2018: Lavender Sprig Hat

On one level, the Lavender Sprig Hat from Interweave Knits Gifts 2018 is a simple cabled hat with a ribbed brim and a pom-pom. But a closer look reveals a design that is far from ordinary. The key element here is color: the dark-purple brim, with just a touch of white at the cast-on edge, transitions to a lighter purple in the cabled crown. The hat is topped with a tricolor pom-pom that brings all the colors together and unifies the design.

The brim is deep enough to fold up for maximum warmth. Folding the brim, however, requires a cast-on edge that is pliable and stretchy. The edge should also be attractive on both sides since it will be front and center when the brim is folded. Fortunately, the tubular cast-on method that the designer, Paula Pereira, chose for this hat fits the bill perfectly on both counts.

The tubular cast-on is aptly named because it produces a rolled edge that seamlessly unites both sides of the knitted fabric. (Most cast-on methods produce a hard edge with a different appearance on both sides.) The tubular cast-on method is particularly well-suited for ribbing (in this case, 2-by-2 ribbing) because the combination of knitting and slipping the stitches over two rows results in a rib-like pattern.

But back to those colors. This hat provides the perfect opportunity to use up all those partial skeins of different colors that we all have in our stashes. You know the skeins I mean—those that you can’t bring yourself to throw out and yet there isn’t enough of any one color to knit even a pair of mittens (and you’re not that into multicolor stripes).

Pattern Details

DESIGNER Paula Pereira

DIFFICULTY Easy

FINISHED SIZE 19 (20¾)” head circumference and 12″ tall. Hat shown measures 19″.

YARN Kelbourne Woolens Andorra (60% merino wool, 20% highland wool,?20% mohair; 185 yd [169 m]/1¾ oz [50 g]): #057 cloud gray (MC), #105 snow white (A), and #516 lavender (B), 1 skein each.

NEEDLES Sizes 6 (4 mm), 4 (3.5 mm), and 2½ (3 mm): 16″ circular (cir). Size 4 (3.5 mm): set of double-pointed (dpn). Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain the correct gauge.

NOTIONS Marker (m); cable needle (cn); tapestry needle; waste yarn for provisional CO; size G/6 (4 mm) crochet hook.

GAUGE 37 sts and 33 rnds = 4″ in cable patt on middle-size needle.

Well, wait no more—the Lavender Sprig Hat is the project you’ve been waiting for!