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Brioche Meow : A super beginner-friendly two-color brioche hat with cat ears, knit completely in the round, and sized for the family.

Another Beginner Brioche pattern for you! This was inspired by my Brioche It! Cowl pattern, but I wanted to design a hat instead. There is no shaping here, just working in the round and then seaming the top to create adorable cat ears. My goal is to create a lot of different beginner brioche patterns so you have options and to take away the fear surrounding brioche!

Yarn Notes:
If this is your very first time knitting two-color brioche, I highly recommend using solid, semi-solid or tonal yarns for both MC and CC, and choosing yarns with very high contrast. If you would like to substitute yarn, please note that yardage / meterage amounts may differ. I used half of 2 100g skeins of DK, which will work for all sizes except size 5, for which you will need 2 100g skeins of DK weight.

Yarn Love:
I used Fangirl Fibers hat kit in Derpy Tiger / Sussy Magpie hat kit for my sample.

See the last photos here of the yarn I used for my sample in skein form, as well as the cute Derpy Tiger hat tag!

Skill level:
Beginner brioche friendly!! Two-color brioche knit in the round is a fantastic way to learn this fascinating technique.

Included with the pattern is an extensive photo tutorial teaching all the brioche techniques.

Techniques used:
Twisted German Cast On, knit, purl, brioche knit (brk), sl1yo, brioche purl (brp), knitting in the round, Three Needle Bind Off or seaming

Video Tutorials:
Twisted German Cast On: http://bit.ly/TwistedGermanCO
Three-Needle Bind Off with Brioche: https://bit.ly/3NeedleBOBrioche.
Weaving ends in brioche: https://bit.ly/WeavingEndsBrioche
Mattress Stitch with Brioche: https://bit.ly/MattressStitchBrioche

Construction Notes:
Brioche MEOW….Brioche Me NOW!!! Get it? With the cat ears? This hat is knit in the round, starting with a one-color super stretchy cast on. Knitting two-color brioche in the round is a fantastic way to learn this technique because you are only ever doing one thing depending on the yarn you’re using. For instance, when working with your Main Color yarn, you’ll work a “brioche knit” round. When working with your Contrast Color yarn, you’ll work a “brioche purl” round. You will continue working two-color brioche in the round until you reach the length as written, or your desired length. The hat is then seamed together at the top. Two methods of seaming are included in the instructions: Three-Needle BO, and traditional seaming using the Mattress Stitch. This is what gives the “cat ear” effect for the crown.

This hat is so easy to wear and is sized for most head sizes! Brioche is very forgiving and will stretch a lot when worn.

I truly hope you enjoy brioche knitting!

» Sizes: 1 (2, 3) (4, 5)
To fit head circumference: 16 (18, 20) (22, 24)’’ / 40.5 (45.5, 51) (56, 61) cm

» Finished unstretched circumference:
14 (16, 18) (20, 22)’’ / 35.5 (40.5, 45.5) (50, 55) cm; meant to be worn with 1 - 3’’ / 2.5 - 5 cm of negative ease & 6.5 (7.5, 8) (9, 10.5)’’ / 16.5 (19, 20) (23, 26.5) cm long

Shown in Size 3 on model with 22’’ / 96.5 cm head with 3’’ / 7.5 cm of negative ease.

» Gauge:
17 sts x 24 rounds = 4’’ / 10 cm; measured in even two-color brioche rib stitch knit in the round (taken after blocking).

MATERIALS:

» Yarn: DK weight
MC: 58 (76, 91) (114, 146) yds / 53 (69, 83) (104, 133) m
CC: 61 (81, 97) (121, 155) yds / 56 (74, 89) (111, 142) m

» Shown in: Fangirl Fibers 100% Superwash Merino DK (100% SW Merino wool; 246 yds / 225 m per 100 g)
MC: 1 half skein in Derpy Tiger (blue variegated)
CC: 1 half skein in Sussy Magpie (dark gray)

» Needles:
16’’ / 40.5 cm US 5 / 3.75 mm circular needles, or US 5 / 3.75 mm DPN’s, whichever method you prefer for knitting in the round. I highly recommend using circular needles for the best knitting experience.

Adjust the needle size as needed to achieve the proper gauge.

» Tools:
Stitch marker for noting beginning of round, row counter or your preferred method for tracking your knitting, 1 additional gauge needle or DPN for Three Needle Bind Off, tapestry needle

» Credits:
Many thanks to Emily at Fangirl Fibers for the gorgeous yarn and inspiration, as well as testing this new pattern!! Thank you to my tech editor Chaitanya Muralidhara (@beginswithac) for all her help in editing my pattern!! Also a HUGE thanks to my Patrons and test knitters, be sure to check out their projects for some color inspiration!!