Please help me: I’ve followed the directions for making a cabled (Aran) hat in Elizabeth Zimmerman’s book Knitter’s Almanac. I’ve completed 40 some rows and would like to start decreasing but there are no directions for doing so for this specific pattern. Does anyone know how to make nice decreases for this particular hat?:knitting:
Welcome to Knitting Help!
Usually you can set up the decreases on every other row or round. Find divisors of the total stitch number and use them as a guide for how often to decrease. For example for 80sts you could decrease 8 times around the hat, every 10sts.
For a pattern like this hat (I’m not sure if this is the one you’re working or not) you could space the decreases so that they fit into the pattern stitch as best as possible. The pattern won’t continue exactly as given but the idea of the cables or ribs will be there as long as possible.
Can you give us a link to the pattern?
If its the Fishtrap pattern, all of the photos look as if the decreases were worked evenly into the purled sections. Perhaps a p2tog?
Thank you. The hat pictured is indeed the one I am working on. The pattern is in the book: Elizabeth Zimmermann’s Knitter’s Almanac, on page 14. There is a whole lot of twisted stitches, and I would like to keep the pattern looking as nice as possible with the decreases. (From 99x9)
You can probably arrange the decreases so that they are in between the cables so that you can maintain the cables as long as possible. Some of the decreases will occur at the twisted sts too. It looks like a pattern of purls and twisted knits so you might do the decreases so that the knit stitch lies on top of the purl in the decrease. Eventually, you will lose the pattern but you should be able to plan some regular decrease rounds before that happens.
Thank you Salmonmac. I’m going to try what you suggested- decreasing between the cables and within the twisted stitch pattern.