WS) P55, K1.
Row 2: (RS) S1, [K1, yo, k2tog] 3 times, [k2, yo, k2tog, K1, yo,sk2po, yo, K1, k2tog, yo, K3, yo, k2tog] twice, K2, yo, k2tog, K1, yo, sk2po, yo, K1, k2tog, yo, K2, w&t.
Row 3: P45, w&t.
Row 4: [K3, yo, k2tog, k1, yo, k2tog, k2tog, yo, K4, yo, k2tog] twice, K3, yo, k2tog, K1, yo, k2tog, k2tog, yo, K2, w&t.
Row 5: P53, K1.
Row 6: S1, [K1, yo, k2tog] 3 times, [K4, yo, k2tog, K1, k2tog, yo, K5, yo, k2tog] twice, K4, yo, k2tog, K1, k2tog, yo, K2, w&t
Row 7: P52, K1.
Row 8: S1, [K1, yo, k2tog] 3 times, K2, yo, k2tog, K1, yo, sk2po, yo, K2, yo, k2tog, K1, yo, sk2po, yo, K1, k2tog, yo, K2, yo, sk2po, yo, K2, yo, k2tog, K1, yo, sk2po, yo, K1, k2tog, yo, K2, yo, sk2po, yo, K2, w&t.
Row 9: P42, w&t.
Row 10: K1, yo, k2tog, K3, [yo, k2tog, K3, yo, k2tog, K1, yo, k2tog, k2tog, yo, K3, K1] twice, yo, k2tog, K1, w&t.
Row 11: P50, K1.
Row 12: S1, [K1, yo, k2tog] 3 times, K1, [K5, yo, k2tog, K4, yo, k2tog, K1, k2tog, yo] twice, K5, yo, k2tog, w&t.
Row 13: P49, K1.
Row 14: S1, [K1, yo, k2tog] 3 times, [K6, yo, k2tog, K5, yo, sk2po, yo] twice, K7, w&t.
Row 15: P39, w&t.
Row 16: [K6, yo, k2tog] 4 times, K6, w&t.
Row 17: P47, K1.
Row 18: Knit across all stitches, picking up the wraps as you go - 56sts.

Repeat rows 1-18 as required for head size.

Making up / finishing off techniques

Carefully remove provisional cast-on stitch by stitch, taking care to keep in pattern, transferring live stitches to 2nd needle.

If you're brave enough, omit the last row on the last repeat as this will be replaced by the kitchener stitch. When grafting across short rows, pick up the wrap as you have done previously (from the right side of the work) and place it onto the needle, then lift both the wrap and stitch off and twist towards you, and then place back on the needle and perform kitchener as normal. This method of lifting and twisting the wrap & stitch is equivalent to knitting into the back of these, and so will keep your work in pattern. Thread yarn through edge stitches and pull to tighten. You will be grafting from the bottom of the hat up.

If you find the idea of grafting across short rows daunting, then knit across all stitches as per instructions on final row of final panel. Then thread yarn through crown stitches, pull to tighten, and continue to perform kitchener stitch across all live stitches. You will be grafting from the top of the hat down. Working this way will add an additional row to the width of your hat.

Weave in all ends and gently block to finish.

About Woolly Wormhead

Fascinated by unusual construction methods and obsessed with hats, Woolly Wormhead recently released her first book 'Going Straight', consisting entirely of sideways knit hat designs. The techniques used in this pattern are explained further in the techniques section of her book.

You can read more about Woolly Wormhead in our exclusive interview.

Also in our next issue Woolly provides us with an in-depth look at her experiences self publishing her book 'Going Straight'.