I love the history and knitting of a guernsey and I’ve been having fun designing and knitting this hat. I’ve used the simple cable that is called the rope cable because it looks like a rope and was said to be put on garments to bring good luck to fishermen.

This hat has those ropes of luck at the top, and the starting joy for the knitter is at the bottom – it is just knit. I loved this idea: cast on, join in the round and just knit. If you’ve never knitted in the round before, this is the perfect way to start. And if you’ve never worked cables before, they are the most simple ones to begin with – and the best thing is, they look more complicated than they are.

I loved knitting the Clew Bay Hat so much I cast on another immediately.

There are two sizes to knit depending on head size and how you want to wear it. The first size is smaller with a shorter length, so great for smaller heads or for those who want to wear the hat higher on the head. The second size is slightly larger with a longer length to cover the ears more.

This design is called the Clew Bay Hat, inspired by the history of Gráinne O’Malley, the famous Irish Pirate Queen who ruled the seas in the 16th century. Clew Bay is a body of water with Clare Island at its mouth – the home of our Pirate Queen and her clan, and perhaps the bay where her journeys began and where she returned home.

Read more about the pattern on the Purl &Jane blog

CONSTRUCTION
Knitted in the round in one piece from the bottom up.

TECHNIQUES USED
Knitting in the round on a circular needle and double pointed needles, cast on, knit, purl, two simple cables, decreasing.

YARN
One 100g ball of BRE Skipper 5 ply Guernsey
100% British Wool, 219m/240yds per 100g

SUGGESTED KNITTING NEEDLES
3.25mm (40cm length) circular needle &
four double pointed 3.25mm needles.

NOTIONS
Cable needle optional because you can do these cables without a cable needle if you know how to & if you don’t I’ve made a couple of video tutorials

GAUGE (tension)
24 stitches and 32 rows to 10cm square over stocking stitch.
I obtained this gauge with 3.25mm needles. It is important to obtain gauge so do swatch and change your needle size to achieve the correct gauge if you need to.

SIZE AND FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
to fit adult head two sizes due to the nature of a knitted fabric & individual gauges the finished circumference can vary by approximately 5-8cm. If the knitter gets the gauge as above the finished circumference will be approx. 48cm for the first size and 53cm for the second size.

NEED HELP?
I am here for you! Pop into the Skipton studio, send an email, or check out the Purl &Jane YouTube channel for tips, inspiration and guidance including handy resources like gauge (tension) guides and how to tutorials.