Cheslie Toque

Cheslie Toque by Kiyomi Burgin

What is Being Made

The Cheslie Toque is a hand-knitted winter hat designed by Kiyomi Burgin in collaboration with Ritual Dyes. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a textured ribbed toque featuring a foldable brim and decorative eyelets. The hat is engineered to provide warmth and comfort with a stretchy construction that accommodates a range of head sizes, available in three finished sizes with circumferences of 16 (17¼, 18½) inches when relaxed and unstretched.

Knitting Techniques and Construction

The Cheslie Toque employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its distinctive appearance and functionality. The hat features textured ribbed construction as its primary stitch pattern, which creates vertical lines that contribute to both the visual interest and the stretchy nature of the finished garment. Eyelets are incorporated throughout the design, adding decorative detail and a refined aesthetic to the toque.

A notable technique used in this pattern is the fold-up brim, which allows the wearer to customize the hat's appearance and warmth level. The brim can be worn folded or extended, with the full unfolded length measuring 11½ to 11¾ inches depending on size. This design feature adds versatility to the finished hat.

The pattern employs a two-strand knitting method, holding a strand of mohair and wool together throughout construction. This technique creates enhanced warmth and texture while maintaining the hat's structural integrity and stretch.

Stitches Used

While the pattern documentation provided focuses on the ribbed and eyelet elements, the Cheslie Toque utilizes standard knitting stitches including knit and purl stitches to create the ribbed texture, combined with yarn-over techniques to form the eyelet details. The ribbed construction provides both elasticity and a classic finished appearance suitable for winter wear.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Cheslie Toque is designed to be knitted with Ritual Dyes Elder yarn, a worsted-weight yarn composed of 100% Rambouillet wool. This yarn provides 173 meters or 190 yards per 100-gram or 3½-ounce skein. The pattern requires one skein of yarn for all three sizes, making it an efficient project in terms of yardage requirements.

The recommended construction method calls for holding a strand of mohair and wool together while knitting, which creates the extra warmth and toasty quality described in the pattern. This two-fiber approach combines the softness and loft of mohair with the durability and warmth of wool, resulting in a luxurious and functional winter accessory.

The pattern is available in the Chestnut colorway as shown in the sample photographs, though knitters are encouraged to select their color of choice from the Ritual Dyes Elder range. The Treeline colorway (green) is also referenced as an alternative option.

Sizing and Fit

The Cheslie Toque is offered in three sizes designed to fit head circumferences of 19-20 (21-22, 23-24) inches. The hat is intentionally designed with negative ease, meant to be worn with approximately 2-5 inches of negative ease, allowing the stretchy ribbed construction to hug the head comfortably while providing insulation. This design approach ensures the hat will fit a range of head sizes within each size category.