Rugged Knits Pattern Highlight: Boreal Toque

I've been writing about the patterns in my new book Rugged Knits - previously I covered two sweaters, Hazy Cloud and Silhouette Baselayer. Today I'm going to get into one of the accessory patterns, Boreal Toque. Like the Silhouette Baselayer I envisioned Boreal Toque working equally well for men and women.

CONSTRUCTION

Bottom-up
Simple wide ribbed brim
Easy to follow color pattern without any long floats - no float catching is necessary!

FIT

Intended to be worn with a snug, beanie-style fit so it's comfortable under a helmet. Pick a size close to your actual head circumference. If you're in between sizes, go down a size for a snug fit.
For a slouchier fit, work more Stockinette after completing the color pattern and before beginning crown shaping.

YARN

I used one of my favorite yarns, Brooklyn Tweed Loft (100% Targhee-Columbia wool; 275 yd 251 m/50 g).

Woolen spun construction makes a light, warm hat. Color work adds warmth and wind-resistance with very little added bulk.
The tweedy color palette is gorgeous and extensive. There are so many girly, masculine, and neutral color combinations to choose from! Brooklyn Tweed Yarns are made in the USA. I love supporting North American yarn production!

Tips for Substituting

Lots of yarns can work for this one. Fibres like alpaca, silk, and cotton may stretch out of shape over time, so wool may be best. But, that's not nearly as big of a concern as it would be with a garment.
For a bright, saturated project, I'd love to see this worked up in your favorite hand dyed sock yarn like Hazel Knits Artisan Sock.
For a natural, un-dyed look, try Bare Naked Wool Better Breakfast Fingering. If you like clean, smooth color work, I recommend Quince and Co. Finch

MY FAVORITE DETAIL

The color pattern that's dramatic, but not difficult to work.

GENERAL TIPS

Color dominance is important for this project. Because the contrast color creates the pattern, I held it dominant for this hat. Like I mentioned in the post about Hazy Cloud, I love this article by Dianna Walla about color dominance in knitting.

Be sure to use the hashtags #RuggedKnits #Borealtoque, and #AndreaRangelKnits when you post pics of your Boreal Toque projects!

PATTERN DETAILS

Finished Size

About 20.25 (21, 22)” (51.5 53.5, 56 cm) head circumference and 7.5 (7.75, 8.25)” (19 19.5, 21 cm) long.

Example A shown on woman in size 21” (53.5 cm).
Example B shown on man in size 22” (56 cm).

Yarn

Sock weight (#1 Super Fine). Main Color (MC): 119 (128, 137) m. Contrast Color (CC): 36 (46, 55) m.

Shown here: Brooklyn Tweed Loft (100% Targhee-Columbia wool; 275 yd 251 m/50 g): colors for Example A: Old World (MC), 1 skein; Snowbound (CC), 1 skein; colors for Example B: Pumpernickel (MC), 1 skein; Hayloft (CC), 1 skein.

Needles

Size U.S. 3 (3.25 mm): 16” (40 cm) circular (cir) and set of 4 or 5 double-pointed (dpn).
Size U.S. 5 (3.75) mm 16” (40 cm) circular (cir).

Adjust needle sizes if necessary to obtain the correct gauges.

Notions

Markers (m); tapestry needle.

Gauge

25 sts and 36 sts = 4” (10 cm) over St st using smaller needle.
25 sts and 31 sts = 4” (10 cm) over color chart using larger needle.