Portlandia Cloche

Difficulty: Relaxing (click for info)

The Portlandia Cloche is designed for those intermediate seasons. Times when, despite the sunny weather, a wearer might feel a bit chilly in the evening, or want to spice up her look with a bit of vintage charm. Or times when, to take another example, a wearer has just returned from a Hawaiian vacation, and suddenly the sixty-degree weather in Portland just doesn't seem as balmy as it did before she left. Not that this designer would know about such a feeling.

Featuring panels of seed stitch and a lace motif reminiscent of Art Nouveau, this design is a perfect showcase for semi-solid hand-dyed sock yarns, and would also look lovely in a solid color. The combination of fingering-weight wool with needles slightly larger than usual makes for a fabric that is light and stretchy, but still warm. The shaping is timeless, yet also evocative of the carefree, girlish silhouettes of the 1920s.

The pattern itself features photos of all design elements. It also includes charts and line-by-line instructions for all three patterned sections, and the lace motif is intuitive for even a relative beginner. Happy knitting!

Pattern Information

Sizing:

Sized to fit a head 21-23 inches in circumference at the widest point.
The sample garment is modeled on a head 21.5 inches around, and the lace pattern makes for a fabric with quite a bit of give.

Gauge:

24 sts = 4 inches, worked in lace pattern (Chart 1) and blocked (or stretched open as you want it to appear on the head).
Row gauge is largely unimportant, since you will be working the middle section of the hat to fit your head.

Materials:

Two-thirds skein Sundara Yarn Sock Yarn (350 yards/100 grams), shown in colorway Wetlands
One set of 5 US#3/3.25mm double-pointed needles, or size needed to obtain gauge
Stitch markers, if desired
Tapestry needle

Necessary Techniques:

Working in the round
Ability to follow either lace charts or written instructions for simple lace pattern
Working yo, k2tog and ssk