This pattern is for any weight yarn! Work at any gauge (no swatch necessary) to make a custom fit hat by working the modular sideways brim first.

This hat is part of the leethal Short Stripes Trio - 3 different accessory patterns which each feature short rows and stripes! Robin the shawl, Maurice the cowl, and Barry the hat (this pattern) all play with stripes and short rows in different ways, and are all fun and unique designs with lots of variations. (Each single pattern is $6; the whole trio is $12.)

This pattern is for a hat which can be made in a wide variety of styles - it’s custom fit to any head size, and for any gauge, so you can pick any weight yarn, and you can choose how to stripe with 2 or more different colors.

The standard pattern can be made with or without buttons, and is somewhat tall, for a slouchy shape, in stockinette stitch with purl bump stripes.

Optional variations are included to make it shorter for a non-slouchy style, and to make it all garter stitch if you prefer. All these options mean you can use the same pattern to make all kinds of different hats!

The construction is made with short rows and increases+decreases, no picked up stitches or seaming (unless you choose the seamed version instead of the buttoning version, then there’s the one seam). Everything is explained in detail, with some process photos to help guide you - it may be more complex than your average hat pattern, but if you follow all steps as written and trust the pattern, it’s not hard!

The 8 page pattern includes lots of photos, to show the different versions, style options, etc, plus process photos to show the unique construction, and technique tutorials.

You need

• your choice of yarn in any weight, in 2 or more colors - estimates are for standard adult size hats
• -- bulky: 80-120 yards / 70-110 meters total
• -- worsted: 100-150 yards / 90-140 meters total
• -- sport: 180-230 yards / 165-210 meters total
• -- fingering: 200-260 yards / 180-240 meters total
• -- if using the same yarns as main color (MC) and contrasting color (CC) throughout, you’ll need approx 85% of the yardage in MC yarn, 15% in CC
• -- if switching which is MC/CC after section 1, you’ll need a bit more than half the total yardage in the yarn which starts as CC and becomes MC in body/crown, just under half in the other yarn
• -- note: blocking is important with this hat, to smooth out the section joins, so fiber content that blocks well is recommended (wool, other animal fibers)
• needles sized to match yarn
• -- a long circular (24 inches / 60 cm or longer) is recommended to measure first section for sizing - either use just the one long circular, working crown using magic loop method, or use double pointed needles for section 3 in the round if you prefer
• 4 stitch markers (3 the same color/type, 1 different)
• for buttoning version: buttons (amount and size needed will vary depending on gauge)
• a yarn needle

The samples:

• Yellow and green: Anzula For Better or Worsted (MC is Curry, CC is Pesto) - 144 yards / 132 meters total; approx 122yds/112m MC, 22yds/20m CC (same MC/CC throughout).
• Tweed and self-striping blues: Berroco Blackstone Tweed (color 2602, worsted) and Classic Elite Yarns Liberty Wool (color 7806, light worsted) - 128 yards / 117 meters total; approx 62yds/57m tweed, 66yds/60m blues (MC/CC switch).
• Red and blue-grey garter stitch variation: Alpaca with a Twist Baby Twist DK weight (colors 3008 and 1004) - 172 yards / 157 meters total; approx 90yds/82m red, 82yds/75m blue (MC/CC switch).
• Grey and red shorter height variation: Brown Sheep Burly Spun super bulky (Grey Heather) and handspun - 60 yards / 55 meters total; approx 43yds/39m MC, 17yds/16m CC (same MC/CC throughout, with extra CC used in crown).

Gauge
This pattern is for any gauge, any weight yarn. Use needles sized to work well with your yarn; no need to make a gauge swatch before starting. If you’d like an extra drapey fabric to give your slouchy hat extra slouch, you may want to use a needle size larger than the standard; for a warmer hat, use a size smaller.

While any weight (fingering to bulky) will work nicely with the standard version, the garter stitch variation will turn out best with weights finer than worsted. This is because of the slouchy shape - if you’d like to use a chunky yarn in all garter stitch, it should turn out well with the make it shorter mods for a fitted style.

Sizing
You’ll make your size by choosing when to stop section 1 - this section is worked sideways, so when you stop, you’ll have the complete bottom edge of your hat. If knitting for yourself, sizing is easy, as you can just try it on around your head and know when you have the perfect fit. If gift knitting, either use your own head as a guideline, or measure the bottom edge and use the measurements given in the pattern for standard adult small{medium, large} sizes.

Colors
The whole pattern is written for MC (main color) and CC (contrasting color) - MC is always the stockinette stitch background, CC is always the stripes.

You can choose to use the same MC and CC yarns throughout the entire pattern (like the yellow sample), or you can switch labels for which is which when you start section 2. In the red and blue-grey hat, blue was called MC in the first section, red CC, and then when beginning section 2, the names were flipped and red became MC, blue CC, for the remainder of the hat.

You can also use more than two colors if you’d like, changing to completely different yarns when beginning section 2, or just changing MC or CC and keeping the other the same. The only thing recommended is that you use the same MC yarn for section 2 and section 3 (crown). You can even change CC yarns all throughout the hat (mid-section) whenever you want to, to bust through some leftover scraps!