More Hats: Cables

When I learned how to knit, my grandmother told me that she would teach me how to cable when I had mastered the basics. Somehow, I got it into my head that cabling was terrifically difficult, and only a master should try it. I have now learned better, but there are still some things to watch out for that make cabling a bit challenging.

1. Going back and fixing mistakes when you are cabling is nearly impossible without just ripping everything out.

2. The stitches can get very tight, so you need good needle control.

So, dipping into my apparently vast array of hats that I have made...

Cables!

Cable Hat #1

This hat was made as a mother's day gift out of some bulky yarn that I received as a gift. The pattern comes from an ancient pattern book of hats (well 1985) that my grandmother gave me for the illustrated knitting instructions. I have been thinking of doing a stash buster by trying to make every hat in the book at some point.

Unfortunately, because I used bulkier yarn than the pattern called for, the hat came out too big. I decided to try to fix it by lightly felting it. It got a bit smaller, but I think it lost some of the pattern distinctiveness along the way.

On to number two!

Cable Hat #2

There was no pattern for this one - I just did a rib for the brim, then "twisted" the parts that stuck out. I used a very thick bulky yarn, so I am sure it was warm for my brother until he lost the hat. The main problem was that the yarn was a tad underspun, so that I kept being worried that the yarn would break every time I made a cable.

Ok, final hat of the day.

Cable Hat #3

This one I made in a single weekend for my husband. I had been working on a hat for him for a while, and I finished it and realized that I had made a horrible mistake with the pattern, and it was unwearable. So I made him this hat to apologize. It utilizes both a "twisted" rib (it is basically a very simple cable) and mosaic knitting. I took the pattern off of Ravelry, and I rather like how it came out.

The one problem is that I used very large needles to get it finished quicker, so that it doesn't protect from the wind so well.