Kistikan
a hat inspired by a beautiful,
hand-beaded Cree hood.
My most recent designs have been little “trips around the world” finding ethnic designs to pull into hats. This one brings me back home to America. Research brings knowledge of so many Native American tribes and so many rich sources of color, shape and history. I am not of Native American descent, so I find that each tribe’s art contains much more beauty than I can ever turn into designs. Kistikan, a Cree word meaning “garden”, is inspired by a very old, hand-beaded Cree woman’s ornamental hood. This hat turns stylized flowers & vines into a piece of art. A pop of red & white braid before a garden of vines in deep red and a warm, pinky red give a tone-on-tone fabric that is both warm and vibrant. Each size vine graph is slightly different to accommodate the all-over design. This one is topped by a matching covered button, but a pom pom, tassel or fairy pull work as well. Knit in the round in 4 sizes, Newborn, Infant, Child and Adult.

Google ‘kate davies covered button tutorial’ for a great pictorial guide to making a covered button.

Copyright 2014 by Lisa McFetridge

This is a great tone-on-tone hat, be sure chosen yarns have proper contrast so design shows up well against the background. I purposely chose Superwash for the MC and Regular Cascade 220 for CC1 because the 220 is a tad heavier and I felt it made the tone-on-tone pop a bit more but the knitter can choose both Superwash or both 220.

70 (80, 90, 100) yds / 64 (73, 82, 91.5) m MC - Cascade 220 Superwash Ruby
50 (55, 65, 70) yds / 46 (51, 60, 64) m CC1 - Cascade 220 Coral or Rouge Red
10 (10, 12, 12) yds / 9 ( 9, 11, 11) m CC2 - White

US SIze 7/ 4.5 mm 16 or 24 in circular & DP needles or size needed to obtain gauge
US SIze 6/ 4 mm 16 or 24 in circular & DP needles or one size smaller than above

Seam or Darning Needle
Stitch Marker
Size G crochet hook (optional, used if topping with fairy pull)

Finished Measurements (approximate):
14 (17, 19, 21) in / 35.5 (43, 48.25, 53,5) cm circumference just above braid
7 ( 7.5, 8.5, 9) in / 17.75 (19, 21.5, 22.5) cm height

Gauge: 20 sts x 25 rows = 4 in /10 cm in stranded stockinette st, blocked.

Rows per inch is important in this hat.
If getting too FEW rows per inch, begin the VINES Chart on Row 5 or higher to make up for gauge difference.
If getting too MANY rows per inch, add a second Box Braid by working Rnds 1 - 7 as directed, then repeating Rnds 2 - 7, continuing on with Rnd 8 as instructed after second braid is finished.