A New Slant on the Alpine Topper
Here in Maine we had our first snow storm of the season on October 30th. It was to the delight of many (I believe mostly children and skiers), but to others it wasn’t such a joyous occasion. Personal feelings aside, it did prompt us all to think about our winter attire. Here at Halcyon Yarn we started thinking about making hats, mittens, cowls and scarves for cozy winter warmth.
Naturally, we took a look at our most popular hat pattern, the Alpine Topper hat pattern. Some love it for the practicality of a densely knit, extremely warm hat with a super soft lining. Others love it for the endless fun of playing with colors when choosing a skein of the multi-color [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] and finding the perfect compliment for the lining in super soft [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] . I have to say I appreciate the pattern for both reasons, but it’s definitely the love of color that keeps me coming back for more. To date, I’ve knit 15 Alpine Toppers and already have yarn picked out for my next. It’s a great hat to make and wear, but we wanted to make it even better.
 | Alpine Topper hat pattern |
| [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] |
| [Sorry, item discontinued or temporarily out of stock] |
| So… we listened to you. Some of you weren’t fond of the straight lines created by the flecks of Cortina showing through in the main body. There were others, like Beth who works here at the shop, who wanted smaller sizing to make an Alpine Topper for a young child (Gracious is the most adorable 2 year old). After a little brainstorming and a little figuring, the pattern now includes a new “slant” on the Alpine Topper, as well as sizing for a young child. You choose the size and the design. Knit an Alpine Topper with the traditional column design or knit one with the new diagonal design. | Original Column Design for the Alpine Topper: Diagonal Design for the Alpine Topper:
Young Child Size Alpine Topper: |
As a matter of fact you can also choose the yarn. The gradual color shifts of Noro Iro look beautiful in the Alpine Topper, but any bulky weight yarn can be used for the main color. You might also consider Lamb’s Pride Bulky, Noro Nadeshiko and Debbie Bliss Riva. As for the lining, it’s designed with a super bulky yarn. Cortina creates the softest interior, but Magnum can also be used. Magnum will create a loftier lining, but won’t be quite as soft as Cortina.
Have fun creating your own combinations. Remember the pattern is free when you purchase yarn to knit an Alpine Topper (just be sure to include the pattern in your order). To get you started I’ve included pictures of 2 new colors of Iro and a few of the color options in Cortina that Beth and I were considering.
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In the first picture color #116 in Iro is shown surrounded by the following Cortina colors, beginning with the light blue ball at the top and going clockwise, #57, #54, #8, #21, #58, #7 and #17. I ultimately chose the light blue Cortina#57 for an Alpine Topper for my niece. You can see a picture of the completed hat above. Susan, here at Halcyon Yarn, plans on using the same Iro color, but with light pink Cortina #54 and one of our regular customers is knitting the same hat with the bright pink Cortina #17. There are so many options. |
| The second picture features color options Beth was considering for an Alpine Topper for Gracious. They are color #108 in the Iro and Cortina colors #12, #10, #8, #19, #7, #20 and #17 as viewed clockwise starting with the green in the upper left corner. She decided upon red, #19. How bright and festive! We can’t wait to see it on Gracious. |  |
We’d love to hear about Alpine Toppers you’ve knit or plan on knitting. What are your favorite combinations? Let us know or better yet, post a picture to our Facebook page! We’ll compile a list of top choices in a future post.
Related items of interest: • Knitting Patterns
I made your Alpine Topper with the Noro Iro and a super bulky yarn, on the slant, and it came out very well. I made the large, because all of us have big heads (7 1/4 or larger). It is very comfortable, but would be too large for more average heads. I made a couple of changes.
First, and most important, I followed the directions for rows 5-8, and then went on the theory that you knit the cc after you have knit it from the prior row. It is (almost) always k3mc k1cc, but that is one stitch later every row. There is ONE space where it is k4mc k1cc, and that particular figure travels to the left of the row marker beginning at row 6, until it is quite a bit away from the row marker. However, this method makes for a hat where you can’t find the back. The diagonal with k4mc k1cc gets lost in the pattern and is virtually unnoticeable. I think this improves the look, and am doing the same for my second hat.
The other change was because I did not want a braid, tassel, or twist at the end. So I did not want the point either. At about the point where there were 4 stitches between decreases, I omitted the knit row. That made the hat much flatter on the top, which is the look I prefer.
This pattern lends itself to all sorts of possibilities, in various yarns, and various patterns. I am really enjoying it.