Kauni Yarn Swatch (Hat)

Download this pattern here.
This is the experiment that came out of the Ruth Sørensen class (link to photos of the 20 Feb class in North Seattle). The students received their choice of two Kauni yarn colorways. We were to swatch with the yarn to get a feel it and see how the colors interact.

I started my typical top down hat, then decided I might need a plan to get to the finish line. So, I went to Excel and plugged a few simple geometric patterns for an impromptu chart. I decided to increase 16 stitches every 4 rows instead of my standard 8 increases every other row.

I had seen a fun slouch beret with a wide band at knit group last Wednesday, so I decided to do corrugated ribbing for a while to make a wide band. When the green yarn started to go neon yellow, I pulled the yarn out of the center pull ball until it was a more desaturated yellow. Broke the yarn on the hat, and restarted with the mellower yellow.

I then opted to use a traditional Nordic Braid (opens cool book worth the $8 download) for the edge (it's fussy!), then bound off with EZ's sewn bind off*, using both threads that were held to sew the bind off. This gives a very elastic but firm edge. The yarn is light, so the hat is not heavy, even though it is two strands throughout.

I loved how the hat looked on my head...then I blocked it. Now it seems more formal, and less slouchy. I photographed the tam in this "stand to attention" state, but I'm going to go soak it and let the edges soften back to it's pre-blocked state.

Quick Overview of the How

• Cast on 8, increased (in pattern) until I reached 200 stitches.
• Then, did a decrease row: K2, K2tog, all round, to reduce circle size by 25%.
• Knit corrugated ribbing for about 3 inches.
• Knit Nordic braid.
• Did EZ’s sewn bind off.
  
  What did I learn?
  • Take more time to think about how the patterns will look as they grow on a hat (where the wedges meet are less-than-elegant.)
  • I really like Kauni yarn (good thing, I have quite a stash of it now.)
  • It's time to knit a different colorway than blue and green.
  
  * Scroll down, way down on this Knitty how to page to find the example of Elizabeth Zimmermann's Sewn Bind Off