Hat Tricks
I wanted to make a new hat style for my upcoming Holiday sales. I had an idea of what I wanted – something ribbed and striped with a pom-pom. I also knew I was going to use my go-to yarn - Todd & Duncan “Lamaine”, a soft merino lambswool. I have a big stock of colors going back (and added to) over 20 years. This is just the tip of the iceberg!
I had an idea that if I started with half cardigan (shaker), then switched to full cardigan (fisherman’s rib), and back to half cardigan, I would get some shape into the hat, without having to do any actual shaping. The crown shaping would slow down the knitting to a point where it wouldn’t be cost effective. So first up - a swatch!
First swatch
First Swatch
Well, this wasn’t the smartest swatch. I did 1x1 rib instead of half cardigan, with full cardigan in the middle. Why? I don’t know. But instead of doing a second swatch, I went ahead and made a first sample, guessing what might be the number of needles needed.
First & Second samples
OK, well. This was clearly too big. But, it did allow me to figure out the exact width and length.
So on to the second sample: much better. But now I wasn’t happy with the half cardigan at the bottom. It didn’t provide enough grip on the head.
First sample
Second sample
Third sample
So back to the knitting machine. This time I scrapped the half cardigan altogether and started and finished with a 1x1 rib. This gave me a good grip on the head and more shaping in the crown.
It took me three samples to get where I wanted to go. That is pretty much what I experienced when working in the industry. It is trickier working with knitted fabrics than woven fabrics because of the stretchiness, which is affected by the weight of the garment, the stitch used and the yarn.
Third sample
The take away
Here is my encouragement for all of you who want to create an original pattern:
Don’t be discouraged if your first sample is not right. In fact, expect it!
Examine your sample and use it to inform what changes to make.
Keep notes. Even keep the first samples.
When you finally get it right, write everything down - the instructions, yarn used, machine used, the weight, the time it took to knit. All of this information is useful to record, especially if you want to publish the pattern or do a production run for sale.