Ballard Slouch

A tiny shock of colour. Ballard Slouch knit in Superwash Worsted (Saffron).

I owe this blog a whole lot of posts. But let’s start off with a simple and slouchy hat that I designed while I was sitting in my car for over 90 minutes, waiting to cross the border into the US to attend the Earthues Natural Dye Studio workshops in Ballard, Seattle, WA. A lovely clover lace pattern is the basis for this slouchy beret-style hat. Its easy-to-memorize lace pattern makes for a very simple and elegant one-skein gift. Since that day in July, I’ve made four of these hats in different yarns and colours and tested different sizes and gauges. I like this result the best:

Knit in Merino Silk Aran, the hat is quite drapey and warm.

Knit it up in a luxurious and drapey Merino Silk Aran or a lush and cushy Superwash Worsted yarn. I love how the lace is gentle and uncomplicated. It decreases seamlessly at the crown to form a beret-type shape. The simple pattern lets you add repeats if you like to make a slouchier hat.

The 2-page PDF pattern includes both charted and written directions. And it’s available via Ravelry or the shop site. And it’s free. My gift to you this crisp fall morning. Keep your head warm.

Tags: Ballard Slouch, hat, Merino Silk Aran, Superwash Worsted

about this entry

This entry was posted on Tuesday, October 6th, 2009 at 9:56 am and is filed under Free Patterns, Knitting, Knitting Lace, SweetGeorgia Yarns. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

12 responses to “Ballard Slouch”

Jennifer says... October 6th, 2009 at 10:19 am

Lovely! This may be the project that gets me to try lace. I can’t get enough of your silky merino.
Laura says... October 6th, 2009 at 10:28 am

So cute! Love the lace and the slouch. Thanks for sharing the pattern!
Minh says... October 6th, 2009 at 4:55 pm

Such a lovely pattern! Thanks a lot for sharing!
supercareo says... October 6th, 2009 at 5:33 pm

This is such a cute pattern! I am so extited to get working on it!
sweetgeorgia says... October 7th, 2009 at 8:38 am

Thanks so much you guys! I hope you enjoy the pattern!
Nancy says... October 7th, 2009 at 5:39 pm

Ballard buddy! Cute slouch…but can’t download it. Just get the code, not the pattern itself… any ideas?
NicoleGW says... October 8th, 2009 at 5:05 pm

Gorgeous! I’ve been in an off cycle in terms of knitting lately, but I think this might be just the thing to get me going again. I have a weakness for lace in heavier yarns. Something about the boldness of the patterns.

One question: how much yardage do you think you actually used? In the spirit of de-stashing, I’d love to use a well-suited skein I already own, but I only have 100 yards.
sweetgeorgia says... October 8th, 2009 at 5:52 pm

Hi there Nicole!

Thanks for your message! Yes, I love lace in heavier yarns too…

For these hats, here are the actual weights of the finished hats…

58g Merino Silk Aran = 107 yards
66g Superwash Worsted = 115 yards

You might want to omit a few rounds of ribbing to get more yardage out of your stash yarns there!

Good luck with the hat pattern!
Best,
Felicia
NicoleGW says... October 8th, 2009 at 6:59 pm

Thanks so much! Already casted on and on my way. I’ve never liked knitting ribbing anyway.
Katie says... October 14th, 2009 at 6:48 pm

This is my first go on circular needles, and also my first lace project, and I’m having a blast. This hat is too cute! Thanks for sharing it
Cin says... October 15th, 2009 at 4:36 pm

This is such a lovely pattern! Seems like everything I’ve knit lately has been a gift for someone else – now I’ve got something to look forward to that’s just for me

Thank you for sharing.
pligg.com says... January 27th, 2010 at 9:51 am

Ballard Slouch | sweetgeorgia…

A tiny shock of colour. Ballard Slouch knit in Superwash Worsted (Saffron). I owe this blog a whole lot of posts. But let’s start off with a simple and…