INTRODUCTION

Spring Will Bloom

by Garbaty

Our farm has several acres of overgrown woodland. When we moved here, a local wildlife biologist told us there used to be rocky glades in these woods, and that those glades—a type of woodland meadow—provide prime habitat for turkeys, quail, deer, and other wildlife. We’ve started the hard work of removing lots of juniper in order to restore the glade openings. Our reward each spring is hundreds of wildflowers soaking up the sunlight—wild asters, lupines, spring beauties, and blazing stars.

All winter I wear a hat almost all day every day, because I’m going in and out of the house to check on our animals and do things on the farm. Our grey winters are not terribly long or hard, but by the end of them I’m more than ready for spring flowers. This cozy, simple hat with an embroidery-like detail is a wearable reminder that spring is coming.

The hat is knit from the brim up, and the floral component is knit in, not embroidered later! It's also easier than it looks. The flower bud motif is adapted from Barbara Walker’s “Three Flowers” in A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. A non-superwash wool works best as the main color to make the bobble buds pop, but I made a sample for my young niece with acrylic and the pattern works fine with that too. The flower buds are perfect for a remnant of hand-dyed yarn, and the mohair can either match the main color, or complement it for a marled look.

model: Garbaty + Fiona the Goat

photos: William Vaughan

SIZE

Youth through adult XS[S, M, L]

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS

Circumference, unstretched:  15[17.75, 19.5, 22.25] inches/ 38[45, 49.5, 56.5] cm
Length:  7.5[8, 8.5, 9] inches/ 19[20.5, 21.5, 23] cm – adjustable to fit

Note: choose a size approximately 2 inches/5 cm smaller than your head circumference.

MATERIALS

Yarn
[MC1] Berroco Vintage [52% acrylic, 40% wool, 8% nylon] 218 yd/200m per 100g skein; color: 5107 Cracked Pepper; 1 skein
[MC2] Valley Yarns Southampton [72% kid mohair/28% mulberry silk; 230 yds/210m per 25 gram ball; color: 29 Fog; 1 ball
[CC1, leaves] Cascade Yarns Cascade 220 Merino [100% merino wool; 220 yds/200m per 100g skein; color: Fern. You’ll need approximately 10-12 yards/9-11m
[CC2, flowers] Neighborhood Fiber Co. Studio DK, [100% fine highland wool]; 123 yds/112m per 50 gram skein; color: Oliver. 12.5 yds/12 m (5 grams) used in Medium sample

Yarn Characteristics
The samples use a worsted-weight 3-ply wool held double with a mohair blend (silk or acrylic as budget allows) for the main colors. The yarn is soft, sturdy, and warm with moderate twist. The mohair yarn can vary in weight to create a soft fuzzy halo.

Yarn for the flower and leaf colors can be DK or worsted remnants of approximately 10-12 yards/9-11m of each. Plied yarn works best: wool blends, alpaca blends, cotton blends. The yarn is soft and sturdy with a moderate twist.

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below - every knitter's gauge is unique]
1 16-inch/40cm US #7/4.5mm circular needle
US #7/4.5mm needles for small circumference in the round

Notions
stitch marker
yarn needle

GAUGE

18 sts/24 rounds = 4 inches/10 cm in stockinette with in both MC1 and MC2 held together.

PATTERN NOTES

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

Construction method: This hat is worked seamlessly in the round from the cast-on brim to the crown. The floral motif is worked toward the beginning of the body of the hat, and then it is smooth-sailing stockinette until the crown decreases.

How to make the floral motif: The floral motif uses two colors of yarn. One resembles grass and leaves. For the leaves, the yarn is wrapped around the needle three times during a purl stitch, and then those extra wraps are dropped on the subsequent row. This makes a long loopy stitch that’s easy to re-order to look like leaves or stems. The flowers are another color, and they are a bobble. This bobble is worked as reverse stockinette for extra texture and detail, resembling a grape hyacinth flower, for example.

Techniques:

• Long Tail CO (video tutorial)
• MB (Make bobble): (P1, k1, p1) into the same stitch. Turn work. K3. Turn work. P3. Turn work. CDD. Turn work to continue working in the round. Slip the finished bobble onto the right hand needle and continue in pattern. The purl bumps in the bobble are always toward the outside of the hat.

