Knit a Fun Hat with Tons of Colorful Brioche

We have established that I’m trying to bring more whimsy into the world with my work and my life and the things that I share here. I know not everyone goes for the wild or offbeat designs, but I hope you can still appreciate the beauty and craft that goes into them, even if it’s not something you’d ever knit yourself.

Example: the BriocheCrown Hat form Raina K. The sample hat is bright and looks pretty wild and tall and has a pompom. It also looks like a lot of fun, even if it’s maybe not something you would knit for yourself. And maybe I’ve just introduced you to your new favorite hat; who can say?

The hat uses two-color brioche and is worked in the the round from the bottom up. It uses DK weight yarn and can be made with or without stripes, so you can use as few as two or as many colors as you like. The projects section on Ravelry can show you lots of different versions with more or less striking color changes.

The bottom edge is zig-zaggy and meant to be folded up into a brim, and thanks to the stitch pattern the hat is reversible. The pattern includes two versions but the pattern notes don’t really indicate what the difference is. The hat fits an average adult and you can make it longer or shorter depending on how you feel about brims and/or slouchiness.

The designer says the pattern is suited for an adventurous beginner, and once you get the hang of brioche knitting it’s not any harder than regular ribbing (and working with two colors actually makes it easier to see what’s going on). Increasing and decreasing can be a little tricky, but practice your skills on a swatch if you haven’t done these things before and you’ll be ready to go in no time.

You can grab the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Raina K]

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As I’m writing this the United States is about to celebrate a pretty big birthday, and while some of us have complicated feelings about that country right now, I think most of us would agree both that it’s a place worth fighting for and that it’s a good time to remember what got us into this nation in the first place. With that in mind, let’s take a look at some patriotic knitting patterns.

I thought there might be more knitting patterns produced specific to America’s big celebration this year, but I only found one (so far, there are probably more as you read this). The Semiquincentennial Scarf by Kristen Rettig is a bias knit scarf using DK weight yarn. It has one solid blue side and one red and white striped side. The pattern is available for free on Ravelry.

Sara’s Patriotic Shawl by Mitsziko is another great project for the Fourth of July or whenever else you want to show some patriotic pride. This one has a wide lace border, stripes and a blue section that includes white bobbles to imply stars. It’s worked in DK weight yarn. You can find this one on Ravelry.

If there were prizes for the punniest pattern names, Stars & Socks Forever from Katie Franceschi would definitely win something. These socks feature stripes on the body and stars at the top of the leg and the toe, as well as on the heel. The pattern comes in three widths and you can knit to your desired length. This pattern uses a chart for the stars and you can find it on Ravelry.

This little patriotic doll from Nadia Perepelitsa is styled like a boy, but you could give it longer hair if you like. It uses fingering weight yarn and is worked on two straight needles in such a way that you’ll only have to sew side seams when it’s done. So cute! You can find it on Ravelry.

This American flag sweater knitting pattern from SC Pattern is giving big Ralph Lauren vibes. It’s a drop shoulder crewneck with unisex styling that comes in five sizes. The flag is worked in intarsia, so the pieces are worked flat and seamed.

The Patriotic Tam from Judy Lamb is a little more subtle, though it does have red, white and blue colorwork, and a bunch of golden eagles around the base of the tam. It’s worked in worsted weight yarn from the bottom up and the colorwork is charted. This pattern is available on Ravelry.

If you’re looking for a big project to work for the fourth that you can use all summer every summer and you’ll want to, because it’s a big project) check out the American flag blanket pattern from Dr. Josie’s Joys. This is a vintage pattern, so the yarn doesn’t exist anymore, but it would still be lots of sun to make. It is worked with the stripes and block of blue, and the stars are added with duplicate stitch.

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