New England's Narrow Road

Turkish Patterned Cap, Hand-spun Knitting Project

Hats, hats and more hats please! I don’t know why, but I love to knit hats. I’m pretty good at it, and I’ve knit enough of them to be fairly sure of size. The Turkish-Patterned Cap is my latest accomplishment. The pattern can be found in the Hat’s On book by Charlene Schurch.

The image here goes to Amazon, where the book costs around $10 for the Kindle version, or get a used book for around $13 (and up). For that price you will have 31 hat patterns to try out!

Although this particular hat is not a favorite of mine from the book, I’ve knit many others (nine, I think) that I would knit again. I really can’t say enough good about this hat knitting book.

The Turkish-Patterned Cap Review

Beginning the cap with a “Twined Herringbone” edge, or braid, was a first. I’ve done braids on mittens a couple times, but never a hat. I knew it wouldn’t stretch much, so I knit the size Large and hoped it would be large enough – it is. This hat will be a gift, and my daughter has a small head, so it should fit perfectly.

Turkish patterned cap stranded knitting — Size 4 circular needle using DK and fingering weight yarn, I knit size Large

I used the suggested needle size, but my yarn was not worsted weight. The circumference of the hat is spot on at 20″ around as the pattern says for a size large.

The hat was fun to make – until I reached the top decreases. I am not new to decreasing for a crown, nor am I new to colorwork at the crown. I knit two Katie’s Keps, and the Tettegouche hat without a problem. For some reason this pattern did not work for me at the crown. I did something wrong, and couldn’t figure out what. I had stitch markers for each section, but suddenly the colors were not matching up.

Please read the post about knitting my second hat like this one where I discovered the mistake in the pattern decrease area! I explain how to fix it- or how I fixed then problem.

All I could do was keep going and hope for the best. You can see that the “star” is not perfect, but oh well… . Because of this, and the fact that I am not crazy about the braided brim (for my own hat wearing), I won’t make this hat again. I think my daughter will love it! She does a lot of snowboarding and needs hats like this to wear beneath her helmet.

About the Yarn

I’ve been eyeing my hand-spun yarn stash and wishing I could knit something wonderful using those lovely skeins. They are labeled as “sock yarn” but I dislike knitting socks. Projects like this hat are perfect for this yarn. Stranded colorwork knitting is fun with this type of yarn.

Wound Up Fiber Arts sock yarn hand-spun — Beautiful hand-spun yarn

For the Turkish hat, I used my blue-green skein (fingering?) from Wound Up Fiber Arts (see the ball in my yarn photo). For my neutral color, I used off-white “Naked” Kunlun yarn from Miss Babs (DK) which I had bought on sale a while ago (it contains cashmere and silk). By the way, Wound Up Fiber Arts has limited amounts of yarn like this because it is hand-spun. I’ve considered myself fortunate to actually find yarn to buy on her site.

The Turkish cap pattern calls for two colors, and I thought this variegated yarn would make an interesting color gradient. While knitting, it’s fun to see the various shades emerge. Aren’t they pretty?

Turkish patterned cap knitting design — Gradient coloring due to the hand-spun yarn

Ever since I began knitting stranded colorwork mittens back in February, I can’t stop knitting items that require two yarn colors! It is such fun, and the end result is so nice. Those mittens could be knitted with this same yarn, which would make a pretty set.

The Bunny Hat Was Knit With Hand Spun Yarn

Just about a year ago I purchased two hanks of hand-spun yarn at Clarion Call Fiber Arts at Etsy. One of those hanks contained some bunny fur (angora), which made it feel so wonderful, and I finally decided what to use it for. A variegated yarn such as this is great for knitting a hat. Since I only had one skein, it came down to a cowl, hat or mittens and hats are favorite projects.

How I Made This Hat

I did not follow a pattern and simply decided to knit a 2×2 rib. I wanted a wide cuff to roll up so I knit until the hat was about 10 inches tall before I began to decrease.

