Two-Color Brioche Hat

To find out how this hat came to be, click here.

This is a fun hat: it’s relatively easy to make and it looks great. If you’ve never knitted anything in the round – no fear. It’s not that different from regular back and forth knitting except that you use 5 needles instead of 2. The greatest thing is that after you knit your last stitch you will end up with a ready to wear hat, no sewing required. I loved making this hat and will probably make many more hats in the round from now on.

Yarn and Needles

For this hat I used dark blue and off-white color yarns, but you’re welcome to use any 2 colors that look good together. I was going for something contrasting(but also was using up the leftover yarn from other knitting projects). You will need:

• 1 skein (100 g) each of dark and light (or any 2 colors) sport weight yarn
• 2 regular needles size US 2
• 5 double-pointed needles (I prefer metal ones) size US 2

Note: You will only use a part of each skein, so you have enough yarn to make 2 or 3 hats.

Pattern

There is only one basic pattern you will need for this hat – the brioche stitch in the round:

• Round 1 (light yarn): *sl 1, yo, p2tog (the previous row’s sl stitch and yo)*; repeat from * to * to the end
• Round 2 (dark yarn): *k2tog (the previous row’s sl stitch and yo), sl 1, yo*; repeat from * to * to the end

Gauge

16 stitches x 46 rounds = 10 x 10 cm (4 x 4 inches)
The measurements provided will make a hat that fits a 59-61 cm (23-24 inch) head

Process

Cast on 96 stitches (always use an even number of stitches for this pattern, and it’s advisable that you use the number of stitches divisible by 8 so that you have the same even number of stitches on each of the 4 needles) on the regular needles using two-strand tubular cast-on. Move the stitches to 4 double-pointed needles, 24 stitches per needle. To join the beginning and the end stitches, simply knit the first stitch of the next row with the strand of yarn hanging off of the last stitch of the first row.

Set-up round (dark yarn): *k1, sl 1, yo*; repeat from * to * to the end
Repeat rounds 1 and 2 of the pattern until the hat measures 23 cm (9 inches), finishing with round 1.

Start shaping the crown of the hat:

