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Small Knitting Projects for Warm Days

Turkish-Patterned Cap

Charlene Schurch

The bold design shows up best when worked with strongly contrasting colors.

As any serious knitter can attest, if you love to knit, you want to keep those needles clicking year-round. But who enjoys holding a large sweater or shawl project in their lap on a warm spring or summer day? Knitting designer and author Charlene Schurch always has a knitting project in her hands, even during her winter months in spent in Florida. Her solution to the knitter's dilemma is to work on small projects during warm weather. This pattern for a strikingly patterned cap is adapted from Charlene's book, Hats On!: 31 Warm and Winsome Caps for Knitters.

Crown detail.

Turkish-Patterned Cap

This is a Turkish pattern originally from a sock. The cap is worked with a shaped crown that features an attractive star design.

SIZES: Small (Medium, Large, X-Large). Cap circumference 16 (18, 20, 22) inches.

YARN: Worsted weight, 210 yds per 31Ú2 oz; one skein of Main Color and one of Contrast Color (White and Navy in the example shown).

GAUGE: Over pattern, 7 stitches and 8 rows = 1 inch.

NEEDLES: Circular needle, 16-in length, and one set of dpn, both size 4, or size needed to knit to gauge.

INSTRUCTIONS

With circular needle cast on 112, (126, 140, 154) stitches using a two-strand cast-on. Join, being careful not to twist. MC = Main Color; CC = Contrasting Color

Cuff: Work Twined Herringbone edge:

Round 1: K1 MC, k1 CC, work around.

Round 2: Move yarn to the front, p1 MC, set yarn just worked down to the LEFT bring CC over, p1 CC. The working yarn will become very twisted after working this round; it will be untwisted as you work round 3.

Round 3: P1 MC, p1 CC, set yarn just worked to the RIGHT and bring the yarn to be worked under it.

Body: K 1 round of CC. Begin at the spot indicated for the size you are working and work to top of pattern. And then work 1 (1, 2, 2) repeats of the 22-round Body pattern.

Crown: Switch to double-pointed needles now, or when there are too few stitches to support the circular needle. Work the crown decreases portion of the chart.

Break off the yarn with an 8-inch tail and thread the end into a yarn needle. Draw the thread through remaining stitches and fasten off.

Excerpted from Hats On!: 31 Warm and Winsome Caps for Knitters, by Charlene Schurch, published by Down East.

Views expressed in blogs such as Media Mutt and others published on Down East.com reflect neither Down East's editorial stance nor the views of Down East Enterprise.