PARTICULARLY PASSAP #1: BASIC HAT WITH STRIP KNITTING OPTION © 2022 Kathryn Doubrley, The Answer Lady

This series of patterns is designed specifically for Passap machines. Passaps are basically very nice standard gauge machines with ribbers built on and will do almost all of the same things that Japanese machines will. However many Passap users would rather enjoy reading through a pattern that speaks directly to them and requires no mental translation. These patterns are for those knitters. The language used in the series is duomatic terminology. In other words, the patterns are for “Greenies and Pinkies” as Passap knitters affectionately call them. Pinkies may not all be duomatics, though some are, but they use the same language. E-6000 machines can definitely achieve the same things but knitters who wish to use the patterns on E-6000s must do the translating to technique numbers and electronic settings themselves.

VIDEO HELP If you need to brush up on your Passap knitting skills, this 36 video playlist will help you: Passap Specific Knitting Skills.

YARN, GAUGE & SIZE Use 3 strands of 2/24 yarn run together as one or 1 strand of #2 [sport weight] yarn. There’s no special trick to making the use of multiple strands of yarn work. The Passap needle eyelet will deliver all three strands to the needles as a neat bundle. Just sit all 3 cones on the floor near one another but far enough apart that all unwind freely. Hold the yarn ends together and thread them through the mechanism just as though they were a single yarn. Adjust the machine to get a gauge of 6 stitches/9 rows/inch in stockinette. For the sample, stitch size 7 on the back bed worked well. Make the ribbing 2-3 whole numbers tighter on the stitch dial. The sample ribbing was knitted at stitch size 5. Hats finish to these circumferences: 12[14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24”]” which will fit newborns[babies, toddlers, children, youths/small adults, larger adults, extra large adults]. Besides the natural variation in head size, there is some variation in taste as to the ideal fit of hats. Many people like actual head size minus 2” for a snug fit. Others like the hat to be almost exactly the same size as the head. So if at all possible, check the taste of the proposed recipient of the hats being knitted. Length from bottom of hem to top of crown is 5[6, 6.5, 7, 8.25, 8.75, 9.”]. This is easily altered simply by changing the row count. If you check the math, it will become obvious that the “as knitted’ length is a little bit longer than the length stated above. That is because a small percentage of rows have been added to make up for the tendency of the gathering at the crown to shorten the length a bit.

SLOUCHY HATS To get the stylish slouchy look, pick the largest suitable circumference, skipping the negative ease and also knit 2-6” of extra length. THE IMPORTANCE OF EDGE SPRINGS This is a feature unique to Passaps. At each end of each bed is a spring that should be positioned to hold down the end working needle with its latch closed. These needles will still be able to knit. These are always a good idea but are especially important when knitting stockinette, the N setting. Using them prevents dropping of the end stitches.

THE PASSAP NEEDLE RULE This also helps prevent dropped edge stitches. The last stitch on the left should be on the front bed and the last on the right should be on the back bed. The needle rule only comes into play when both beds are in work as they will be to knit the ribbing for this hat. RIBBING Rack the needles so that they oppose perfectly and would hit each other if all came forward. Then select every other needle on each bed, following the needle rule. Insert orange strippers. At stitch size 1 or 2, with both locks set on N, knit across from left to right. A zigzag row will form. 1/1 is the traditional stitch size for the zigzag row but some machines, and mine is one, perform better at a slightly larger stitch size. If you possess the comb, hang it in this zigzag row and add a weight. The comb is not essential but is helpful and might as well be used if available. Set the locks to CX/CX. It often works best to increase stitch size 1 whole number for the next 2 rows. Knit 2 rows. The back bed will knit going one direction and the front going the other. This is called the tubular cast on and it locks all the stitches down. It won’t ravel. Change to N/N and knit one final row from left to right, completing the cast on. Increase stitch size to main size minus 2-3 whole numbers on both beds. The sample was knitted with 5/5 ribbing. Knit 8[10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20] rows. Transfer all stitches that are on the front bed to the back bed.

KNIT THE MAIN PORTION OF THE HAT Set front bed to GX and also make sure that all front bed needles are down and out of the way. Set back bed to N and main stitch size. Knit 40[46, 50, 52, 60, 64, 68] plain stockinette rows. RAVEL CORD This is any strong thin strand of cord or yarn, preferably a slippery one. A length of it may be used knit a row that separates main knitting from scrap knitting [waste yarn]. After any finishing is done as called for, pulling on the ravel cord will slide it out of the fabric, causing the main knitting and waste yarn knitting to separate neatly.

SCRAPPING OFF This is one way of removing knitting from the machine while protecting live stitches. You may choose to knit in a row of ravel cord before doing it but ravel cord is not essential. Change to a yarn of a similar weight that contrasts in color with the main yarn. We call is “waste yarn” because it’s not part of the project. Smooth yarns are best. Odds and ends left over from other projects are perfect. Knit at least 10 rows. 20 can be nice for an extra bit to hold onto. I cannot think of a time that more than 40 is ever useful. Snip the waste yarn and keep moving the locks. The knitting will automatically drop off of the machine but the live stitches, many rows back, will be quite safe. After the project is complete, it is possible to salvage most of the waste yarn and wind it back up to use again.

FINISHING ONE HAT Snip the working yarn, leaving about 30” of tail. If only one hat is being knitted, you may remove it from the machine in one of two ways. Thread the tail into a yarn needles and work it through all of the live stitches in order, then lift them off of the machine. Change to waste yarn, with or without a row of ravel cord knitted after the main and before the waste. Scrap off. Use the yarn tail in a yarn needle to work through all of the live stitches in the final row of main yarn. If ravel cord was used, pull it out now. If it was not used, snip the row of waste yarn that adjoins the final row of main yarn in several places. This will allow it to be pulled out in a similar manner to the ravel cord, separating the main yarn from the waste. Use the gathering yarn to pull the top of the hat in tightly. Stitch across the “o” that is formed a couple of times. Use the remainder of the yarn tail to sew the edges of the work together, all the way through the ribbing. Weave in the tail and snip off any excess. Pull the ribbing lengthwise to set the stitches.

KNITTING A STRIP OF HATS Snip the main yarn leaving about 30” of tail and drop the tail down between the beds. With or without the use of ravel cord, before the waste yarn, knit at least 10 rows of waste yarn. Transfer the stitches back to the ribbing setup with alternating stitches on opposite beds, just as at the beginning. If you’d like a ravel cord to separate the hem of the next hat from the waste yarn, knit 1 more row of waste yarn, in ribbing, moving the locks from right to left. Now knit in the ravel cord. It is much easier to do it now because if knitted in before transferring to ribbing, you'll need to transfer ravel cord stitches and they are slippery. Change to main yarn and the same settings as were used to begin the first hat. Knit a second hat exactly like the first. If a lot of hats are needed, they may be knitted in a continuous strip, repeating knitting a hat, waste yarn, another hat, waste yarn and so on over and over.

FINISHING MULTIPLE HATS The process is almost identical to finishing a single but you will first need to separate the hats. Separate the beginning of each new hat from the waste yarn below it. Leave that waste yarn attached to the top of the hats until the gathering thread has been worked through the top row of main yarn stitches on each one. In the photo above, beginning at the right side, the yarn tail is already worked through the top row of hat stitches. The waste yarn is the bright white yarn above the hat. There is no ravel cord in use in this sample. The yarn needle is passing through stitches towards the center of the photo. It is moving from right to left. Those stitches left of the needle still need to be worked onto the gathering thread.