Flirtatious Felt Hat by Eileen Lee

Flirtatious Felt Hat

Knitting
September 2014
Worsted (9 wpi) ?
3.5 stitches = 1 inch
in St st
US 10½ - 6.5 mm
US 7 - 4.5 mm
747 yards (683 m)
Adult size, 20 inches (50.8 cm) circumference
English

This refined and smart hat is intended for upstairs women. Perky hats with an Austrian or Cossack feel had an outdoor sporty appeal. High-crowned hats were tilted at a confident, flirtatious angle.

The hat is knitted using larger-than-usual needles and then shrunken to the proper size by felting. For a few rounds, half of the brim is knitted back and forth using short-rows to make one side longer than the other. Where a band would be, a knitted Linen Stitch pattern worked for 3 inches (7.6 cm) cinches in the base of the crown snugly. Over it, an ornate cable band worked with a variegated silk/wool yarn is added after felting. Enjoy the hat and look forward to another great season of Downton Abbey!