The Heartskull Hat

You will need:

Isn’t this sparkly yarn awesome?!

• US size 7 circular needles, 16″
• Set of US size 7 DPNs
• Stitch marker
• Yarn guide (optional, but super helpful for colorwork knitting)
• Yarn needle (for weaving in ends)
• Light worsted or DK weight yarn of your choice in at least 2 colors. The adult hat pictured was knitted with Red Heart Shimmer Yarn in Hot Pink, Black, and Ivory. The toddler hat pictured was knitted with KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Worsted Yarn in Cobblestone Heather, Frozen, and Teacup (sadly, I think these last two colors have been discontinued, but Dove Heather and Blossom Heather would be good substitutes).

Gauge and sizing:

• My gauge on both hats is 22 stitches in 4″,  or 5.5 stitches per inch.
• Finished adult hat measured flat: 10″ wide, 8″ tall.
• Finished toddler hat measured flat: 8.5″ wide, 6.5″ tall.
• Adult hat will fit most adult heads. My foam model has a head circumference of 22″, but I’ve found that this design fits comfortably on heads up to 24″. You can make your hat smaller by going down a needle size or two and perhaps switching to a different weight of yarn (for example: using sport or DK weight yarn with US size 5-6 needles) or larger by going up a needle size and using worsted weight yarn. You can also knit fewer rows of ribbing for the brim to get a shorter hat, or more rows for a longer hat.
• Toddler hat will fit a 16″-18″ head circumference, which covers the 6 months to toddler age range. I didn’t have a real life kiddo handy when I was taking pictures, so I used Lisa, my favorite doll from childhood. She is an accurate representation of a 6 month-old baby, for reference. It’s a wee bit large on her, but of course, real babies will grow into it.

Pattern notes:

Keep your floats nice and short!

• When instructions differ for size, toddler size is written first followed by adult size in parentheses.
• When working from a colorwork chart while knitting in the round, always read the chart from right to left for each round.
• Avoid long floats by “catching” the yarn when knitting more than 5 stitches in the same color. I try to minimize the need for it when I’m designing, so there are only 4 rounds out of 18 where catching floats is necessary in this pattern.

Abbreviations used:

• co: cast on
• cc: contrasting color (design color)
• k: knit
• k1p1: knit one stitch, purl one stitch
• k2p2: knit two stitches, purl two stitches
• k2tg: knit two stitches together
• mc: main color (background color)
• rnd(s): round(s)
• st(s): stitch(es)

Start here:

1. co 90 (108) sts using your preferred method; place stitch marker to mark beginning of rnd; join to k in the rnd
2. k1p1 for 6 rnds (k2p2 for 13 rnds)
3. With mc, k 1 rnd (k 2 rnds)
4. Join cc to begin colorwork; repeat chart 5 times (6 times) each rnd until complete

Toddler hat decreasing: 
(switch to dpns when sts become too tight on circular needles)

1. With mc, k 1 rnd
2. k8, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (81 sts remain)
3. k to end of rnd
4. k7, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (72 sts remain)
5. k to end of rnd
6. k6, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (63 sts remain)
7. k to end of rnd
8. k5, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (54 sts remain)
9. k to end of rnd
10. k4, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (45 sts remain)
11. k to end of rnd
12. k3, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (36 sts remain)
13. k to end of rnd
14. k2, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (27 sts remain)
15. k to end of rnd
16. k1, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (18 sts remain)
17. k to end of rnd
18. k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (9 sts remain). Scroll to finishing section to continue.

Adult hat decreasing: 
(switch to dpns when sts become too tight on circular needles)

1. With mc, k 2 rnds
2. k10, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (99 sts remain)
3. k to end of rnd
4. k9, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (90 sts remain)
5. k to end of rnd
6. k8, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (81 sts remain)
7. k to end of rnd
8. k7, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (72 sts remain)
9. k to end of rnd
10. k6, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (63 sts remain)
11. k to end of rnd
12. k5, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (54 sts remain)
13. k to end of rnd
14. k4, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (45 sts remain)
15. k to end of rnd
16. k3, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (36 sts remain)
17. k to end of rnd
18. k2, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (27 sts remain)
19. k to end of rnd
20. k1, k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (18 sts remain)
21. k to end of rnd
22. k2tg; repeat to end of rnd (9 sts remain)

Finishing:
Cut yarn, use yarn needle to thread tail through remaining 9 stitches and pull tightly to close. Weave in ends. Block and add pompom if desired.