Kerry Conway of  Knit Comfort and Joy is inspired by all of the Fiber Arts Store vendors offering local, handspun, and hand-dyed yarns:

The sumptuous colors and textures of a good handspun yarn are very seductive. We’ve all ooh-ed and aah-ed and fondled it lovingly when we encounter it at our local yarn shop. But…we usually draw a blank when it comes to what to knit out of it. Some of us have even resorted to wearing the skein (as is) around our neck like a cowl.

Kerry has another solution…a hat pattern that celebrates the special artistry of handspun yarn! We think she’s knit at least one hat with yarn from every spinner, dyer, and sheep farmer in the shop!

• Bonus #1 – This pattern also works well with hand dyed yarns!
• Bonus #2 – We encourage you to Knit Local with this pattern. You’ll find absolutely gorgeous handspun and hand dyed yarns from our local artisans in the Guild’s Fiber Arts Store!
• Bonus #3 – You can knit it in one color! Just change the CC (contrast color) instructions to purling and P2tog in the crown decreases.

You will need:

• Two 50-gram skeins of handspun and/or hand dyed yarn (MC (main color) and CC (contrast color)) in worsted or aran weight.
• 16” circular needles ( 6 and 7 for worsted, 7 and 8 for aran) plus larger size double points for the top.
• Tapestry needle for weaving in ends

Brim

Using a knitted cast on and MC (main color), CO 69 for aran weight or 79 for worsted weight yarn.

1. Purl back and join.
2. Knit one round, purl one round in MC. You can repeat these two rounds three more times in your main color, or you can knit and purl the 2 rounds in the middle with your CC (contrast color).
3. Switch to larger needle when you are finished with your garter brim.

Body

1. With larger needles, knit 5 MC, knit 5 CC until knitting measures 5 ½” from the cast on. Your pattern will swirl to the left because your pattern is one stitch more than your cast on. Magic!

Crown decreases

Row 1: K2tog K3 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 2: K4 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 3: K4 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 4: K2tog, K2 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 5: K3 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 6: K2tog, K1 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 7: K2 (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 8: K2tog (CC), K5 (MC)
Row 9: K (MC)
Row 10: K2tog, K4 (MC)…skip last K2tog
Row 11: K (MC)
Row 12: K2tog, K3
Row 13: K2tog, K2
Row 14: K2tog, K1
Row 15: K2tog

Cut yarn and thread it through tapestry needle. Draw tapestry needle through the 7 or 8 stitches at the top, thread through the top of the hat and weave it in.