Stripes and Strands Hat Pattern (and One More Hat to Look At)

Behold my “Stripes and Strands” hat, knit from two skeins of sock yarn, one solid, one self-striping. This hat was inspired by my first foray into stranded knitting, the Semi-Norwegian Oak Leaf Hat (see below). I wanted to try a) mixing stranded and plain knitting and b) using a self-striping yarn as both “background” and “featured yarn” in the same project. The hat has a solid navy background with two bands of stranded work and a central band of the self-striping yarn in a simple knit stitch.

I’m including the pattern here, along with some of my thoughts about possible variations. I’d love to hear from you and to see the results if you try this pattern.

Stripes and Strands Hat

Yarn: One skein each of a solid and a self-striping sock yarn (a single-sock sized skein in each color will be more than sufficient). I used KnitPicks Essential in navy for the solid and Plymoth Sockotta in color 507 (45% cotton, 40% wool, 15% nylon) for the stripes. You can also, of course, use two solid color yarns—or, heck, two self-striping yarns if you really want to live dangerously.
Needles: 16″ circulars and double points in U.S. size 2.
Other Necessities: stitch marker, yarn needle.
(Note that I’ve used a paragraph break at each spot where you will be changing yarns.)

Using the solid color yarn, cast on 128 stitches, place marker, and close circle.
Work 6 rounds of K1, P1 rib.
Work one round K.

Switch to self-striping yarn and K one round.

Switch to solid yarn and K two rounds.

Switch to self-striping yarn and K one round.

Using Chart A, work eight repeats of pattern stitch in stranded knitting, being careful to always pass yarn changes under the previous yarn and to stretch the work as you knit to keep tension loose.

Switch to self-striping yarn and K one round.

Switch to solid yarn and K two rounds.

Switch to self-striping yarn and K until piece measures 4.75 inches.

Switch to solid yarn and K two rounds.

Switch to self-striping yarn and K one round.

Using Chart B, work sixteen repeats of pattern stitch in stranded knitting, being careful to always pass yarn changes under the previous yarn and to stretch the work as you knit to keep tension loose.

Switch to self-striping yarn and K one round.

Switch to solid yarn and K two rounds.

Switch to self-striping yarn and K one round.

Switch to solid yarn and K one round.
Work decreases as follows, continuing to use solid yarn and switching to double-points when necessary.
Round 1: K14, K2tog around.
All even numbered rounds:K around.
Round 3: K13, K2tog around.
Round 5: K12, K2tog around.
Continue working decreases in this way until
Round 27: K1, K2tog around.
Round 28: K2tog around.

Using yarn needle, run working thread through remaining stitches and remove these from needles. Weave ends in on wrong side of hat.

Thoughts and Variations
I was a bit disappointed that my stranded knitting design didn’t “pop” as much as I would have liked it to. It does show up, but it’s subtle—something a knitter would appreciate, but that others might not notice. To emphasize the design, choose a solid-colored yarn in a dark/rich color that does not appear in your self-striping yarn: for example, black with pastels would be ideal or you might choose a deep blue with an orange and yellow self-striping yarn. If your self striping yarn comes in deep colors and does not include white, then white or cream would also work well for the solid-colored yarn. Or, skip the self-striping yarn altogether and use two solids.

You might also enjoy playing with the two charts, substituting different designs or even words. As long as you keep the same number of columns and rows, the hat proportions will remain the same. Just remember that with stranded knitting you don’t want long runs of a single color.

This is the hat that started it all, my “Semi-Norwegian” Oak Leaf Hat.

I’m still playing with both this pattern and the idea of Norwegian hats in general. My current mini-binge of washcloths is actually helping with this process because it’s giving me lots of opportunities to play with different combinations of variegated and solid yarns.

And then there are slip stitches and mosaic knitting. And socks—I musn’t forget about socks. The possibilities are deliciously endless!