There was once a jolly, happy mountain that offered fantastic advice to a grumpy hill. “Change your altitude”, he said! (I totally swiped that from the internet, but it’s true!) The Altitude Hat will keep your interest peaked as you climb the purl hills and navigate the knit valleys in your chosen rainbow of colors.

This should summit up nicely: the Altitude Hat is a fun, fully-customizable pattern written for any and all craniums in either DK weight or worsted weight yarn. This may just be the last hat you Everest need to make! (Just kidding!)

This pattern is meant to be extremely customizable, but there is a little math involved. Please read through all front-end instructions if you plan on making a custom piece!

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

Needles
DK | 16” - 24” / 40 - 60 cm circular needles / double pointed needles in size US 5 (3.75 mm)
DK | 16” - 24” / 40 - 60 cm circular needles in size US 4 (3.5 mm) - for ribbing only

Worsted | 16” - 24” / 40 - 60 cm circular needles in size US 6 (4.0 mm)
Worsted | 16” - 24” / 40 - 60 cm circular needles / double pointed needles in size US 5 (3.75 mm) - for ribbing only

Yarn & Yardage
Two or more contrasting colors in DK or worsted weight yarn.

The pattern is broken up into 10 x 10 repeats. Yarn usage for each repeat measures approx 2.4 yd / 2.2 m (DK) or 2.6 yd / 2.4 m (worsted) when hitting gauge. See page 7 (Custom Sizing Your Hat Continued) for a detailed breakdown of finding approximate yarn length needed.

Sample hats shown in this pattern:
Green sample is a size Medium Beanie fit in DK weight using US 5 needles:
CC1 (DK) | 174 yd / 145 m (Dark Green)
CC2 (DK) | 58 yd / 48 m (Green Variegated)
CC3 (DK) | 29 yd / 25 m (White)
Total yarn used in sample = 261 yd / 239 m

Size (when laid flat):
9” L x 9” W / 23 cm L x 23 cm W

Neutral sample is size Small Skull Cap in worsted weight using US 6 needles:
CC1 (DK) | 68 yd / 62 m (Orange)
CC2 (DK) | 126 yd / 115 m (Beige)
Total yarn used in sample = 194 yd / 177 m

Size (when laid flat):
8” L x 8.75” W / 20.5 cm L x 22 cm W

Notions
Tapestry needle
1 beginning of round stitch marker (additional if desired to place every 10 stitches, quantity will vary based on number of stitches cast on)
Scissors
(Optional) Faux fur pom pom or scrap yarn for pom pom

SIZING

Hat is designed with approximately 2” negative ease and comes in two fits. Measurements have been rounded to the nearest half inch / half centimeter.

DK
Small | Approx. 18.5” / 47 cm circumference
Medium | Approx. 20” / 51 cm circumference
Large | Approx. 21.5” / 54.5 cm circumference
X-Large | Approx. 23” / 59.5 cm circumference

Worsted
Small | Approx. 18” / 45.5 cm circumference
Medium | Approx. 20” / 51 cm circumference
Large | Approx. 22” / 56 cm circumference
X-Large | Approx. 24” / 59.5 cm circumference

Brim
Straight Brim | Approx. 1.3” / 3.3 cm (DK) | 1.75” / 4.5 cm (worsted)
Folded Brim | Approx. 2.6” / 6.6 cm (DK) | 3.5” / 9 cm (worsted) before folding

Body of Hat
Skull Cap | Approximately 6” - 6.5” / 15 - 16.5 cm from last row worked of brim
Beanie | Approximately 7.5” - 8” / 19 - 20 cm from last row worked of brim

Height can be adjusted as desired

Gauge
Measured over colorwork pattern after blocking.
DK: 26 stitches and 26 rows for 4” / 10 cm
Worsted: 20 stitches and 20 rows for 4” / 10 cm

If sharing your progress and finished piece on Instagram or other social networks, please use the hashtag #AltitudeHat so I can admire your beautiful work! Happy knitting, friend!