Holcomb Hat

This pattern is available on Ravelry.

by Whitney Hayward

The perfect pattern for handspun, or an unknown stash-diving yarn. This hat pattern works for any yarn type at any gauge. The black hat is handspun yarn created from Stone Wool’s Farm Roving in Quartz 03, the gray hat is Stone Wool Cormo in Shale 01 and Scoured Wool, and the burgundy sample is Quince & Co’s Puffin in Barolo

Notes
All the shaping in this pattern happens at the beginning, which is the beauty of a top-down hat, so you can knit to the desired length without fear running out of yarn; perfect for handspun yarns or a mysterious skein in your stash, missing its label. This hat begins with a cast on at top, working in the round using your preferred method for small circumference knitting, and increasing to your desired hat circumference. For a customized fit, try the hat on its intended recipient as you go, or use the suggested circumference measurements included to determine your hat size.

Finished Measurements
Suggested brim circumference and total length:
Baby: 12-14” / 30.5–35.5 cm brim; 4-5” / 10-12.5 cm length
Toddler: 14–16” / 35.5–40.5 cm brim; 5-6” / 12.5-15 cm length
Child: 16–19” / 40.5-48.5 cm brim; 6-7” / 15-18 cm length
Adult: 19-23” / 48.5–58.5 cm brim; 7-9” / 18-23 cm length

Yarn
Any yarn in any weight. As a rule of thumb, a fitted hat with no rolled or folded brim will use approximately 1.75-3.5 ounces / 50-100 grams of mill-spun wool yarn. In handspun and non-wool fiber yarn, such as alpaca and cotton, you may require more grams to make your hat, as the heavier fibers will have fewer yards per gram. If your yarn has a label with its weight listed, or if you have a scale, we suggest using weight to determining whether there is enough yarn to achieve desired hat. For handspun yarn, or other yarn of unknown weight or yardage, it’s more of a guessing game. If yardage comes up short to achieving desired length, consider finishing your hat in a second yarn, contrasting in color or texture.

Needles
Use the needle size recommended on the yarn label or up to two sizes smaller for a denser knit. For unlabeled or handspun yarn, use WPI (wraps per inch) to determine proper needle size. 
You will need:
Double-pointed needles (DPNs)
16” circular needle (circ)
16” circ for brim in one size smaller than used for main hat
Note: You will not need 16” circs for baby or small toddler hat sizes; use DPNs one size smaller for brim.

Notions
Locking stitch marker
Stitch markers (6)
Tapestry needle