by Natalie Servant

With vertical lines branching from the decreases at the crown, this double knit hat is reminiscent of the hanging branches and leaves of weeping willow trees.

I designed the hat that I want to own: double knit for warmth, a graphic design that speaks to my love of art deco and a shape that hugs my head. Plus the paired decreases mean that it's totally reversible and looks great inside out!

For those who find double knitting enough of a challenge, a regular cast on will keep this hat snug against your head. For those who want to try something new, give a circular tubular cast on a go!

SIZE
Child (black/purple) [Adult (green/multicolor)]
Child's hat shown in black and purple, adult's hat shown in light and dark green

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Brim circumference: 18.5[20] inches
Depth: 6.75[7.5] inches

MATERIALS
Yarn
Child's hat:
Manos Del Uruguay Silk Blend [70% merino, 30% silk; 150yd/137m per 50g skein]; 1 skein each color
[MC] #3008 Black
[CC] #300S Magenta

Adult's hat:
[MC] King Cole Merino Blend DK [100% superwash wool; 123yd/112m per 50g skein]; color: #43 Bronze Green; 1 skein
[CC] Twilleys of Stamford Freedom Spirit [100% wool; 130yd/119m per 50g skein]; color: #522 Dream; 1 skein

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
Child's hat:
1 16-inch 3mm circular needle
1 16-inch US #4/3.5mm circular needle
1 set US #4/3.5mm double-point needles

Adult's hat:
1 16-inch US #4/3.5mm circular needle
1 16-inch US #6/4mm circular needle
1 set US #6/4mm double-point needles

Note: For both hats, if you decide not to work the tubular cast on, the circular needle in smaller size will not be needed.

Notions
Yarn needle
Smooth waste yarn

GAUGE

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

It is easy to end up with a loose fabric when working in double knitting; be sure to work with a firm tension.

Chart Instructions:
Each square in the chart represents two stitches: one stitch worked on the outer layer of fabric, and one stitch worked on the inner layer.

MC square: Bring both yarns between needles to inside (WS) of work, k1 using MC; bring both yarns between needles to outside (RS) of work, p1 using CC.

CC square: Bring both yarns between needles to inside (WS) of work, k1 using CC; bring both yarns between needles to outside (RS) of work, p1 using MC.

k2tog (shown in MC): Bring both yarns between needles to inside (WS) of work, k2tog using MC; bring both yarns between needles to outside (RS) of work, p2tog tbl using CC.

ssk (shown in MC): Bring both yarns between needles to inside (WS) of work, ssk using MC; bring both yarns between needles to outside (RS) of work, p2tog using CC.

Before working the double decrease below, reorder sts (as for single decreases) so that 3 outer layer sts are adjacent, and 3 inner layer sts are adjacent.

sssk (shown in MC): Bring both yarns between needles to inside (WS) of work, sssk using MC; bring both yarns between needles to outside (RS) of work, p3tog using CC.

Instructions for Duplicate Stitch can be found here.

The cast on technique used for this project is a variation on the Tubular Cast On technique shown here. Instructions for the Backward Loop Cast On can also be found here.

If you do not wish to work the tubular cast on, work as follows:
Using MC and circular needle in larger size, CO 88 sts. Place marker and join to begin working in the round, being careful not to twist.
Rounds 1-5: [K1, p1] to end.
Round 6: [Kfb] in each st. 176 sts.
Proceed to Hat Body section below.

DIRECTIONS

Tubular Cast On:
With smaller circular needle and waste yarn, using backward loop method, CO 88 sts onto circular needle. Using MC, k 1 row. Place marker and join to begin working in the round, being careful not to twist; use unique marker to indicate beginning of round.

K 3 rounds. If you have not worked sts from a provisional cast on before, see linked article in Pattern Notes before proceeding.

Next Round: *K1 from left needle, p1 in back loop of CO st below st just worked; repeat from * until all sts have been worked. 176 sts.

Hat Body:
Using larger circular needle, work Rounds 1-30 of Willow Chart. Chart is worked four times in each round; place stitch marker at end of each chart repeat.
If you wish to lengthen hat, work Round 31, repeating this round as required to achieve desired length.

Crown:
Work Rounds 1-14 of Crown Chart, switching to double-point needles when necessary and removing markers when working last round. 16 sts remain. Break yarns, leaving ends 4-6 inches long.

Thread yarn needle with CC end. Leaving MC end hanging at outside of work, *sl next st with CC held to inside of work, draw CC end through next st and remove from needle; repeat from * to end of round. 8 sts remain. Pull CC end to inside of hat. Draw MC end through remaining sts and pull both ends tight.

FINISHING
Carefully remove waste yarn from CO edge.
Weave in ends. Since this hat is reversible, one way to do this is to work several stitches in duplicate stitch (see Pattern Notes) to secure, then to draw the yarn end into the space between the layers of fabric.

Natalie is the busy mother of 2 young children, works as a software tester, and is an avid knitter, especially of lace patterns. She's a recent convert to spinning and finds spindling to be even more relaxing than knitting.

She blogs here.