The Payden hat, cowl, and mittens set is designed for knitters who love cabling but aren’t quite in the mood for cables AND shaping at the same time. In this set, the hat’s brim and the mittens’ cuffs are first knit flat with a bulky cable motif, then sewn into a band. Stitches for the crown and hand are picked up from the selvedge of this cabled band and knit in the round. The hat and mittens are both decreased along two sides instead of in a circle; this allows the mittens to fit more comfortably on the hand and the hat to lay flat (as well as to mimic the mittens). Instructions for the mittens are mirrored so that the seam for the cuff lays under the wrist and the cables are mirrored. The cowl is a very simple loop—but try out grafting in pattern, by starting with a provisional cast on, to hide the seam.

Payden, which can be either a girl’s or boy’s name, means “plaited.”

eBook published in December 2013