Knitting a ribbed beanie — I knit this hat to be quite long for a wide brim

I cast on 112 stitches using the Old Norwegian cast on and a size 6 US circular needle (16 in.). Then I began K2, P2 around. (I tend to be a tight knitter.)

I really had no idea how to correctly decrease a 2×2 rib. I decided on a SSK and K2tog side by side four times around – four decrease seams. So, 112 divided by 4 becomes 28. I placed a marker after 28 stitches around, with different marker for BOR. As I knit around, at each marker, including the BOR, I did a ssk, then a k2tog. With only a few stitches left on the needle, cut the yarn and draw through stitches to finish.

The crown ended up looking like this: I’m happy with it.

Decreasing a 2x2 rib hat, knitting — Crown showing decreases

Bunny hat crown showing decreases — Crown was knit with decreases in four places around.

I’m very happy with the finished hat. A ribbed hat is easy to knit anywhere, at any time. When I lived in New Hampshire this is the type of hat I would grab whenever the wind was blowing and I needed good ear coverage. (I had to snow-blow my own driveway.)

This yarn was hand spun, which means it is truly unique. For me, that is the exciting part of knitting! I love to know where my yarn came from – whether is was sheep grazing in Norway, or a little bunny living in New York.

My other current project is a stranded colorwork pattern from the Hat’s On book. I am also using hand-spun yarn, but from another source. I’ll be blogging about this one later.

Knitting Katie’s Kep Number Two in Earthy Colors

Because my first Katie’s Kep (hat) came out a bit large, I decided to cast on four fewer stitches for my second knit. (Find the link to the Kep pattern at the bottom of this page.) I still used a size 3 circular needle and did the Old Norwegian cast on – or something like it! I’m not sure I did it exactly right, but it looks okay.

Corrugated ribbing knit on the brim of a hat — The brim of this hat is knit in 2×2 corrugated rib

Once the corrugated ribbing was done, I increased around by four to get back to the original pattern count. Here’s how:

Knit 33, make 1 – 4x’s around = 4 additional stitches. Total stitches are 136 now (as pattern calls for). Continue with pattern increase row.

Now I was back to the correct number of stitches needed for the colorwork. I would love to make this hat using a 2 or 2.5 US needle size, which would work out better I think, but I don’t have those sizes in a circular needle. I might have to buy them.

My main yarn used for the tan Kep is Rauma Finullgarn color 406, Wheat Heather. Other yarn used is Jamieson & Smith in colors: 4: brown, FC7: Peach / orange, FC62: green, and 133: medium purple. The colors are more subdued than what I used for my first Kep.

The fun of knitting this colorwork hat is choosing the colors. It’s probably the reason people can’t stop at knitting only one! As you can see in my photo above, very little yarn is used to make one hat. But if you choose to use J&S yarn as the main color, you will need 2 skeins.

Where to Buy Jamieson & Smith Yarn

This was the first time I knit with J & S yarn. I found it for sale, at a very good price, at Fairlight Fibers. I saved over $1.50 PER SKEIN compared to the current price of the exact same yarn at another online shop. And shipping is FREE when you spend over $50.

At this time, many yarn sellers are low on yarn, thanks to the Covid pandemic keeping people from making the yarn.

Other yarns the designer mentions in her materials section of the pattern are: Uradale (UK based), Shetland Handspun, and Jamieson’s of Shetland.

Wool

Some people don’t like wool because they think it is scratchy, although I don’t mind it. When wool is used for a hat, it doesn’t really matter (unless you are bald). I find the Rauma and J&S to be similar in feel, and once it’s washed, it feels softer. I use Eucalan no rinse wash, and it conditions the wool.

Anything made of wool dries quickly and will of course keep the wearer warm.

Katie’s Kep is a Free Download at Ravelry, by designer Wilma Malcolmson

Help With The Provisional Cast-on

The provisional cast-on is needed when you will have to go back at some point and use, or pick up, the stitches that were cast onto the needles to begin with.

