Elbert's Hat by Woolly Wormhead

After meeting Elbert at a discussion panel in Rimini, Italy, and after seeing his yarns in person for the first time, I wanted to face the challenge this colorway presented and design a Hat that didn’t pool and was able to show the vibrant colorway to its best. Turning one part of the Hat sideways solved this problem, and knitting the remainder of the Hat in a vertical direction worked perfectly with the yarn, creating a striking effect.

Sizes

To fit sizes: 17.25 (18.25, 19.75, 21, 22.25) in/43.75 (46.25, 50.25, 53.25, 56.5) cm
Finished size: 15.25 (16.25, 17.5, 18.5, 19.75) in/38.75 (41.25, 44.5, 47, 50.25) cm
Shown in size 21” on a model with a 21.5” circumference head.

Yarn

Chiaroscuro Dye Lab Nyad DK (100% Extrafine Superwash Merino; 274 yards (250 meters)/100 grams): color name Makati Nights, 1 (1, 1, 1, 1) balls
Needles

Size US#5 (3.75 mm): 24” circular

Gauge

22 sts and 36 rows = 4” (10 cm) in St st after wet blocking.
22 sts and 44 rows = 4” (10 cm) in Garter st after wet blocking.

Notions

Size 5 (3.75 mm) crochet hook; markers; waste yarn for provisional cast on; tapestry needle

Pattern Notes

The Body of this Hat is worked sideways, and is very easy to adjust should you wish for additional sizes, or should your row gauge differ.

You simply need to work the number ridges to a multiple of 6 less one row. The garter grafting replaces one entire row, so it’s important to remember to leave space for it – it won’t graft correctly otherwise. In this pattern one ridge is the equivalent of two rows.

You would then pick up 1 stitch for each ridge, as the crown is worked on a multiple of 6.

Special Techniques

Tutorials for provisional cast-on and kitchener stitch can be download in PDF format from Woolly’s website.

Hat

Using waste yarn and Provisional Cast-on method, CO 22 (26, 30, 34, 38) sts. Change to main yarn and work the Body panel as follows:

Body panel

Row 1: Knit all sts

Repeat this row, continuing to work garter stitch flat, until 83 (89, 95, 101, 107) ridges have been worked, where 1 ridge = 2 rows. (note that when you are counting ridges, ensure that the ridge count on both sides of the work is the same. This ensures an even number of rows have been worked)

Work one more row flat.

Carefully remove Provisional Cast-on stitch by stitch, taking care to keep in pattern, transferring live stitches to 2nd needle.

Perform Garter Stitch grafting across all sts. Break yarn and weave in all ends. The garter graft will have created a final row in the work, bringing the total number of ridges to 84 (90, 96, 102, 108).

With a circular needle and yarn, and starting at the point of grafting, pick up and knit one stitch for each garter ridge 84 (90, 96, 102, 108) sts

Join in the round, being careful not to twist sts.
Place stitch marker to indicate start of round.

Crown

17.25” size jump to Rnd 9, 18.25” size jump to Rnd 7, 19.75” size jump to Rnd 5, 21” size jump to Rnd 3 and 22.25” size start at Rnd 1
Rnd 1: *K16, k2tog; rpt from * to end (102 sts)
Rnd 2 & all even rounds: Knit all stitches
Rnd 3: *K15, k2tog; rpt from * to end (96 sts)
Rnd 5: *K14, k2tog; rpt from * to end (90 sts)
Rnd 7: *K13, k2tog; rpt from * to end (84 sts)
Rnd 9: *K12, k2tog; rpt from * to end (78 sts)
Rnd 11: *K11, k2tog; rpt from * to end (72 sts)
Rnd 13: *K10, k2tog;rpt from * to end (66 sts)
Rnd 15: *K9, k2tog; rpt from * to end (60 sts)
Rnd 17: *K8, k2tog; rpt from * to end (54 sts)
Rnd 19: *K7, k2tog; rp from * to end (48 sts)
Rnd 21: *K6, k2tog;rpt from * to end (42 sts)
Rnd 23: *K5, k2tog;rpt from * to end (36 sts)
Rnd 25: *K4, k2tog;rpt from * to end (30 sts)
Rnd 27: *K3, k2tog;rpt from * to end (24 sts)
Rnd 29: *K2, k2tog;rpt from * to end (18 sts)
Rnd 31: *K1, k2tog;rpt from * to end (12 sts)
Rnd 33: *k2tog;rpt from * to end (6 sts)

Break yarn and draw through remaining 6 sts, tighten to close.

Finishing

Weave in all ends. A gentle wash and blocking is recommended.

About the Designer: Woolly Wormhead

Woolly Wormhead is a Hat Architect.

With an instinctive flair for unusual construction and a passion for innovation, Woolly Wormhead is a designer whose patterns are trusted and celebrated by knitters all over the world. As a designer, Woolly Wormhead is driven by a need to create and develop her understanding of 3D form. Communicating her ideas and sharing her specialized knowledge with her audiences is key to Woolly’s success as a designer. Woolly’s high quality pattern writing brings crafters along with her, encouraging us all to become Hat architects.

You can contact her on her blog, Ravelry and her Ravelry group.