Slip 'n' Purl Toques

 This Pattern will make a toque for an average adult head.

Materials needed:
Needles - US size 6 and 7 circulars or double pointed
Yarn - 50 grams main colour. 10 grams contrast colour
I often use Knit Picks Brava Worsted (acrylic) or Knit Picks Swish Worsted (merino).

Legend:
K1 = Knit One
P1 = Purl One
S1 = Slip One
K2tog = Knit Two together

Cast on 96 stitches or main colour with smaller needles. Do not join. Work in K3, P1 for one row, then place marker, join and continue work in the round. Work in K3,P1 until work measures 1-1.5 inches (as desired for brim).

Change to larger needles. Change to contrast colour.
Row 1: K1, S1 to end
Row 2: P1, S1 to end
Row 3: Knit All
Row 4: As row 3
Row 5: As row 3
Row 6: As row 3

Repeat rows 1-6 until work measures 6" or desired length.

Work decreases in 6 sections each row continuing pattern as above until 12 stitches remain.
K14, K2tog, repeat to end.
K13, K2tog, repeat to end.
etc.

Bind off. Weave in ends.

You will find that while working the slip stitch pattern working the decreases require some creativity, in some cases it works to knit 2 together to decrease to maintain the colour pattern, in others "binding off" one stitch over the other works best. Skip decreasing on rows where binding off would ruin the slip stitch pattern. Usually this falls on the "Row 2" of the pattern.

I like the play with colours with this hat. Often I'll make the brim a different colour from the main part of the hat, and also alternate the colour of the slip n purl stripes. Sometimes I add other stripes of colour as well. Be creative and have fun :)



This beanie is a bit of a modification of the above pattern, with colour changes and sections of slip n purl stacked one after the other to create a slightly different effect. ->

<- While this hat follows the above pattern with adjustments only to colour, using different colours for the brim and body of the had and having two colours of slip n purl stripes.