This unisex hat is knit entirely on circular needles, making it the perfect project for the adventurous beginner or anyone intimidated by double-pointed needles.  If the two-color stranded pattern doesn’t appeal to you, replace it with a simple stripe or carry a strand of thin mohair yarn together with the wool when you work the rounds between the two raised ridges.  Be creative with your color choices.  Knit one in your school colors and wear it to the next football game.

Sizes

Finished circumference: approximately 19.5 (20.5, 21.25) inches / 50 (52, 54) cm

Yarn

Brown Sheep Company Lamb’s Pride Worsted (85% wool, 15% mohair; 190 yd [173m] per 100g skein ):

Color A: 1 skein in the color of your choice
Color B: 1 skein in the color of your choice
Color C: 1 skein in the color of your choice

Needles

US #8 (5 mm): straight needles
US #6 (4 mm): 16-inch circular needle
US #8 (5 mm): 16-inch circular needle

Gauge

18 sts and 24 rows = 4 inches (10 cm) in stockinette stitch, knit in the round on the larger needles.  Adjust your needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

Notions

Tapestry needle.

Chart

Abbreviations

Please see our standard list of abbreviations.

Hat

With Color A and the larger circular needle, cast on 88 (92, 96) stitches.  Join into the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.  Switch to the smaller circular needle and knit 12 rounds.

Switch back to the larger circular needle and knit 5 rounds.

Attach Color B and knit 3 rounds.  Break Color B.

Attach Color C and work a raised ridge as follows:

With the tip of the right needle, lift the back of the stitch from the first round you knit with Color B onto the left needle.  The back of the stitch looks like a purl bump in Color B.  Knit the back of the stitch together with the next stitch on the needle.  Repeat to the end of the round.

Using Color A and Color C, work 8 rounds in the two-color pattern set out in the Color Chart above.  The color pattern is a 4-stitch repeat.  Don’t forget to read the Color Chart from the bottom to the top, and from the right to the left.

Break Color C.

Attach Color B and knit 3 rounds.  Break Color B.

With Color A, work a raised ridge following the instructions set out above.

Continue knitting in the round with Color A until hat measures 7 (8, 9) inches / 17.75 (20.3, 22.8) cm measured from the first raised ridge.

Transfer the first 44 (46, 48) stitches to the smaller circular needle.  Half of the stitches are now on the smaller circular needle and half are on the larger circular needle.  Turn the hat inside-out and bind off all stitches using the three-needle bind off technique and one of the straight needles.  Break the yarn, leaving a 15 inch / 38 cm tail.
Finishing

Turn the hat right-side out and pull the yarn tail to the right side of the hat.  Hold one end of the bind-off row in one hand and the opposite end in the other hand.  Fold the top of the hat so the two ends of the bind-off row meet.  Sew the two ends  together using a whipstitch and the yarn tail.

Weave in all the yarn tails and loose ends.