This is the fourth in a series of hats designed during the coronavirus pandemic of 2020. The complete series includes one hat in each colour of the rainbow, a symbol representing hope during a dark time in our lives, made bearable by the spirit of resilience and fellow feeling of friends, neighbours and complete strangers.

Knit in DK yarn, the vintage-inspired cloche features a fanned ruffle and lace band. This is knit flat then joined into a circle before the stitches are picked up for the main body of the hat and continued in the round.

Instructions are given for 2 sizes – to fit medium (22” / 56cm) and large (24” / 61cm) with about 2” of negative ease. The cloche is intended to be a snug fit, lying low on the brow.

As always, tension is crucial to a correct fit.
NB: Like many people my tension is different when knitting in the round than when knitting flat. My tension for this Rowan yarn is 22st to 4” in stocking stitch on 4mm needles when knit flat, but 23st to 4” on 4mm needles when knitting in the round.

I have experimented with different yarns for this project and have found that a smooth yarn with no noticeable halo and a slight lustre works best for me. The Rowan Purelife knit up beautifully, but is now,unfortunately, discontinued.
Either cloche took 2 x 50g balls, but there was only a few yards remaining in the large size.