A Day at the Sea

A Day at the Sea Cloche, a free Tunisan Crochet pattern from Knitty.com. Free pattern for a striped cloche hat.

INTRODUCTION

A Day at the Sea

beauty shotby

Mellow

 

A Day at the Sea is worked in Tunisian Crochet Knit Stitch in the round, beginning at the brim with a double ended Tunisian crochet hook. Worked in a cotton-linen blend yarn, it is the perfect, lightweight accessory for a day at the sea – or any other warm weather excursion where style is a necessity!

As a longtime crocheter, I am always looking for new techniques and challenges, and Tunisian Crochet seemed the obvious choice for my next skill to learn. When people ask me to describe Tunisian Crochet, I usually say that it is sort of a cross between knitting and crochet.  Many of the stitches resemble and are even named for knitting stitches—in fact, to the untrained eye, it is often mistaken for knitting!  The fabric is denser and has less stretch than knit fabric, but it is flatter and has more stretch than fabric done in regular crochet, which makes it a nice choice for garments and accessories with finer stitch detail.

There are a number of different Tunisian hook styles to suite each particular project’s needs: a double-ended hook for items worked in the round (such as this pattern), a very long hook with a stopper on the end, or a hook with an attached cable with a stopper on the end for larger projects. It also accommodates a variety of yarn weights and adds a hefty assortment of stitches and variations to your repertoire. Whatever your fiber arts background, I suggest giving Tunisian Crochet a try!

spacer model + photos : Emily Born

SIZE

 S[M, L, XL]

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Circumference:  19.5[21, 22.5, 24] inches/ 49.5[53, 57, 61] cm
Depth (measured with brim folded):  8.25[8.5, 9, 9.25] inches / 21[21.5, 23, 23.5] cm
Circumference of brim:  24[25.5, 27, 28.5] inches/ 61[65, 68.5, 72.5] cm

Note: Choose a size closest to your head circumference. Model is wearing size L and has a head circumference measurement of 22.5 inches / 57 cm.

MATERIALS

Yarn
Sugarbush Cabot [70% pima cotton, 30% linen; 291 yd/266 m per 3.5 oz/100 g skein]
spacer [MC] Tadoule Teal; 1 skein
spacer [CC1] Pasture; 1 skein

Yarn Characteristics The sample shown uses a sport-weight yarn that is soft yet gives great stitch definition. The blend of cotton and linen is wonderful for Spring and Summer and will get softer the more it is worn and washed.

Recommended hook size
[always use a hook size that gives you the gauge listed below - every knitter's gauge is unique]
spacer Tunisian Crochet #G - 4 mm double ended crochet hook

Notions
spacer yarn needle for weaving in ends
spacer button for side flap embellishment – any size will do [the sample shows a natural sea glass button measuring 1.25 inches/3 cm from BlueThistleSeaglass on Etsy]

GAUGE

16 sts/24 rnds = 4 inches/10 cm in Tunisian knit stitch

PATTERN NOTES

[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

Tunisian Crochet Abbreviations
Ch: Chain
St: Stitch
Tks: Tunisian Knit Stitch
Ss: Slip Stitch
FwP: Forward Pass
RetP: Return Pass
Tks2tog: Work through 3 loops on RetP. 1 st decreased.

RESOURCES

  • Guide to Tunisian Crochet
  • Check out these websites for helpful tutorials on Tunisian Crochet and learning the basics: here and here.
  • This video tutorial provides detailed instructions on working in the round, and specifically how to start your foundation round.
  • When working Tunisian crochet in the round with a double-ended hook, you work from two balls of yarn: one for the forward pass and one for the return pass.

DIRECTIONS

With MC, ch 96[102, 108, 114] .
Join end of ch to beginning with a ss, making sure not to twist the chain.
Work foundation rnd in Tks.
Work 7[8, 9, 10] rounds of Tks.

Decrease rnd 1: (Tks 14[15, 16, 17] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 90[96, 102, 108] sts.
Decrease rnd 2: (Tks 13[14, 15, 16] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 84[90, 96, 102] sts.
Decrease rnd 3: (Tks 12[13, 14, 15] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 78[84, 90, 96] sts.
Next round: Tks around.

Change color to CC; do not fasten off any yarns until the crown is finished; the yarn will be carried to the next section of that color.

[Work 5 rnds Tks with CC. Work 5 rnds Tks with MC] two times, then work 5 rnds CC.

Fasten off CC leaving 6 inch/15 cm tails for weaving in. Rest of hat is completed in MC.

Decrease for Crown:
Rnd 1: Tks around.
Rnd 2: (Tks 11[12, 13, 14] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 72[78, 84, 90] sts.
Rnd 3: (Tks 10[11, 12, 13] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 66[72, 78, 84] sts.
Rnd 4: (Tks 9[10, 11, 12] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 60[66, 72, 78] sts.
Rnd 5: (Tks 8[9, 10, 11] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 54[60, 66, 72] sts.
Rnd 6: (Tks 7[8, 9, 10] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 48[54, 60, 66] sts.
Rnd 7: (Tks 6[7, 8, 9] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 42[48, 54, 60] sts.
Rnd 8: (Tks 5[6, 7, 8] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 36[42, 48, 54] sts.
Rnd 9: (Tks 4[5, 6, 7] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 30[36, 42, 48] sts.
Rnd 10: (Tks 3[4, 5, 6] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 24[30, 36, 42] sts.
Rnd 11: (Tks 2[3, 4, 5] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 18[24, 30, 36] sts.
Rnd 12: (Tks 1[2, 3, 4] , tks2tog) to end of rnd. 12[18, 24, 30] sts.

Size Small:
Rnd 13: (Tks2tog) to end of rnd. 6 sts.

Size Medium:
Rnd 13: (Tks 1, tks2tog) to end of rnd. 12 sts.
Rnd 14: (Tks2tog) to end of rnd. 6 sts.

Size Large:
Rnd 13: (Tks 2, tks2tog) to end of rnd. 18 sts.
Rnd 14: (Tks 1, tks2tog) to end of rnd. 12 sts.
Rnd 15: (Tks2tog) to end of rnd. 6 sts.

Size Extra Large:
Rnd 13: (Tks 3, tks2tog) to end of rnd. 24 sts.
Rnd 14: (Tks 2, tks2tog) to end of rnd. 18 sts.
Rnd 15: (Tks 1, tks2tog) to end of rnd. 12 sts.
Rnd 16: (Tks2tog) to end of rnd. 6 sts.

Cut yarn, leaving 6-inch/15-cm tails. Weave both tails through the rem sts and pull tight to close the crown. Fasten off, and weave in all ends.

FINISHING

Join MC at brim of hat, and work ss around the brim.

Hand wash hat, and squeeze most of the moisture out with a towel. Lay hat flat to dry, shaping the body of hat so that the top is rounded and shaping the brim to flatten the curled edge. Once dry, weave in ends. Flip one side of the brim up and attach it to the side of the hat using a button of your choice, using photos as a guide.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

designername Emily Born has been a crocheter for 18 years and an independent designer for 6 years. Tunisian Crochet caught her eye about 4 years ago, and she hasn't looked back! She lives in the Rocky Mountains with her husband, their 2 dogs, Lexy and Lulu, and her fluffy Angora Rabbit, Frida.

You can find her on Ravelry at and on Etsy.

Pattern & images © 2021 Emily Born, Patterns in Wool.