Plato's Hat II

Plato’s Hat II is created based on the structural design of Plato’s Hat I.  The intentions  are not only to make a beautiful exquisite hat, but also to make a very warm and thick one with more coverage to the sides of the face that can be worn in the coldest days of winter.  Hence the choice of wool, the choice of pattern, and the choice of the structural design all are bent toward this one goal.  


The Aran strands twist and intertwine as naturally as the fine branches in the tree, composing a breath-taking exposition upon a backdrop of purl stitches.  Aside from its external beauty, it has inner quality of merit.    You can apply this powerful twisting technique to cable work that involves a large number of stitches.  


Every step is taken to provide the knitter with the ability to finish the project, the diagrams, the flow charts, the enlarged sequences of drawings, and the line by line instructions alongside in-depth explanations.   For example, drawings are displayed not just for all the knitting techniques, such as increases and decreases, Cable Cast-on, bobbles, decorative edging,  but also for sewing at the finishing stage of the project.   


One of the most important aspect of this book is that the knitter will learn to use short rows.  Most people have great difficulty understanding it.  Why must knitters learn to work short rows?  To form irregular shapes, the knitters must delve into its realm.  In the book, Lost Art of the Gusset Sock, short rows are used to form the cup in the heel.  In Plato’s Dog Coat, they are used to form the coverage over the frontal sternum.  In Plato’s Hat I and II, they are used to add a flap to cover the ears and sides of the face and to form the concave up shape over the forehead, called “the Dip.”  The versatility of short rows cannot be lauded enough.  


This book is not just a knitting pattern of a beautiful hat, but a learning experience, a small platform from which knitters can launch themselves to work on more difficult projects in the future.  It teaches knitters difficult techniques through expounding the philosophy behind the process of knitting.  It is not good enough to know how to do something, but one should also know why one is doing it.