Diamonds and didangles hat by Susan Distel

Diamonds and didangles hat

Knitting
August 2022
DK (11 wpi) ?
22 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches
in stranded colourwork
US 5 - 3.75 mm
US 6 - 4.0 mm
131 - 197 yards (120 - 180 m)
M and L
English
This pattern is available for AU$6.00 AUD buy it now

Leftovers! We all have them. This hat is a great stashbuster, designed to use up scrap yarns in dk or light worsted weight. Grab your leftover yarns and start knitting!

The sample used a main colour for the ribbing and the crown and several contrast colours for the colourwork. The instructions for the colourwork and crown are charted only. The pattern suits an intermediate colourwork knitter who is comfortable catching floats, but the colourwork is otherwise simple and intuitive.

Why didangles? When my eldest nephew was little, he called triangles ‘didangles’. It’s just one of those cute family things that stuck.

Gauge 22 st and 28 rows in stranded colourwork using 4mm needles before blocking. Differences in gauge will affect the size of the finished hat and your yarn usage.

Sizing: The pattern is written for 2 sizes. Size M suits the average woman’s head. It was blocked on a balloon inflated to 56 cm (22 inches) which is the same size as the model’s head. Size M was also test knitted to a tighter gauge (24 st and 32 rows) for a child’s head. Size L suits larger heads up to 61 cm (24 inches) but also works well on smaller heads for a slouchier fit. It was blocked on a balloon inflated to 60 cm and is shown in the blue and green sample on the model’s 56cm (22 inches) head.

Needle sizes: 3.75mm (US 5) and 4.00mm (US 6). The pattern can be worked on a short circular, a long circular using magic loop or on dpns. If using a short circular you will need to swap to dpns or magic loop as you work the crown.

Yarn: Leftovers of dk or light worsted weight yarns in up to 4 colours for size M (5 for size L). The samples used 8 ply yarns around 200 m (220 y) per 100g (3.5oz) but they weren’t all the same. They’re leftovers folks. For MC allow 40-60g depending on size and brim choice. The samples used no more than 15g for any of the motifs but having a bit more on hand could be wise. If you use a colour more than once you will need more yarn of that colour. The size M sample used approx. 6g C1, (purple triangles), 14g C2 (diamonds) and 7.5g C3 (mauve triangles). The size L sample used approx. 9.3 g C1 (green triangles), 12.2 g C2 (royal blue diamonds); 13.7g C3 (light blue diamonds) and 7.5g C4 (denim blue triangles).

Other supplies: Tapestry needle, 6 stitch markers, balloon for blocking (optional).