Plicate (plus giveaway)
A while ago, I quietly took down all my earliest patterns. They were fine, but they just weren’t quite as polished as my current work, so down they came. I’ve been revamping them (new layouts, new charts, updated text, and often new pictures and more sizes) and rereleasing them as time allows. Louche is back out, as are lots of lovely cuffs. But it was about time for a hat pattern to get some love, so today I’m bringing Plicate back!
Plicate is, if you’ll forgive the shameful lack of modesty, awfully close to my idea of the perfect slouchy hat. The slouch is created by some clever gathering inside the hat, which means it all stays just how you’d like it, and you won’t be constantly fussing with it (or feeling it creep down your head) as you wear it. You can make it a bit taller if you like it super slouchy (like the one above), or keep it a bit shorter if you like a more understated crumple (like the one below).
And you can use pretty much any fingering, sport, or light DK yarn you can imagine. The pattern is written for three gauges (4, 4.5, and 5 stitches per inch in stockinette). If you can get a soft, drapey fabric with your yarn at one of those gauges, you can use it for this hat (there are five size too, so you can fit everyone from toddlers to large adults).
You can also use a surprising range of yarn textures. The first picture shows the hat in Gloss Fingering, a 70% merino 30% silk yarn by Knit Picks. It’s smooth and even and very consistent. The second shows the hat in a 100% alpaca, heavy fingering-weight yarn from a local independent producer (alas, no name, it came from a fiber festival years ago and had no info other than the fiber content). It’s super fuzzy and has quite a bit of variation in thickness. The hat works beautifully in either. And, since you can make it with 200 yards of yarn or less, I’m pretty sure you’ll have no trouble finding the perfect yarn.
But one of you is going to have an even easier time. The good folks at Knit Picks are going to send one of you a skein of Gloss Fingering in Robot (that’s the lovely light gray I used here, and one of the most perfect color names ever) to make your own hat. If you think it should be you, just leave a comment telling me how you feel about slouchy hats. Are they all you wear? Are you still looking for the perfect one? Have you decided they’re not your style? There aren’t any right or wrong answers, just tell me how you feel!
Comments left between now and the end of the day (eastern time) Saturday, January 24, 2015 will be entered to win. I’ll pick a winner, contact them to get their addresses, and arrange to send yarn their way. Be sure to use a real email address so I can contact you if you’ve won (I won’t do anything with those email addresses besides notify the winner). If I do email you, I need to hear back from you within 72 hours or I will pick a new winner and contact them. Sorry, but I can only send prizes to US addresses.
This is the first winter I’ve worn a slouchy hat (the Martine hat), and I love it! Your pattern is lovely, and so it the color you’ve chosen for it.
I have never worn a slouchy hat, but your description of this one might convince me that I should!
Plicate is the pattern I have been waiting for and am going to make it for my sister-in-law. In my mind we will be able to cease searching for the slouchy hat of her dreams. Thank you for the upgrade and for the discount!
Love slouchy hats–minimal hat-head, better coverage, flattering to most face shapes, and great for hair styles that you’d otherwise have to undo to put on a hat. And fun to knit, especially as gifts because the shape is so accommodating.
I love slouchy hats. Those with the “slouch” fixed by pleating or other methods – like the Plicate – are the best! I have one that created a slouch with a few columns of slipped stitches that worked, also,
Your pattern is lovely – and I can’t get enough gray – especially gray that makes you question if it might be blue?
Living in Southern California, I rarely get to wear knit hats, but with these past few foggy mornings a hat would feel great. I have not tried a slouchy hat, but I really like the look of yours.
Actually, I have never worn a true slouchy – many knit hats, but never a slouchy. Maybe I should start with this one, Plicate, because it would match my skin. You know, all those parallel ridges we get as we get older – wrinkles!!!
I think this hat would be great fun to wear!
p.s. I can’t get the “lovely cuffs” link to work…..is it just me?
What a beautiful pattern!!
I love slouchy hats and gray is my favorite!
I have a lot of thick, curly hair, and it’s hard to find just the right hat with just the right amount of slouch. Plicate looks like it would definitely fit the bill!
My only hat must is that my ears are firmly covered against Wisconsin winters. I love the casual look of a slouchy hat, and would happily knit and wear one.
I have a big head and a lot of hair, so slouchy hats are it for me! I have never met a slouchy hat I didn’t like 🙂
That looks like a wonderful pattern and I look forward to knitting it 😀
I think I am too old for a slouchy hat but my son and nieces love them so I am knitting them and enjoying watching them get worn frequently. Yarn would be very helpful to keep them in their favorite styles.
This is a super awesome slouchy hat!
I have to add a p.s. to my previous post. I didn’t realize this was your page Hunter, and want to thank you again for being so helpful when I was struggling with the Inlay socks. They came out beautifully and my husband wears them often. You write lovely patterns that people really want to wear.
I’m a very recent hat convert! for some reason I thought that hats just didn’t suit my face. Now I’m obsessed! I wear hats all of the time and slouchy ones are my faves 🙂
This looks like the perfect slouchy hat. I need to knit this.
You have pegged exactly my issue with slouchy hats — that beautiful slouch requires constant maintenance. Even with drapey yarn, they tend to become pixie hats (standing up off the head) or beanies, unless you develop the habit of tugging that top down. But I love the look of them! It’s a versatile and modish style. I can’t wait to try your solution — seems very clever.
I pretty much only wear slouchy hats as I have fine, wispy hair and they are less likely to smoosh it flat. Add to that living in sunny Santa Barbara and I rarely have need for more than a fingering weight hat.
And my darling four year old has shown a keen interest in matching, either me or her toddler sister, so I often make at least two of something. I blame “Fancy Nancy” and her fancy dressing.
I have been looking for the perfect hat pattern for my perfect daughter-in-law, and look what popped up today! This is IT – THE ONE! Thank you, Hunter. I can’t wait to get started…… Laundry will have to wait another day or two.
I do like the look of slouchy hats, but they need to fit well if I’m going to wear them. I have along walk to and from work and if my hat doesn’t fit snugly, I get rid of it. I’ve had far too many really cute hats that slid down my face as I walked and that’s awfully annoying. I also like a solid fabric hat. As cute as all the lace hats are, the wind in Chicago goes right through them. I need something solid and not too thin to keep my noggin warm.
I have been making slouchy hats this winter, and thought I found the perfect pattern,,, chunky yarn, nice slouch, but I find that the hat falls off and I can’t keep it on my head, which really isn’t very useful for a hat. I think this is the perfect pattern for a second attempt. I really need something to stay in place for the windy Cleveland winter (yes this is a shameless attempt to bond over our common home town).
I can’t wait to clear my needles and try it.