The Bariloche Hat
In 2018, I handspun and knit something for every member of my family, except for my kids and husband. Part of my 2019 goals for my spinning and knitting was to make something for myself and for my immediate family. When contemplating what to make for my husband, I have to factor in his dislike of anything around his neck, his loathing of sweaters and his public transportation commute to work. So for months, I was looking for a great hat that really felt like a special project to keep my handsome hubs warm.
Then like a bolt of inspirational lightning, Isis Savoretti posted her first design, the Bariloche Hat, in a FB group we are both in, Knit & Chat. We started chatting on Instagram because I want to help signal boost her first pattern release. While chatting, I agreed to test knit this, with the caveat that I needed to spin some wool for it first. I had my eyes on a stunning green wool blend from Created by Elsie B for some time, called Lucky Clover. This is a beautiful mottled green with tones from buttery yellows to dark forest greens on a base that is 50% Polwarth and 50% Tencel. So I poked around her website and found Quicksilver, a lovely varigated grey wool blend of 70% BFL and 30% SeaCell. I knew the pattern needed some contrast between the 2 colors and was hopeful these would provide it. The pattern calls for sport weight yarn and I did my best to create a 2-ply that would fit the bill. It’s also worth noting that I ran half of the Lucky Clover through the drum carder to blend in the Tencel more. While it was on the drum carder, I added some natural black CVM wool to deepen the tone and added a hint of a woody feel to the yarn when plied.
The Bariloche Hat pattern offers size S (11 inch), M (16 inch) and L (20 inch) and says it has a significant stretch. I knew with my husband having a 24 inch head, I needed to make the large. Confession time folks! I was naughty and didn’t gauge swatch and it bit me in the butt! Le sigh! This was my first ever attempt at colorwork and I should have known better that to wing it. Doh! On the size 4 needles, my work was pulling in because I was carrying my yarn too tight between color changes. So I frogged it, cried, and grabbed some size 5s for the colorwork portion only. Did I have the good idea to swatch the size 5s? Also no. I still was being stubborn and while this size increase fixed my tension issue, it added more height to that hat than expected. Live and learn! Swatch, swatch, SWATCH folks!
On top of being my first time doing colorwork, this also was my first time following a knitting chart. It was very straightforward to do, BUT easy to get overwhelmed and lose track of where you were. I highly recommend downloading the app knitCompanion to help you keep track of where you are in your chart. In fact, I highly recommend this app for any pattern you are working on. It has places for notes, row markers, stitch counters and more that were quite an asset for a first time colorwork project. Plus, it can upload patterns straight from your Ravelry Library.
The hat works from the bottom up and in the round. If you can do those 2 things, then you are ready for this project! The pattern repeat is small enough to not be overwhelming and the pattern changes enough to be interesting from the second you begin. Watching this beautiful patten unfold in your hands is truly magical! Isis named the hat for the city of Bariloche in the Patagonian region of Argentina. I’m instantly transported to a snow covered forest in the mountains when I see this pattern. Her love and passion for this city is more than apparent in her carefully crafted and beautifully made pattern.
I did add a some extra ribbing at the start and some extra rows of stockinette between the colorwork and the ribbing. Having heard from my husband on multiple occasions that he wants a hat that covered his ears, I was trying to make sure he had plenty of extra fabric to keep him warm while he waited out on open air subway platforms. That being said, it probably was unnecessary to add both the extra ribbing rows and the stockinette. The fabric that knits up is thick and very warm. Truthfully, even with frogging, this knit up very fast! I had the whole thing done in a week of evening knitting.
I absolutely plan on making another Bariloche Hat! It was so much fun and colorwork was so much easier than I expected. Next time, I will put even more contrast between the yarn colors I pick for even more definition in this colorwork. Given her keen eye for color patterns, I expect more great things from Sisiknits in the years ahead. The pattern is $4 (US) on Ravelry and totally worth every penny!
Exclusively for Lovingly Grown Fiber Arts blog readers … a 25% off coupon for the Bariloche Hat! Use the code lovinglygrown on Ravelry to get your copy today! It’s good till March 2, 2020 or till 200 patterns have been sold, so don’t miss out! Make sure you go follow Sisiknits on Instagram and share your pictures with us (I’m LovinglyGrown) when you knit it. We definitely want to see them! With the holidays ahead, who do you know that would love for you to handknit this hat for them? Will you be giving this a go for your first colorwork project? Let me know in the comments below!