My regular Thursday night knitting group has a number of participants who are relatively recent arrivees to Aotearoa, New Zealand and they can sometimes struggle with the “kiwi” accent.

The notion of a “fish nipple hat” comes from the amusement that ensued when someone misunderstood the phrase “a fashionable hat”. The confused listener initially thought that there must be a fish-themed hat pattern they were not familiar with. Upon hearing this tale I could not help myself but make one so.

So here it is, a fish-scale like stitch pattern and a tiny little nipple on top: A Fish Nipple Hat but possibly not a fashionable hat.

Pattern features both written directions and charts - use whichever you prefer.

Three sizes to fit a heads approximately 50cm (20”), 55cm (22”), and 60cm (24”) in circumference. The length is flexible.

Materials:

• Vintage Purls TannaHill (100% New Zealand Merino, 396 metres per 100g skein), 0.5 skein.
• 3.25mm, 40cm circular needle or size that gives you gauge. Also double point needles or a long circular for magic loop in the same size.
• 2.75mm, 40cm circular needle for the ribbed band (or a needle two sizes smaller than the needle your are using for the body of the hat.)
• A stitch marker.

In total, the hat uses about 45g/180m of TannaHill for the largest size (knit as a beanie, allow more for added slouch). 50g/200m of yarn should be ample for this pattern whichever size you select.

TannaHill is a woolen spun yarn and its meterage per skein is higher than some fingering yarns of the same weight, please consider this when using other yarns (use the meterage specifications, rather than the weight when planning your substitutions).

Dedicated to Take Back The Knit, who have given me something to look forward to on Thursday nights for 16 years.