Cabled Chullo

Cabled Chullo Knit Hat by Mary Jane Mucklestone

What is Being Made

The Cabled Chullo is a classic earflap hat featuring a traditional cabled knit design. This intermediate-level knitting project produces a finished hat with a 22-inch (56 centimeter) head circumference and measures 8 inches (20.5 centimeters) from crown to the top of the earflap when blocked. The design includes decorative pompoms as a finishing accent.

Techniques Used

This knitting pattern employs several essential techniques suitable for intermediate knitters. The hat is worked in the round, which creates a seamless construction and is a fundamental skill for circular knitting projects. Cable crossing is the primary decorative technique, where stitches are slipped onto a cable needle and held while other stitches are worked, then the held stitches are knitted to create the signature twisted rope texture. The pattern also incorporates decreasing to shape the crown of the hat. Knitters will practice gauge swatching to ensure proper fit, with the option to adjust needle sizes up or down to customize the finished dimensions.

Stitches Used

The Cabled Chullo utilizes a straightforward stitch combination to achieve its textured appearance. The primary stitches are:

• Knit stitch (k) – the foundation stitch that creates the smooth V-textured fabric
• Purl stitch (p) – used to create reverse stockinette sections that frame the cables
• Cable stitch – created by slipping 3 stitches to a cable needle and holding in front, knitting 3 stitches from the main needle, then knitting the 3 stitches from the cable needle to form the twisted cable pattern

The stitch pattern repeats across 9 sections, with 6 knit stitches followed by 2 purl stitches in each repeat for rounds 1 through 7, before the cable cross occurs on round 8.

Materials and Tools

This project requires 155 yards (142 meters) of bulky weight yarn, with 125 yards (114 meters) allocated for the main hat and an additional 22 yards (20 meters) for the pompoms. The pattern was designed using Brown Sheep Lambs Pride Bulky, a premium blend of 85% wool and 15% mohair that provides warmth, elasticity, and a soft hand.

The required needles include US 10 (6.0 millimeter) double-pointed needles for working the crown in the round and a US 10.5 (6.5 millimeter) 16-inch (40 centimeter) circular needle for the body of the hat. Needle sizes can be adjusted up or down to modify the finished hat size or to achieve the correct gauge. Additional notions include a stitch marker for tracking the beginning of rounds, a cable needle for executing cable crosses, and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends and assembling pompoms.

Gauge and Sizing

The pattern is worked to a gauge of 14 stitches and 19.5 rows equals 4 inches (10 centimeters) in the cable pattern, worked in the round. Achieving proper gauge is essential for obtaining the correct finished dimensions. Knitters can customize the hat size by going up a needle size for a larger fit or down a needle size for a smaller fit, making this design adaptable to different head sizes.