Marla Hut in Schachenmayr - DES11051 - Downloadable PDF

Marla Hut Knitting Pattern by Schachenmayr Designteam – A Detailed Summary

The Marla Hut (Style S11051) is a knitted hat pattern designed by the Schachenmayr Designstudio and published by MEZ GmbH in 2022. This intermediate-level knitting project is available as a free downloadable PDF and produces a beautifully textured hat suitable for a head circumference of 52–56 cm. The design combines an elegant openwork cable motif with a distinctive decorative cast-off edge, making it a rewarding project for knitters who are comfortable working from a chart and executing cable and lace techniques in the round.

What Is Being Made

The finished project is a knitted hat worked in the round, featuring an Ajourzopfmuster — a German term describing a combined cable and openwork (lace) pattern. The hat is constructed in two distinct stages, beginning at the main body and finishing with a decorative Kordelkante (cord or rope edge) at the lower brim. The result is a structured, textured hat with a refined, handcrafted appearance.

Construction and Techniques

The Marla Hut is worked in two steps, making its construction slightly more involved than a simple top-down or bottom-up hat:

• Step one: The hat body is begun using the Ajourzopfmuster (cable openwork pattern), worked in rounds from the cast-on edge upward, and then closed off at the crown.
• Step two: Stitches are picked up along the original cast-on edge at the lower end of the hat body. The knitter then works downward according to the pattern instructions and finishes with the Kordelkante bind-off, which creates a decorative twisted cord-like border at the brim.

This two-stage approach gives the hat a polished, symmetrical look with a neat, ornamental lower edge that frames the face attractively.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns Used

The pattern makes use of several distinct stitch techniques, each contributing to the hat's textured and decorative character:

• Ajourzopfmuster (Cable Openwork Pattern): This is the primary stitch pattern, worked from a chart over a 14-stitch repeat. The pattern is 16 rounds tall and repeats continuously in both width and height. All rounds are charted and are read from right to left, as is standard for knitting in the round. This combination of cables and yarn-overs creates a sophisticated lacy cable effect.
• Glatt rechts (Stockinette in the round): Sections of plain knit stitches worked in the round are used, likely for the crown shaping or transitional areas of the hat.
• Kordelkante (Cord Edge Bind-Off): This is a special decorative cast-off technique worked from the wrong (left/purl) side of the fabric. It involves casting on 3 stitches onto the left needle, knitting 2 of them, and then knitting the third together with the next live stitch through the back loop (twisted decrease). The 3 stitches are then slipped back to the left needle and the process repeats, creating a firm, rope-like edging. The final 3 stitches are sewn to the beginning using a mattress stitch, completing the circular brim edge neatly.
• 2 M überzogen zusammenstricken (Slip, Slip, Knit / SSK-style decrease): A left-leaning decrease used within the pattern, worked by slipping 1 stitch knitwise before completing the decrease.
• Maschenmarkierer (Stitch markers): Five stitch markers are used to divide the hat into sections, helping the knitter track the 14-stitch pattern repeats and any shaping sections.

Gauge and Sizing

Achieving the correct gauge is important for this hat to fit properly. The specified gauge is 28 stitches and 32 rounds over 10 × 10 cm, measured in the Ajourzopfmuster using 3.5 mm needles. The pattern notes that if your gauge differs, you should adjust