Our Yarntasting Cafe Sampler for April 2010 includes BISTRO from Artfibers, a ribbon velour yarn with metallic highlights.  Below is a free pattern for the hat, followed by an interview with the designer:

Flower Frog Hat  by Rox Seabright

Yarn: 150 yards of Artfibers “Bistro”

Gauge: 17s X 24 rows = 4 inches in Stockinette on size 9 needles.

Tools: U.S. Size 9 circulars 16″ long and U.S. Size 9 double pointed needles.
35″ length of millinery wire (available on line or at some craft supply stores
One “Butt Connector” (available at hardware supply stores in the electrical department)
Crimping tool, or hammer and blunt chisel for crimping the butt connector.
Darning needle.

1. Using circular needles, cast on 88 sts. Place marker to mark the end of a round. Join to first stitch, being careful that the stitches are not spiraling on the needle.
2. Work in the round in Stockinette Stitch (all knits) until 2.5 inches deep.
3. Decrease Row: *K9, k2tog, repeat from * to the end (80 stitches remaining)
4. Work 2 rounds in stockinette, then work an eyelet round as follows:
*Yo, k2tog, repeat from * to the end.
5. *Work 6 rounds Stockinette and one round eyelets; repeat from * until you have 4 sets of this for a large hat and 3 sets for a small hat.
6. Work one stockinette row.
7. Decrease 2 stitches evenly spaced in the next row.
8. Work the decrease sequence for the top of the hat as follows, changing to double pointed needles when stitches will not longer comfortably fit on the circulars:
Row 1: *K11, k2tog; repeat from * to the end.
Row 2 and all alternate rows except where noted, no decreases.
Row 3: *K10, k2tog; repeat from * to the end.
Row 5: *K9, k2tog; repeat from * to the end.
Row 7: *K8, k2tog; repeat from * to the end.
Row 9: *K7, k2tog; repeat from * to the end.
Row 11: *K6, k2tog; repeat from * to the end.
Row 13: *K5, k2tog; repeat from * to the end.
Row 15: *K4, k2tog; repeat from * to the end.
Row 17: *K3, k2tog; repeat from * to the end.
Row 18 is your last row with no decreases.
Row 19: *K2, k2tog; repeat from * to the end.
Row 20: *K1, k2tog; repeat from * to the end.
Cut the yarn, leaving a tail about 7 inches long. Draw it through all of the remaining stitches using a darning needle. Tie a knot and weave in the end.
Finishing:
Put the two ends of the millinery wire into the butt connector and crimp the connector to lock it in place. Fold the lower edge of the hat over the wire and stitch it in place using a strand of Bistro, your darning needle and a whip stitch or stitch of your choice. Weave in all ends.
Note: Depending on the tightness of your stitches, you may see the wire showing through, in which case, you can whip stitch the entire edge to cover it.

You may embellish the hat or tighten it to the head by using ribbons and flowers laced through the eyelet holes. The name “Frog” refers to the perforated stand used for stems of flowers in a vase, but can also imply your love of nature or cavorting in your garden!

Copyright 2010 Roxanne Seabright
All rights reserved.

Designer Interview: What’s the story behind the Flower Frog Hat design?

Rox:  A customer came in one day with a hat she’d made from our linen yarn “Lingo” from a pattern she found on line.  I really liked it, but the brim seemed super large to me.  It required casting on an enormous number of stitches on a 16″ circular needle (or having multiple lengths so you could start on a longer one and then go down to a 16″).  As the season started to finally shift toward Spring that hat came to mind again as a gardening hat.  We were looking for a new project to present in Bistro and more of a safari style with a shorter brim was the vision.   Once there’s a vision, I really like to get started and work out the details as the project progresses.  It makes the “doing” an adventure.  By keeping the design simple, it invites people to change something along the way to personalize it.

How would you rate the level of difficulty?

Rox: Anyone who has made even the simplest hat would find this an easy, satisfying project.  We plan to offer a workshop to make this even more fun, even if one had never made a hat!

How do you see this hat working into peoples wardrobes?

Rox: Oh!  Let me count the ways!  Spring/Summer garden parties with shorts or sun dress, gardening (the shorter brim does not get in the way but shields the eyes from direct sun — and it does not give you “hat hair”),  excellent with beach cover-ups (stick the ear pieces of your sunglasses in the holes when you’re not wearing them!),  embellished to match an outfit for attending outdoor weddings, etc., traveling any time of year since it lays flat, takes very little room and doesn’t wrinkle, and in winter it could be worn over a basic beanie or hood.  So — this is truly an all season hat.

Any suggestions for customizing the hat for different looks?

Rox:  I love to put garden herbs or flowers in the holes.  Also experiment with using the holes with ribbons or yarns woven through in different ways to change the look and even the shape of the hat.  Try it in other yarns — maybe even some you would not normally think of for this design.

What is the cost of a kit?

Rox:  The cost depends on the yarn that you choose, but working to the same gauge the hat only takes 137 yards so, for example, in Bistro it is only $15.00 including the yarn, pattern, brim wire with ends connector.

What other Artfibers yarns would be good for the Flower Frog Hat?

Rox:  From our current collection, single stranded I’d suggest Origami, Phyz, Safa, Toto, Bambusa, Cellini, Zoftig, Pacino, or Mummer.  If you were double stranding you could blend or use 2 strands of our sport or dk weight yarns.

This is a great gift so put it to the front of your queue whenever you want a hat for someone and don’t know their head size.  it is also perfect as a chemo cap since it is soft and keeps the sun off but breathes.  Whip one out as a “bon voyage” hat because it takes no space in the suitcase or day pack and doesn’t wrinkle!  It also replaces a visor or baseball hat in the car or high-backed chair because the brim will adjust to a headrest just fine.

To order a kit for this hat, just send an email to yarn@artfibers.com including a mailing address.  The Bistro color card is here.  We’ll bill you through Paypal.  The full Artfibers collection is at www.artfibers.com.

Tags: Bistro, free pattern, hat, Roxanne Seabright, yarn

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