Many, many moons ago (1978) NBC aired a miniseries titled “Centennial”, derived from James Michner’s novel of the same name. One of the main characters was Pasquinel, a French-Canadian mountain man played with one of the most atrocious French accents in media history by Robert Conrad.
When I saw Pasquinel’s knit hat I immediately realized the ingenuity of the design: the squared-off top that tucked into the turned-up brim allowed the wearer to protect the windward ear with four warm layers of fabric, while serving as an extra pocket for small items.
I have re-created Pasquinel’s hat several times for others, but until now I had not had one for myself. A recent northerly windstorm made me repent of that omission, so off to my LYS I went for two skeins of bright red worsted. Voila! My very own Pasquinel’s Hat. I shall fear the North Wind no more.
Notes: for Med. (Lrg), Cast on 96 (100) stitches and join the ends, being careful not to twist the work. Working in the round, knit 5 inches of 2X2 ribbing, then 12.5” in plain stockinette. Cast off to close the tube flat using a three-needle bind-off. This produces a medium size woman’s (men’s) hat. For larger sizes, deepen the ribbing by an inch or two and knit the top until it can be tucked fully inside the brim when tried on the intended wearer.