Free Play Hat by Lee Meredith

Free Play Hat

Knitting
May 2023
yarn held together
Fingering
+ Fingering
= DK (11 wpi) ?
19.5 stitches and 26 rows = 4 inches
in Stockinette Stitch
US 7 - 4.5 mm
300 - 360 yards (274 - 329 m)
18 (20)" circumference × 9 (9.5)" height; meant to be worn with 2–4" negative ease to fit head sizes of 20–22 (22–24)"
English
This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download

Show off self-striping sock yarns outside of your shoes by doubling up the yarn and knitting this hat! This is the perfect pattern for yarn-collectors who are looking for a less-usual way to use up stash.

This hat was designed specifically for the color changes of Felici yarn, but modification notes are included for using other self-striping yarns, and a second version of the pattern is included for making your own stripes, perfect for leftovers!

To create this fun, textured stitch pattern, the yarn is held double throughout, and the strands are separated during the Loops rounds to create V-loops with one color pulled up over the next color in the stripe sequence. This is done with decreases and increases, so no cable needle or other fancy techniques are needed!

For self-striping yarn, the stitch pattern is worked in a unique way that relies on the color changes to determine when the pattern rounds are worked, so that the garter-ridge stripes and patterning are cleanly intentional.

The brim pattern is both written and charted; the body pattern is only written and works slightly differently depending on whether you use self-striping yarn or multiple colors of solid/tonal yarn.