Waste yarn – some yarn other than your main yarn – holds those stitches until they are used. This cast-on method combines both the working yarn and waste yarn to begin the project.

The gray yarn is my waste yarn, the pink is working yarn.

There are a couple of ways to get these two yarns onto the needles correctly. I use the crochet hook method because it is easiest for me.

#1. Cast-on Using a Crochet Hook

For the crochet provisional cast-on, I watch Purl Soho’s YouTube video. It is straight forward and easy to understand. However, it ends there, at the end of the cast on stitches. The first time I watched it, I was disappointed because I didn’t know what to do next!

HINT: After the crocheted cast on, you need to knit one row with the main / working yarn and then begin your pattern.

Below is a photo of the crocheted provisional cast-on I used for the Winter Morning headband. The gray yarn will later be removed as I pick up those pink stitches and graft them with the finished end of the headband to connect the loop.

first row of knitting on the provisional cast on — Knitting onto the provisional cast on

The Lion Brand page explains, and shows with photos, how to do this same cast-on. They also show how to pick up the live stitches / remove the waste yarn when the time comes to use those stitches.

#2. The Invisible Provisional Cast-on

As I was searching for help with the provisional cast-on, Lucy Hague’s blog tutorial popped up. I was specifically looking for advice on the type of yarn to use as waste yarn, and she mentions this in her article: Invisible Provisional Cast-on. Her information is all-inclusive, with photos to show what to do once all the stitches are cast on to the needle. In this case, you purl.

This type of provisional cast-on is made using two strands of yarn – waste and working – no crochet hook needed. Lucy shows us what to do; after the cast-on is made, how to begin the first couple of rows, what to do with the slip knot, and how to remove the waste yarn when the time comes. I have yet to find a video as comprehensive as her page.

But trying to knit while scrolling through photos is slow going. I did try to get the hang of this cast-on, but went back to the crochet hook! So I have not done this type of provisional cast-on. I mention it as an option.

What Type of Waste Yarn to Use?

Use a waste yarn with a color that contrasts with your working yarn. Lucy says to use a slightly thicker yarn. This makes it easier to remove the waste yarn when stitches are picked back up.

Do not use anything that is fuzzy. I learned that it’s more difficult to pick up those stitches when fuzz from the waste yarn gets in the way and is picked up into your project….! A smooth silky, or cotton, yarn may work best. If you have trouble gettin the gauge needle into the stitches, you can use a smaller needle to pick up the stitches. Then continue with the correct size.

Reasons to Do a Provisional Cast-on

Sometimes a scarf, cowl or shawl, will be knit from the center point to the end, like the little headband I mentioned above. If a pattern needs to look the same from both edges, or uses a cable that is knit one way, a Provisional cast-on might be used.

The headband / ear warmer I knit in bulky pink was knit from end to end and had to be grafted together to make the band. After I knit the length of the headband, I had to Kitchener stitch it together so it appeared to be one piece.

Kitchener stitch — In the middle of the kitchener stitch

Be Brave… Jump In… Try New Techniques

For a long time I avoided any knitting project that mentioned the provisional cast-on. Yikes… too scary..! My headband didn’t end up looking so great – because I needed practice on the Kitchener stitch. So I practiced. Then I knit some mittens that called for it at the top. I think they ended up looking pretty awesome!

I’ve used a lifeline before when knitting and had a heck of a time going back to pick up those stitches. So more frightening than casting on, was having to go back and picking up those stitches when the time came.

If you use a thick, smooth, yarn for the waste, and maybe use a smaller needle to pick up the stitches, you shouldn’t have a problem. Take your time, it’s not a race.

Every time we expand upon our knitting knowledge, a new world of projects opens up! Experience is key with all things, and that goes for the knitter’s world. You will never expand your knitting abilities unless you take a chance.

Try new things on a swatch before you mess up a project, if that makes you feel better.