Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Escargot My Cloche!

Escargot is done!  Still wet, though.  And so you will pardon the lack of  a photo of me wearing it.

Let me say right up front that I'll be casting on for another one of these really soon.  If you knit  this should be high on you list of next projects.  Make a few before the weather turns.  Churn one  out in your team colors and be the most stylish fan in the football stadium.

The final result looks quite complicated.  Only the beginning is different from other hats.  After you knit the second contrast color garter ridge, it is just a plain old hat pattern.  Ah - but that beginning.  As you saw in yesterday's post, the beginning includes a "tail" that winds up making the spiral.  It is a fun and not too complicated study in short rows and decreases so the the spiral wants to curl correctly with very little help necessary.

Due to the short rows and the requirement to stay calm whilst dealing with the initial 240 stitches, this is a pattern for intermediate level knitters.  I was amazed at how quickly the brim/spiral worked up.  So don't fear the stitch count.  Just stay on track with the rows and all works up perfectly.  Then, when all the hat is completed, all that is necessary is to wet block the the hat so that the spiral dries in position.  A few running stitches to hold it in place and Escargot is done. 

Easy Peasy and so stylish.  This, my friends, is worth a Voila!


4 comments:

  1. Adorable! I love it! Is it felted? Or is it knitted tightly or thick to hold it's shape well when wearing it? I'm going to search for the pattern. I really like it! :-)

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    1. Knitted, although some have felted it slightly. Be careful with gauge. It is a little big. Perhaps go down in needle size or plan to felt to size. FUN pattern.

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  2. I'm actually doing this project right now, I hope you don't mind the question - I'm on row 4, the first short row. Do I w&t and knit all the way to the marker or to the very end? I then purl the rest? Sorry, not very experienced with short rows.

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    1. W&T means to turn the work and start on the other side. So, yo have just purled XX stitches, then did a w&t. Now your work is on the front side (Row 5) so you knit those stitches (should be 64) then slip the marker and knit the next XX stitches.
      Trust the pattern. Just remember that after a W&T you are on the other (right or wrong) side.

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