August Hat

What’s better than a free hat pattern? 12 free hat patterns, of course! This year we’re releasing a new, free hat design on the 3rd Tuesday of each month made in Germantown. We love hats—we love designing them, we love wearing them, we love giving them to our friends and family, but we also love our friends design hats, too! Fortunately, we know many talented designers, so for the second half of our Year of Hats series we’ve invited a few of our friends to share the hat love! Meet the August Hat, a lovely, Latvian-inspired beauty by Sarah Solomon. This is the first stranded color work hat of the series, but she kept it simple, interesting, and fun using 2 colors of Germantown, a sweet motif, and Latvian braids. **Worthy of Note** The August Hat is worked in the round from the bottom up. The pattern begins with a brim featuring a two-Color Latvian Braid and botanical–inspired colorwork section. The crown is worked in a diminishing leaf pattern. The Body Chart and Crown Chart are charted using the MC and CC as shown. This pattern also includes a set of charts using a symbol in place of the MC. If your colors differ, you may elect to color in the symbol chart based on the colors you are using. **Specifications YARN** Kelbourne Woolens Germantown (100% N. American wool; 220 yds/100 gm skein): myrtle 319 (MC), jade 338 (CC), 1 skein each. **GAUGE** 21 sts and 24 rnds = 4” (10 cm) in stranded colorwork on larger needles, after blocking. **NEEDLES** 1 – 16” (40 cm) US 5 (3.75 mm) circular. 1 – 16” (40 cm) US 7 (4.5 mm) circular. 1 – set US 7 (4.5 mm) DPNs. *Check your gauge and adjust needle size(s) accordingly if necessary.* **NOTIONS** Darning needle, stitch marker, Kelbourne Woolens label, sewing thread, sharp sewing needle. **SIZE** 21.25” (54 cm) circumference, 8.5” (21.5 cm) height. **SKILLS** Knitting, purling, colorwork patterns from charts, Latvian Braid. Images: Linette Kielinski