• Crown round 1 (dark yarn): *[k2tog, sl 1, yo] repeat 4 times, k2tog, k3tog (the next sl stitch, yo, and the following stitch – knit all 3 stitches through the front of their loops, starting with the 3rd one), sl 1, yo, k3tog (slide the next sl stitch and its yo and return them on the left needle turning them around, knit 3 stitches through the back of their loops starting with the 1st one), [k2tog, sl 1, yo] repeat 4 times*; repeat from * to * on the next 3 needles.
• Crown round 2 (light yarn): work as described in round 1 of the pattern. When you come to 2 dark stitches next to each other, do this: sl 2, yo (make one yo for these 2 stitches).
• Crown round 3 (dark yarn): work as described in round 2 of the pattern. When you come to the 2 dark stitches and their 1 yo, do this: k2tog (the first dark stitch and yo), k1 (the second dark stitch).
• Crown round 4 (light yarn): repeat crown round 2.
• Crown round 5 (dark yarn): *[k2tog, sl 1, yo] repeat 4 times, k3tog (the next sl stitch, yo, and the following stitch – knit all 3 stitches through the front of their loops, starting with the 3rd one), sl 1, yo, k3tog (slide the next 3 stitches and return them on the needle starting with yo and turning them around, knit through the back of their loops), [k2tog, sl 1, yo] repeat 4 times*; repeat from * to * on the next 3 needles.
• Crown round 6 (light yarn): work as described in round 1 of the pattern.
• Crown round 7 (dark yarn): work as described in round 2 of the pattern.
• Crown round 8 (light yarn): work as described in round 1 of the pattern.
• Crown round 9 (dark yarn): *[k2tog, sl 1, yo] repeat 3 times, k2tog, k3tog (as in Crown round 1), sl 1, yo, k3tog (as in Crown round 1), [k2tog, sl 1, yo] repeat 3 times*; repeat from * to * on the next 3 needles.
• Crown round 10 (light yarn): repeat crown round 2.
• Crown round 11 (dark yarn): repeat crown round 3.
• Crown round 12 (light yarn): repeat crown round 2.
• Crown round 13 (dark yarn): *[k2tog, sl 1, yo] repeat 3 times, k3tog (as in Crown round 5), sl 1, yo, k3tog (as in Crown round 5), [k2tog, sl 1, yo] repeat 3 times*; repeat from * to * on the next 3 needles.
• Crown round 14 (light yarn): work as described in round 1 of the pattern.
• Crown round 15 (dark yarn): work as described in round 2 of the pattern.
• Crown round 16 (light yarn): work as described in round 1 of the pattern.
• Crown round 17 (dark yarn): *[k2tog, sl 1, yo] repeat 2 times, k2tog, k3tog (as in Crown round 1), sl 1, yo, k3tog (as in Crown round 1), [k2tog, sl 1, yo] repeat 2 times*; repeat from * to * on the next 3 needles.
• Crown round 18 (light yarn): repeat crown round 2.
• Crown round 19 (dark yarn): repeat crown round 3.
• Crown round 20 (light yarn): repeat crown round 2.
• Crown round 21 (dark yarn): *[k2tog, sl 1, yo] repeat 3 times, k3tog (as in Crown round 5), sl 1, yo, k3tog (as in Crown round 5), [k2tog, sl 1, yo] repeat 2 times*; repeat from * to * on the next 3 needles.
• Crown round 22 (light yarn): work as described in round 1 of the pattern.
• Crown round 23 (dark yarn): work as described in round 2 of the pattern.
• Crown round 24 (light yarn): work as described in round 1 of the pattern.
• Crown round 25 (dark yarn): *k2tog, sl 1, yo, k2tog, k3tog (as in Crown round 1), sl 1, yo, k3tog (as in Crown round 1), k2tog, sl 1, yo*; repeat from * to * on the next 3 needles.
• Crown round 26 (light yarn): repeat crown round 2.
• Crown round 27 (dark yarn): repeat crown round 3.
• Crown round 28 (light yarn): repeat crown round 2.
• Crown round 29 (dark yarn): *k2tog, sl 1, yo, k3tog (as in Crown round 5), sl 1, yo, k3tog (as in Crown round 5), k2tog, sl 1, yo*; repeat from * to * on the next 3 needles.
• Crown round 30 (light yarn): work as described in round 1 of the pattern.
• Crown round 31 (dark yarn): work as described in round 2 of the pattern.
• Crown round 32 (light yarn): work as described in round 1 of the pattern.
• Crown round 33 (dark yarn): *k2tog, k3tog (as in Crown round 1), sl 1, yo, k3tog (as in Crown round 1), k2tog, sl 1, yo*; repeat from * to * on the next 3 needles.
• Crown round 34 (light yarn): *sl 2, yo, p2tog, sl 2, yo p2tog*; repeat from * to * on the next 3 needles.
• Crown round 35 (dark yarn): *k3tog, (as in Crown round 5), sl 1, yo, k3tog (as in Crown round 5), sl 1, yo*; repeat from * to * on the next 3 needles.
• Crown round 36 (light yarn): *sl 1, yo, p2tog, sl 1, yo p2tog*; repeat from * to * on the next 3 needles.
• Crown round 37 (dark yarn): *k3tog,k3tog (as in Crown round 1)*; repeat from * to * on the next 3 needles.

You will now have 8 stitches left (2 on each needle). Break both yarns and draw the ends through the 8 stitches starting with the beginning needle. Pull the ends inside through the little hole at the very top of the hat and secure them. Weave in the ends of the yarns from the cast-on row.

Finishing the hat

Fold the bottom 5 cm (2 inches) of the hat to make a cuffed brim and stitch the top of the brim to the hat so it doesn’t unfold.