Gondola Cables by Laura Birek

Gondola Cables

Knitting
February 2012
Worsted (9 wpi) ?
4 stitches and 7 rows = 1 inch
in stockinette
US 7 - 4.5 mm
150 - 200 yards (137 - 183 m)
One Size (Women's)
English
This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download

Whenever I’m up in the mountains snowboarding I find myself designing new knitwear. It’s only natural that the snow and cold weather makes me want to break out the wool and needles. This year, I was inspired by the gondola cables spinning above me as they took me up the mountain. These metal cables are transformed into knit cables along the band of this hat.

This hat is knit seamlessly starting with the cabled band, then the crown and ribbed brim are picked up and knit separately. The hat is knit in three directions, which allows for interesting color patterns to emerge with the self-striping Chroma yarn.

This hat is worked in the following order: cabled band first, then crown, then ribbed brim. Though I’ve written this pattern for only one size, it’s easily adapted to any size you need. Just knit the cabled band to the desired length, and adjust the number of stitches picked up at the crown and along the brim as needed. Make sure you are generous with the stitches picked up at the band, as this area needs a lot of stretch to fit properly.