Tamar Valley Toque

Tamar Valley Toque by RiotousAssembly

What is Being Made

The Tamar Valley Toque is a downloadable knitting pattern for a classic slip stitch hat designed by Sue Grandfield. This intermediate-level project creates a fitted, textured toque available in four sizes (S/M/L/XL) with a finished circumference range of 20–23 inches (50–59 cm when stretched). The design features a distinctive two-colour slip stitch pattern that creates visual interest through alternating yarn colours worked row by row.

Techniques Used

The Tamar Valley Toque employs slip stitch knitting as its primary construction technique. This method involves slipping stitches without working them, creating a neat, compact fabric with excellent drape and elasticity. The pattern begins with flat knitting on circular or double-pointed needles, then transitions to working in the round once the hat band is complete. The slip stitch technique is worked with yarn held in back (wyib), ensuring clean stitch definition and the characteristic textured appearance that defines this design.

Stitches Used

The Tamar Valley Toque uses fundamental knitting stitches combined in a simple repeating pattern:

• Knit stitch (K) – worked across entire rows in the hat band sections
• Purl stitch (P) – used to create the reverse stockinette sections and the distinctive purl bumps that form the visual texture
• Slip stitch (sl) – the core technique, worked with yarn in back to create the slip stitch pattern repeat of K1, sl 1 alternating with P1, sl 1

The pattern is constructed with two distinct hat bands bookending the main slip stitch body, providing structure and definition to the finished hat.

Materials

The Tamar Valley Toque pattern calls for DK weight yarn, a versatile mid-weight that creates a fabric with excellent stitch definition for slip stitch work. The design uses a two-colour approach:

• Main colour (MC): ½ of a 100g skein of The Thylacine DK Hartz yarn. Two colourway options are provided: "Cradle Mountain" (paired with Woolganics "Leura") or "Elwick" (paired with Woolganics "Deep Earth")
• Contrast colour (CC): 1 × 50g skein of Woolganics Organic Merino. The contrast colour is specifically responsible for creating the purl bumps that give the hat its textured appearance

Needles required include both 4.50mm and 4.00mm circular needles or double-pointed needles, allowing knitters to choose their preferred working method. The pattern also calls for stitch markers to denote the beginning of rounds once the work transitions from flat to circular knitting. The recommended gauge is approximately 24 stitches to 4 inches (10 cm) measured over the slip stitch pattern in its unstretched state, though the finished hat stretches to accommodate the larger sizes.