Daniel and I's two Great Pyrneese have an undercoat, allowing them to be comfortable during the winter in the rain, snow and cold weather. Musk ox are also the same way of having an undercoat called qiviut (pronounced as kiv-it). The Q is pronounced as a K. This is the Inspired by Musk Ox Crochet Beanie Hat pattern.
The Musk Ox Farm is a nonprofit organization with a herd of seventy-seven musk oxs. They are carefully combed in spring once their undercoat is blown (meaning to shed). Qivuit is a rare fibre, and its price reflects its availability. It's not affordable to some people, but for the cost of USD 60 to make this hat, what is the cost of keeping warm genuinely worth?
Vivian, our tour guide and crocheter, told me that one hank can do a crochet beanie, and she was right. I was skeptical, but I trusted her, and with that, I now have a favourite hat. I had never made or designed a hat with this thin yarn before, so I knew the journey would be fascinating.
Size: Average Adult. This will shape your head and fall to the bottom of your earlobes.
The brim will double up the yarn over your ears. Qiviut and Merino are warm, and don’t let the thinness of this yarn fool you. It’s like having your undercoat like the musk ox can survive the arctic temperatures.
Qiviut Blend Yarn - 2 oz / 195 yds
- Arctic Autumn 1 hank.
- This yarn is 50% qiviut and 50% merino wool. It’s hot.
- Hook Size: 3.5 mm / E/9
- GAUGE = 11 sc and 11 rows = 2” [10 cm]
You will use most of the yarn with no yarn left over to do any further rounds. I wanted to use as much as possible without wasting this fine qiviut.
Abbreviations List
- Dcbp = Double crochet back post
- Dcfp = Double crochet front post
- Rep = Repeat
- RS = Right side
- Sc = Single crochet
- Sc2tog = Single Crochet 2 Together
- Sl st = Slip stitch
- St(s) = Stitch(es)
Make an Adjustable Ring or Magic Circle. Use only 8 sc in the ring for this design.
Instructions
Tips:
- Due to the size of the stitches, it’s easy to skip a stitch accidentally. You may have skipped a stitch by accident if your counts are incorrect.
- The hat is worked in a continuous circle, with the stitch marker at the end of each round moved up to ensure accurate counts.
- The starting of each round is slightly different to prevent the growth of the hat from being obvious.
Create an adjustable ring (magic circle).
1st rnd: RS. 8 sc in an adjustable ring. 8 sc. Do not join. Work in a continuous round. Place a stitch marker on the last st and continue moving it up after each instruction.
2nd rnd: 2 sc in each sc around. 16 sc.
3rd rnd: *1 sc in next sc, 2 sc in next sc. Rep from * around. 24 sc.
4th rnd: *2 sc in next sc. 1 sc in next 2 sc. Rep from * around. 32 sc.
5th rnd: *1 sc in next 3 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Rep from * around. 40 sc.
6th rnd: *2 sc in next sc. 1 sc in next 4 sc. Rep from * around. 48 sc.
7th rnd: *1 sc in next 5 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Rep from * around. 56 sc.
8th rnd: *2 sc in next sc. 1 sc in next 6 sc. Rep from * around. 64 sc.
9th rnd: *1 sc in next 7 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Rep from * around. 72 sc.
10th rnd: *2 sc in next sc. 1 sc in next 8 sc. Rep from * around. 80 sc.
11th rnd: *1 sc in next 9 sc, 2 sc in next sc. Rep from * around. 88 sc.
12th rnd: *2 sc in next sc. 1 sc in next 10 sc. Rep from * around. 96 sc.
In the next instruction, I wrote the round numbers separately so you could circle the number as you passed the rounds to keep count. It's something I would do for myself.
13th to 19th rnds: 1 sc in each st around. 96 sc. Check These Off 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
20th rnd: *2 sc in next sc. 1 sc in next 11 sc. Rep from * around. 104 sc.
21st to 31st rnds: 1 sc in each st around. 104 sc. Check These Off 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
32nd to 36th rnds: *Dcfp around next st, dcbp around next st. Rep from * around. 104 sts. Check These Off 32 33 34 35 36
37th rnd: *1 sc in next 24 sts, sc2tog. Rep from * around. 100 sts.
Finishing off: Sl st in next 2 sts and fasten off.
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