Cable-Stayed Beanie

This hat is worked side to side and seamed, then the crown is closed with spiraling rounds of slip stitch decreases. An edge trim is added to the bottom of the beanie in joined, turned rounds. The body stitch pattern is worked in short rows, creating strips of lozenge shapes, separated by a divider with complementary textures. As the stitch pattern is somewhat on the bias and there is a bit of ribbing between each of the pattern columns, this hat is very stretchy and will fit many different head sizes. Easy to adjust for more or less hat height, which is the key dimension for a good fit. Not really a beginner pattern, but not at all difficult. Interesting stitches used include slip stitch, yarn over slip stitch, inverse slip stitch, and purled stitches in the edge trim. Hat actually works up quite quickly once you understand the construction. The texture of this stitch pattern reminds me of cable-stayed bridges, one of my favorites being the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge in Boston. One of my favorite Mother's Day celebrations was spent standing in line, in the rain, with my family to walk on the bridge while it was still under construction. We were studying bridge engineering using K'Nex in a homeschool group at the time--what a day! This charity hat pattern was developed specifically for the “Hats for Sailors” group. If you download this pattern, please make at least one hat as a gift for your favorite charity or special loved one in “payment” for my design. I hope you enjoy the project! I would be delighted to see the hat(s) you’ve made from these patterns, and please share any feedback or corrections you might have to the pattern.