Pattern Release: Kupol

If you've kept up with my blog over the past several months, then this hat will look familiar to you. First, I knit a prototype in handspun for my future sister-in-law. Then, while we were on vacation at the end of December, I knit up another sample in madelinetosh Vintage (one of the skeins I'd bought on a whim when my LYS announced it would no longer be carrying madtosh). Today, I can finally share the finished pattern with you.

When I was improvising this cable, it reminded me a little bit of the onion domes of many Russian Orthodox churches, so when it came time to name the pattern, I decided that it needed a Russian name. Kupol means "dome" in Russian (or at least that's what Google Translate told me!).

As far as techniques are concerned, this hat has a little bit of a challenge in the cable, but there are no knitting gymnastics required. The cable motif (which is both written out and charted in the pattern) frames an area of garter stitch, while the background of the hat is reverse stockinette. It's knit entirely in the round, and if you wish you make it a little slouchier than it is, it's easy to add length.

The hat has been graded to three sizes -- to fit a head circumference of 20 (22, 24) inches/51 (56, 61) cm. One skein of the recommended yarn (or any comparable worsted weight yarn) is enough to knit any size.

Enjoy!