Watchcaps: Top Swirls Matter

There are hundreds of watchcap patterns out there. They are either all ribbed, or with a ribbed cuff. They are unisex. They are a fast and easy knit. What distinguishes one from the other is the type of rib and the top treatment. Staceyjoy Elkin has come up with a clever and very serviceable version: her Marsan Watchcap.

The Marsan Watchcap uses a one-one rib, with a twisted knit stitch. The twisted stitch adds interest, without being fussy. To help keep the cuff folded in a set spot, she uses a turn in the round at the point of the cuff-fold. But it’s the top swirl that distinguishes this cap. As long as the hat isn’t too tight, the flexibility of the swirl allows the cap to sit nicely and comfortably on the wearer’s head. Plus it looks cool. No little pointy top to this watchcap. The pattern is adjustable by multiples of eight without affecting the top swirls.

I modified the pattern by using 104 stitches rather than 88. My first version, at 88 stitches and with Brown Sheep Lamb’s Pride Worsted, was too small for all the pumpkin heads in my family. In the ones you see here, I followed the pattern and knit a 24 round cuff, but then I lengthened the hat by 10 rounds before beginning the decreases. And I decreased down to 16 stitches, instead of 24. That’s the other thing about most watchcap patterns.  You can easily modify them to suit the head that will wear it.

If you have some vanilla hat folks in your vicinity, challenge them with this one. It’s got just a dab of extra style, without in any way going over the top. These are knit in Tahki’s Donnegal Tweed.