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The matching Braided Lace Shawl is also available.

Braided Lace Hat

This is a Fingering weight fairly fitted hat which is mainly a mixture of squishy garter and interspersed braid style cables, that ‘unravel’ into small sections of lacework towards the twisted rib brim, and some of which are incorporated into the crown decreases of the hat.
I made this hat with the leftovers I had from the ‘Braided Lace Shawl’ kit from Gardener Cottage Yarns, as I felt why not make a matching hat (The matching shawl is available from my Ravelry store) but any wool based yarn should work fine.
You can adjust both the circumference and the ‘slouch’ amount by adding / deducting repeats as explained within the Finished measurements section.

Knitting skills & techniques used:
Intermediate: Casting on, joining in the round, binding off, knitting, purling. Increases and decreases are worked by way of Knit2togethers, Yarnovers, Yarn Around Needle, & Slip Slip Knit, to create the patterning in the lace section. Also involves performing working regular braid style cables, which are worked over 9 stitches (3x3x3) and in the decreases over 6 stitches (2x2x2).

Materials:
The following yarn usage amount is an approximate guide and is in fact a little over the actual amount I used, as I have applied a buffer in view of differences between knitter’s gauge and such, and to give you a few gram’s margin. Also, it is in view of making the hat as the pattern states (which is also what the numbers in the ‘Finished Measurements’ section are dictated by), if you choose to add extra repeats of any kind circumference or for ‘Slouch’ this would obviously affect the amounts of the required yarn:
Requires approx. 289 yards / 264 metres Fingering weight yarn.
For the Sample I used: Gardeners Cottage Yarn, ‘Deluxe’, 85% Superwash Merino, 15% Nylon, 100g, 437 yards (400 meters), but any wool based Fingering weight yarn with good stitch definition should work fine.
Yarn A: Beach Days, (speckled white) (amount used 193 yards / 176 meters)
Yarn B: Ash, (smokey blueish grey) (amount used 96 yards / 88 metres)
Needles: 3.75mm / US 5 throughout hat, or along with a smaller sized needle for the brim if you prefer a tighter fit there, such as a 3.25mm / US 3
Either on 16” circular or longer cord length for using magic loop method or spread over DPN’s (Double pointed needles). Also, you will need DPN’s or long cord length for using magic loop method in the larger size for small circumference knitting as the crown decreases rapidly reduces the stitches.
As for my sample, regarding needle size usage, with a twisted rib brim such as this, I prefer to keep the main needle size for the brim also, so used the same 3.75mm needle throughout.
Notions: Cable needle/DPN, 17 stitch markers as well as unique BOR marker, & tapestry needle / crochet hook to weave ends

Gauge:
24 sts & 52 rounds in Garter Stitch in the round, to 4” (10 cm), with 3.75 mm / US 5 needles (after blocking)
Not matching Gauge can affect finished measurements / yarn usage.

Finished measurements & relating notes:
Circumference: 8” / 20cm lying flat, (16”/ 40cm all the way around)
If wishing to adjust for size, you can modify in the following way, (there is a prompt to remind you of this at the start of ‘Instructions’). The cast on amount will be in 6 multiples of 23 for the pattern, which includes 11 stitches for the lace and cable patterns and 6 stitches of garter stitch separating each of them. Those 6 stitches could be added to or reduced by if you wanted to modify the circumference of the hat, but you would need to keep your modified figure in mind when instructions for working those ‘6’ stitches are referenced and replace it as such. Also, you would need to modify the crown decreases when you come to that, as those stitches are where the decreases will occur to avoid breaking into the cables, which you would likely need to do in comparison if you reduce those stitches for the cast on.
Length: 8” / 20cm Length before decreases: 6.5” / 17cm
(both from cast on edge so including the ribbing)
You can also modify the length and therefore the amount of slouch for your hat (See ‘Slouch Note’ under ‘Length before crown decreases’) This is adjustable by skipping / adding extra pattern repeats.
(All of this, including where you will find slouch adding reminders during the pattern, are explained within the pattern)