Beautifully Basic Hat

The Beautifully Basic Hat evolved from a need for an easy project that could use any single skein of yarn in any weight. Upstate New York is full of fiber festivals, and it’s common to come home with unique skeins of handspun or hand-dyed yarn that can never be found again. This straightforward pattern lets you choose a size, find your gauge, and cast right on. Knit it as-is, or be adventurous and add in a textured or lace panel. Think of this pattern as a basic recipe to which you can add your own flair. The possibilities are endless!

Choose a needle size that gives you the fabric you want - smaller needles will give you a denser, tighter fabric, while larger needles will give you a looser, drapier fabric.

Sizing: Finished circumference: 12 (14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24)”/ 30 (35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60)cm.
The standard recommendation is to choose a size that will give you 1-2”/2.5-5cm of negative ease, so the hat fits snugly. For example, if your head is 22”/55 cm around, you should knit a size 20”/50cm. However, if you want a looser fit, perhaps to protect your hairstyle from flattening on your way to work, knit your actual size. The sizes included in the pattern are typical of preemie (newborn, baby, toddler, child/teenager, adult, large adult).

Needles: A 16”/40cm circular works for most sizes, along with a set of DPN’s to close the top. (The 2 smallest hat sizes will need a 12”/30cm circular instead, or DPNs or a long circular for magic loop.) The ribbing should be worked with a needle one size smaller than the gauge needles.

Gauge: varies between 8 and 36 stitches = 4”/10cm in Stockinette stitch, depending on yarn weight.

Notions: 1 stitch marker, tapestry needle.

This listing is for the knitting pattern only.