Wild Iris Hat
THIS DESIGN CAME TO LIFE outside of Lander, Wyoming, in an area called Wild Iris, which lies within the ancestral lands of the Crow people. Wild Iris is one of my favorite high-elevation, summer climbing destinations. Yes, even in the heat of July and August, I try to spend time in places where I can wear cozy knits—at least on the occasional evening!
For this design, I wanted to play with color, brioche, and modern shaping lines. The brim of this hat is knit in brioche, while the body is worked in traditional 1x1 ribbing. What’s great about this pattern is that you don’t have to work any shaping in brioche, making it very beginner friendly if you’re new to this technique! This hat also requires a very small amount of contrast yarn, so dive into your stash and pull out those remnant skeins of color-shifting or variegated yarn you’ve been saving for ages. This is the project they’ve been waiting for :)
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Design & Construction: The Wild Iris Hat is a beanie-style hat with a generous single-folded brim. It is worked bottom-up beginning with the brim, which is knit in brioche. The body of the hat is worked in 1x1 ribbing. This hat is intended to be worn with extra fabric at the crown for a slightly slouchy, modern fit.
Fit: This hat is designed to fit with approximately 15% negative ease (give or take). To pick the best size for you, measure your head circumference at the fullest point. Multiply this number by your preferred ease and then subtract the result from your head circumference. Make the size with a finished circumference closest to that number.
Stitch Patterns: Only the brim of this hat is worked in brioche, making this a very beginner-friendly brioche pattern! The body and crown decreases are worked in traditional single-strand 1x1 ribbing.
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SIZES
1 (2, 3, 4) sized to fit Youth/Adult Small (Adult Medium, Adult Large, Adult X-Large)FINISHED CIRCUMFERENCE
17.25 (19.25, 20.75, 22) in.
43 (48, 52, 55) cmThis hat is intended to be worn with 15 to 20% negative ease. The samples are pictured in Size 1 with 20% negative ease.
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YARN
Version A (blue) uses two yarns held together for the MC. Version B (black) uses one strand for the MC.Yarns Held Together (Version A, blue)
MC - Fingering Weight: 45 (55, 60, 65) g/ 195 (240, 265, 285) yds or 180 (220, 240, 260) m
MC - Lace Weight: 30 (35, 40, 45) g/ 195 (240, 265, 285) yds or 180 (220, 240, 260) m
CC - Sport Weight: 15 (15, 20, 20) g/ 60 (60, 80, 80) yds or 55 (55, 75, 75) mSingle Strand (Version B, black)
MC - DK Weight: 80 (100, 110, 115) g/ 195 (240, 265, 285) yds or 180 (220, 240, 260) m
CC - Sport Weight: 15 (15, 20, 20) g/ 60 (60, 80, 80) yds or 55 (55, 75, 75) mSUGGESTED YARN
Yarns Held Together (Version A, blue)
The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Confluence Cotton (57 g/250 yds (229 m)) – 80% Targhee/Rambouillet, 20% cotton
MC: 1 (1, 2, 2) skeins
The Farmer’s Daughter Fibers Oh Dang! (50 g/328 yds (300 m)) – 74% Suri alpaca, 26% silk
MC: 1 skein (all sizes)
Spincycle Yarns Nocturne (50 g/200 yds (183 m)) – 100% non-superwash American wool
CC: 1 skein (all sizes)The sample hat is knit in the colorways Ranch Romance (MC, both strands) and Dream On (CC).
Single Strand (Version B, black)
Ritual Dyes Marona (100 g/250 yds (229 m)) – 100% non- superwash Cormo
MC: 1 (1, 2, 2) skeins
Spincycle Yarns Dyed in the Wool (50 g/200 yds (183 m)) – 100% superwash American wool
CC: 1 skein (all sizes)The sample hat is knit in the colorways Obsidian (MC) and Deep Bump (CC).
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Needle A (brioche): US 4 (3.5 mm)
Needle B (ribbing): US 5 (3.75 mm)For your chosen needle size, you will need needles in your preferred style for smaller circumference knitting (i.e., magic loop, short circular needles, or double-pointed needles).
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Measure gauge in the round after blocking.
24 sts and 32 rows = 4 in. (10 cm) in 1x1 ribbing with Needle B
18 sts and 24 rows = 4 in. (10 cm) in 1x1 brioche with Needle A -
Two-color tubular cast-on, brioche knitting, knit and purl decreases