~This pattern is part of a year-long club, and can only be purchased as part of that club until September 2019, when it will be available for individual sale. Thanks for understanding.~

“In the end he poked his head above the roof of leaves, and then he found spiders all right. But they were only small ones of ordinary size, and they were after the butterflies. … When he could, he saw all round him a sea of dark green, ruffled here and there by the breeze; and there were everywhere hundreds of butterflies. I expect they were a kind of ‘purple emperor’, a butterfly that loves the tops of oak-woods, but these were not purple at all, they were a dark dark velvety black without any markings to be seen.”
-- The Hobbit, chapter 8

Skill-level: Intermediate due to lace work with bobbles.
Yarn: Approximately 200-250 yards (180-230 m) of fingering weight yarn; the hats pictured are a size M (white) and L(blue) and used 219 and 240 yards (respectively) of La Fee Fil’s merino in the color Musette and Barking Dog’s Achilles in the color “Spruce.”
Needles: US2 (2.75mm) in a 16”-circular needle and DPNs (the large stitch count requires the cable needle, and DPNs will be necessary for the crown (alternately, one longer circular needle can be used in the Magic Loop technique).
Tools: Cable needle, if required, scissors, & tapestry needle.
Gauge: 34 stitches and 42 rounds worked in the hat round rib pattern (stretched & blocked).
Sizing: Child (Small adult, Large adult) measure approximately 14(16,18) inches or 35.5(40.5,45.5) cm in circumference. Hat is very stretchy and elastic, sizing is approximate and very forgiving.

Abbreviations:
P= Purl
Ktbl= knit through the back loop
CDD= Central Double Decrease in the following way: Slip 2 as though to knit two together. Return the closest slipped stitch to the tip of the right hand needle to the left, and knit two together. Pass the remaining slipped stitch over the K2tog.
All other stitches are defined in the chart key