03 May A Design Journey…part 3..
The 3rd stop on our design journey is the actual knitting of our sample hat, and making any design changes that might come to light while we’re knitting. As a designer, sometimes you’ll find that an element you previously choose, works better a different way.
For this hat, the bias strip for the body knit up exactly as planned…however while my original sketch shows several ‘crown’ segments I ended with only four. This is due to the actual number of stitches picked up along the top edge of the bias strip to work the crown. After knitting the bias strip I joined the two short edges (cast on & last pattern repeat row) together. Here’s how the body section looked at that point….
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- bias strip for hat body
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- short edges grafted together
Now our hat body is ready for the crown. You could knit the brim first but I like to knit the brim last. To knit the crown it is necessary to calculate the number of stitches to pick up along the ‘top’ edge of the hat body…and determine how many segments of how many stitches will work within the number of picked up sts. To continue with our ‘bias’ theme, I stacked the crown decreases in only one direction to create the spiraling lines, while also using the same stitch pattern that was used for the hat body.
After completing the hat crown, it’s time to pickup stitches for the hat brim. My choice for the brim is garter stitch. It will match the rest of the hat and should not be too tight – important for chemo patients who’s bare heads might be sensitive. Now as we know, garter stitch has tendencies to spread, so to counter that I am using a needle 2 sizes smaller than I used for the hat body.
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- hat crown worked with stacked decreases
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- picking up sts for the hat brim
In part 4 of our Design Journey, we’ll have the brim completed and be ready to write the pattern. If you missed parts 1 & 2…they can be read here on my blog: A Design Journey…part 1 and A Design Journey…part 2. Part 4 will be the final ‘stop’ of our journey…and time to let Yvonne of Lavender Sheep see the finished sample & pattern. The only ‘stop’ left after the pattern is written is for my tech editor to do her work and to get some great (hopefully) modeled photographs of the hat.
Until then ~ Happy Knitting! Jean
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