DIRECTIONS

Brim
With the circular needle, holding both MC1 and MC2 together, cast on 68[80, 88, 100] sts. Place marker and join for working in the round.

Ribbing Round: (K2, p2) around.
Work Ribbing as set until brim measures 1.25[1.5, 1.5, 1.75] inches/ 3[4, 4, 4.5] cm.

Hat Body
Round 1, Sizes XS and M ONLY: K2, m1, k 30[-, 42, -], m1, k to end of round. 2 sts increased. 70[-, 90, -] sts.

All Sizes Continue:
Knit 2[3, 2, 3] rounds.
Join CC1, leaving MC1 and MC2 attached.
Round 4: With CC1, knit.
Round 5: With CC1. P5, *p3 wrapping the yarn around the needle three times for each stitch, p7; repeat from * to last 5 sts, p3 wrapping the yarn around the needle three times for each stitch, p2.

Cut CC1. Continue with MC1 and MC2 held together.

Round 6: K1, *sl1 wyib, k3, sl 3 wyib dropping extra loops, k3; repeat from * to last 9 sts, sl1 wyib, k3, sl 3 wyib dropping extra loops, k2. 70[80, 90, 100] sts.
Round 7: K1, *sl1 wyib, k3, sl 3 wyib, k3; repeat from * to last 9 sts, sl1 wyib, k3, sl 3 wyib, k2.
Rounds 8-9: K5, *sl 3 wyib, k7; repeat from * to last 5 sts, sl 3 wyib, k2.
Round 10: *K3, slip next 2 sts to right-hand needle, drop the first long-looped “leaf” st to the front, return the slipped sts back to the left needle, pick up dropped “leaf” st and knit it, k3 (the last of these will be the center long-looped st), drop next (third) long-looped “leaf” st to the front, k2, pick up dropped stitch and knit it; repeat from * to end.
Join CC2, leaving MC1 and MC2 attached.
Round 11: With CC2, *sl 3 wyib, MB, sl 2 wyib, MB, sl 2 wyib, MB; repeat from * to end.
Cut CC2. Continue with MC1 and MC2 held together.
Round 12: *K3, (k1tbl, k2) twice, k1tbl; repeat from * to end of round.

Knit all rounds until hat reaches 5.5[6, 6.5, 7] inches/ 14[15, 16.5, 18] cm from cast-on edge, or approx 2 inches/5 cm short of desired length.

Hat Crown
Switch to needles for working a small circumference when hat gets too small to fit on circular needle.

Round 1: *K8, k2tog; repeat from * to end of round. 63[72, 81, 90] sts.
Round 2: Knit
Round 3: *K7, k2tog; repeat from * to end of round. 56[64, 72, 80] sts.
Round 4: Knit.
Round 5: *K6, k2tog; repeat from * to end of round. 49[56, 63, 70] sts.
Round 6: Knit.
Round 7: *K5, k2tog; repeat from * to end of round. 42[48, 54, 60] sts.
Round 8: Knit.
Round 9: *K4, k2tog; repeat from * to end of round. 35[40, 45, 50] sts.
Round 10: Knit
Round 11: *K3, k2tog; repeat from * to end of round. 28[32, 36, 40] sts.
Round 12: Knit
Round 13: *K2, k2tog; repeat from * to end of round. 21[24, 27, 30] sts.
Round 14: *K1, k2tog; repeat from * to end of round. 14[16, 18, 20] sts.
Round 15: K2tog around. 7[8, 9, 10] sts.

Cut yarns, leaving an 8 inch/20 cm tail. Thread yarn needle, pull tail through remaining stitches and cinch tight.

FINISHING

Weave in ends. Soak in lukewarm water with a woolwash or gentle detergent; rinse as required. Squeeze hat in a towel to press most of the moisture out and lay flat to dry.

ABOUT THE DESIGNER

Garbaty lives on a small farm in Arkansas with her spouse, rescue alpacas, pastured chickens and turkeys, mischievous goats, cats, and livestock guardian dogs. When she isn’t caring for this menagerie, tending the garden, or processing alpaca fiber, she likes to read, sew, build things, and make soup.

She can be reached here.

Pattern & images © 2024 Garbaty