Knitting book inspires design for one-skein hat

When I reviewed the book “One Skein” recently, I was so inspired I decided to try my hand at a one-skein project. Even though I really like the ideas in the book, I decided to dream up a project of my own. I call it the Mandalay hat, in honor of the yarn I used.

I had in my stash a 50-gram hank of Reynolds Mandalay 100 percent silk yarn in a blue-black with off-white specks. The skein contained 98 yards, and I bought it on sale at Cityside Yarn Co. about a year ago. The label suggested using size 7 knitting needles, but I used size 6, which gave me a gauge of 5 stitches an inch.

Here’s the pattern I made up as I went along:

Cast on 88 stitches.

Row 1: Knit.

Row 2: Purl.

Repeat those two rows until the piece measures 6 or 7 inches from the beginning.

First decrease row, right side: *Knit 6 stitches, knit the next 2 stitches together, repeat from * across row.

Next row and all wrong side rows: Purl.

Next row: Knit 5 stitches, knit the next 2 stitches together, across row. Continue decreases in this manner until 8 or so stitches – I didn’t actually keep count – remain. Cut the yarn, thread the end through a large, blunt needle, run the end through the stitches on the knitting needle and gather. Fasten off and using a back stitch sew the back seam of the hat. Allow the bottom edge to roll. The hat fits a 22- to 24-inch head, which is small.

OK, that was easy. But to my mind the hat was too plain and needed a bit of jazzing up. Just as I was pondering how to embellish the hat, a ball of cranberry colored Reynolds Lopi Lite yarn rose to the surface of my knitting basket. I knew it was an omen. Using a size E crochet hook, I fashioned a crocheted flower motif in this way:

Chain 4, join in the first stitch to form a ring.

Round 1: In the ring, work a single crochet, chain 3 and single crochet 5 times so that you have 5 chain-3 spaces.

Round 2: In each chain-3 space make a single crochet, 2 half-double crochets and a single crochet to create five “petals.” Fasten off.

Make six more motifs. Using the same yarn, tie the seven flowers, spaced evenly and placed 3 to 4 inches above the edge, around the hat. Let the tie ends stick out a bit beyond each motif.

This project is easy enough for beginners and makes a great canvas for trying other knitting and embellishing techniques. You might try an openwork pattern, add a few bobbles placed at random, or practice cable stitches. Try dropping stitches here and there (but don’t forget to add them in the next row), or cast off a few stitches and cast them on again in the next row to create a more avant-garde look. A row or two of eyelash yarn every couple of inches might be fun to try.

If you don’t crochet, tie a circlet of interesting buttons around the circumference of the hat to add a quaint touch. Or chop up an old wool sweater and fashion small rosettes to sew to the hat. Or how about a row of small silver safety pins pinned end to end around the hat?

This makes a great carry-to-the-beach or wherever project when you are on vacation.

Snippets

Organizers report that the Fiber College on Penobscot Bay planned for Sept. 8-10 on the grounds of Searsport Shores Ocean Camping in Searsport is shaping up nicely. Forty-four low-cost classes will be offered. Classes include basket making, tapestry weaving, quilting, traditional needle arts, nautical knotting, animal husbandry, fiber dye techniques, spinning, felting, rug hooking and rug braiding.

A shopper’s boulevard will be open for purchasing finished goods, roving, yarns, kits, fiber art supplies and farm produce.

Food will be available and will include brown bag lunches from a local bakery and delicatessen, lobster rolls from a local fisherman and grilled meats from Maine farms.

A special museum exhibit, “Past and Present: Contemporary Fiber Arts and Their Historic Origins” will be on display at the Penobscot Marine Museum. Fiber artist and historian Deborah Pulliam will give a lecture about fiber arts on Saturday, Sept. 9. The museum’s exhibit, “Women and the Sea” also will be open for tours.

To obtain more information and to register for classes, visit www.FiberCollege.com.

Call Ardeana Hamlin at 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangor

dailynews.net.