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]

Next Pattern:

Adding eyelets to a project is a great way to make it more wearable in the summer, and these mesh and eyelet sweater patterns are perfect for summer (and beyond!) for layering.

The Inez Summer Sweater from Happy Love Co combines eyelets and dropped stitches (along with some garter and stockinette) to make a casual and fun summer sweater. The pattern is one size (56 inches or 142.24 cm) around, and is meant to be worn oversized. But it’s an easy enough pattern you could alter it to suit you without too much difficulty. It calls for worsted weight cotton yarn.

Another fun project using dropped stitches in the Stella Blouse from Thelma Steimann. It calls for a fingering weight silk yarn and is worked on larger than expected needles and also uses dropped stitches. The pattern includes eight sizes, with a bust circumference ranging from 33.5 to 51.5 inches, or 85-131 cm. You can grab a copy on Ravelry.

The Design Studio Knits has a nice summer cotton tee that uses worsted weight yarn worked on larger needles so it has a mesh effect while still being worked in stockinette stitch. It’s worked in one piece and is another one size pattern, meant to fit an actual chest measurement ranging from 34 to 46 inches (that’s 86 to 117 cm).

A similar look with a cropped shape and four available sizes comes from A Box of Twine. This one is a DK weight yarn knit on large needles and still has an oversized look (for instance the size small is 42 inches/106.68 cm at the bust). It’s worked flat so this is a great one for beginners.

If you want something a little more structured, try the Pip Cardigan from Yoko Johnston. This sport weight cardigan has an allover eyelet pattern and options to close with a zipper or buttons. It’s worked from the top down and has six size options. This one is also oversized, with finished measurements ranging from 51.5 to 64.5 inches, or 131 to 164 cm). You can find this one on Ravelry.

Or check out Endlessly by Amy Gunderson, a free pattern from Knitty. This pullover uses a cable and lace pattern that is easy to knit and to wear. It uses DK weight yarn and has nine size options. The chest measurement ranges from 34.75 to 66.75 inches, or 88.5 to 169.5 cm, and is meant to be worn with a little positive ease.

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