Web-Letter, Issue 107 – Montera Cob Toque The cool mornings here in New England are a sure-fire sign that the holiday season and chilly, winter weather are approaching quickly. To help us prepare, Kathy North has offered us a quick and fun-to-knit hat—knitted in CEY's tried-and-true Montera—perfect for ourselves or our loved ones.
The Story: From Kathy: Hats seem to be universally loved and appreciated by everyone. They also offer unlimited design opportunities and are an easy way to play with new stitch combinations. Since my style tends toward the classic and a "keep-it-simple-stupid" philosophy, if a stitch pattern has a good rhythm to it, is fun to work and easy to execute, I often like to test it on a hat. When I came across the "cob nut" stitch pattern (from the Reader's Digest Ultimate Sourcebook of Knitting & Crochet Stitches), I thought it would work well as an all-over fabric for a hat. But of course the fun of designing is being able to change your mind! Rather than using this stitch pattern throughout, the "cob" stitches were staggered only three times. At that point, I changed my mind and decided to start decreasing for the crown in circular stockinette stitch. Something unexpected happened. The contrast between reverse stockinette on the body and stockinette on the crown resulted in this wonderful toque shape—a happy accident!  The lush Montera yarn lends body and warmth to this design, showing off the "cob" stitch pattern. In this yarn, the knitting flows quickly and effortlessly. The Cob Toque is fun to knit, with the added bonus of trying a stitch pattern you may not be familiar with. I hope you enjoy making some for your friends, family and yourself! Visit Kathy's website. The Yarn: Montera 50% llama, 50% wool Montera is a single ply yarn of a lovely blend of 50% llama and 50% wool. It is soft yet strong and knits up quickly at a gauge of 3½–4 sts per inch. Montera is available in 100 gram hanks in 35 solid colors and 13 heathered colors. From warm winter sweaters to bright hats and fair isle mitts, Montera is a wonderful and time-tested yarn. The Stitches: The stitch count in the cob stitch pattern used in Kathy's hat changes from 4 stitches to 6 stitches, then back to 4 stitches. On rounds 1 and 6, three stitches are worked into one stitch, increasing 2 stitches. Then on rounds 3 and 8, the increased stitches are decreased by knitting three stitches together to form one stitch.	more photos The Pattern: Here is the free downloadable Montera Cob Toque pattern. If you have difficulty downloading or printing the PDF pattern above, try this: page 1
On Ravelry? Find this design. If you do not yet have access to Ravelry, add your e-mail to their list, and check back once you've received your invitation.
If you like the design above, you'll like this too:
	Forbidden Beret Pattern available in 9104 Winter Whimsy Ravel it.
Sign up to receive weekly Web-Letters from Classic Elite. Email: