Written Directions for the Double English Rib Cloche Hat

The YouTube video showing how to do this fluffy little hat is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gnweT_YrY-Q

While you're over there, you know you can subscribe to my YouTube channel and get notified of any new videos? 

Now, here's the written pattern.  Keep in mind that this uses sport-weight yarn on a bulky machine with a ribber.  Most of the hat is ribbed, so it's not a beginner pattern, but hopefully with the video and written instructions, you'll find it a successful project.

By the way, I've decided I like the flower best if it's not sewn into a circle, as shown in this photo. 

This picture is of the hat I knitted as I demonstrated at the club meeting yesterday.  The yarn is Red Heart Boutique Unforgettable, and I can get two adult-sized hats out of one ball.

Double English Rib Cloche Hat

By Diana Sullivan

This was knitted with sport weight acrylic yarn (I was quite happy with Bernat Baby Softee) on a Brother bulky machine.

Flower Embellishment:  E-wrap over 27 needles.  Hang comb and two weights.  Tension 3.  Knit 2 rows.

Set carriage to H setting, so it will slip any held needles.  Working from one end, bring the 4^th needle into hold (3 needles in work on end), *then skip 4 needles and bring out the 5^th needle, skip 4, next in hold, on across.  You should end up with 3 in work at the far end. 

Knit 4 rows.  Put needles in hold into upper working position and knit one row.  Bring same needles into hold as before, knit 4 rows.  Push those back, knit 1 row.  Repeat that again, bringing same needles into hold, knitting 4 rows, and putting them partway back and knit 1 row.  Cut yarn, leaving a tail for sewing.   Sew the stitches off onto that yarn.

Gather up the flower.  Seam the open side, or leave it open, your choice.    

Hat:  Put ribber into position.  Set up for 2x2 industrial ribbing as follows:  Starting with needle #31 on the right, on main bed, bring out 2 needles, then leave one needle out of work, over to #31 on the left.  End needles will be on the main bed. 

Make sure the ribber is racked to the center and is on half pitch.  First needle on the end is the needle in between the needles on the main bed, and the needles to bring out are a group of 2, then leave one out of work, across, ending with a single needle between the last two main bed needles.  End needles on ribber at #31 left and #30 right.

Knit zigzag row at tightest tension.  Hang comb and 3 heavy (1#) ribber weights.  Set carriages for circular knitting and tension 1.  Knit 3 rows.  Cancel circular setting, change to garment tension #3 on both main bed and ribber.  Transfer end ribber stitch to main bed on left to the main bed. 

Set row counter to 000.  Rack 2 clicks to the left to position for industrial rib.  Needles on main bed and ribber should come close but not touch, and there should be two needles between the main bed and the ribber.  Set both carriage for plain knitting and knit 6 rows of knit 2, purl 2 ribbing.

Set ribber to tuck when knitting to the left only by raising the left PR lever and sliding the center lever to P.  Do this to RC 48.  Tighten tension down to 0.2.  Transfer each left needle in main bed groups onto neighboring needle to the right.  Transfer each left needle in the ribber groups and put those onto their needle to the right.  Double-check that all out-of-work needles are back out of work and that the needle arrangement is good.

This sets you up to do regular English Rib.  Knit 20 rows.  Take the knitting off on waste yarn and run the garment yarn through the stitches of the last row to gather the stitches.  Gather the stitches for the crown of the hat, sew the side seam, and tack on the flower.

Child-Size Hat:  I made a child’s hat with 17 groups of 2 needles on the main bed.  I knitted 6 rows for the cuff, 36 rows of the double English Rib, and 12 rows of the single English Rib.  For the flower embellishment, I used the same number of stitches but repeated the tuck procedure only twice.