SPOTLIGHT / Shepherd Toque

October 29, 2019

I hope you've been enjoying this months pattern spotlight! It's been really fun coming up with tips, tricks, and project highlights to share with all of you. Stay tuned for next months pattern spotlight, which will be revealed on Instagram November 1st. It's a special one and I'd love to hear from you if there are any tips you'd like me to focus on.

Once again I thought a quick round up of the month's Shepherd Toque posts would be useful to have all in one place! Or if you missed them on Instagram you can read them fresh for the first time here.

1 — Fabric

The fabric of the Shepherd Toque is key. The Sandnes Garn Tweed used to make this mid-weight version (below) may be classified as bulky, however the knit fabric is anything but! This brushed yarn knits up to a larger gauge while producing a feather-weight fabric. The result? A toasty warm toque that can be scrunched into a ball and tucked in your pocket.

It's hard to tell just how light it is in a static photograph, I thought a video would be a more dynamic way to show off the characteristics of the fabric.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jane Richmond (@janerichmond) on Oct 3, 2019 at 10:42am PDT

2 — Double Brim

Like so many of my hat patterns, the Shepherd Toque features a double layer brim! This technique is a cinch to do and results in a more comfortable and flattering fit. It also reduces the dreaded 'hat head'!! To add a doubled brim to any hat simply double the length of the ribbing for the brim, fold in half towards the inside of the hat, and seam in place. ⠀
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When tacking your brim in place the goal is to keep it super stretchy like the rest of the fabric. I recommend knitting into every other stitch and be mindful not to pull too tight - keep the seam nice and relaxed. ⠀

{ Fingering Version knit in Woolfolk Sno, Color No. 1+17 }

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{ close-up of seamed double brim — both photos are of the wrong side of the toque }⠀

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3 — Pom Pom

One of the easiest ways to dress up your Shepherd Toque is with a simple pom pom! You can completely change the look of this minimalist toque with a yarn or faux fur pom. This one (below) from Rose and Purl is THE best — it is fitted with a cord that makes tie on a cinch! I also find the cord makes it really easy to switch things up if you're not ready to commit to a full-time pom pom or want to untie it and add it to a different hat!⠀
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4 — Ultralight

The Shepherd Toque is feather-light! That means it is a very portable project to pop in your bag and knit on the go. It also means it won't add much weight to your travels, whether it's tucked in a hiking pack, or folded up in your pocket!⠀
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To give you an idea just how airy light the Shepherd Toque is, these are how little the largest size of each version weighs in the recommended yarn:⠀

Ultralight — 25g⠀

Mid-weight — 40g⠀

Fingering — 42g⠀

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This Ultralight version weighs as little as...

...my teeny tiny Gingham scissors.

...or this compact white-out dispenser.

...it's also more than 3x lighter than this little banana chocolate chip muffin from my lunch!

...Clearly I had way too much fun with this tip!

Discount + Giveaway

This month we were generously sponsored by local yarn store Beehive Wool Shop. They're making it that much easier to cast-on your very own Shepherd Toque by offering 10% off a skein of Woolfolk Tynd or Sno this month, using code SHEPHERDHAT (limited to 1 skein per customer — offer ends October 31st)! And with this months spotlight wrapping up they have also contributed a skein of yarn to our pattern giveaway. Check out our giveaway post on Instagram for all of the details and to enter to win!