Avatar Hat Knitting Pattern

Avatar Hat in Malabrigo Rasta

What is Being Made

The Avatar Hat is a knitted beanie designed for one size with a finished circumference of 21 to 23 inches (54 to 58 centimeters) and a total length of 12½ to 13 inches (32 to 33 centimeters). This intermediate-level knitting project creates a striking colorwork hat by alternating between two complementary shades of yarn throughout the construction.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs the brioche knitting technique, a specialized method that creates a distinctly textured, elastic fabric with excellent drape and recovery. The hat is knitted in the round from bottom to top, a construction method that eliminates the need for seaming and ensures a seamless, professional finish. The pattern incorporates two-color stranded colorwork, with yarn color changes occurring every round. The designer uses a yarn-carrying technique where new colors are lifted from below at the beginning of each round, maintaining consistent tension and preventing loose floats on the inside of the work.

Stitches Used

The Avatar Hat features several specialized brioche-based stitches:

• Brioche Knit (brk) – knitting the slipped stitch from the previous row together with its yarn over
• Brioche Purl (brp) – purling the slipped stitch from the previous row together with its yarn over
• Slip 1 with Yarn in Front, Yarn Over (sl1-wyif-yo) – creating the characteristic brioche structure by slipping stitches and adding yarn overs for the next row
• Brioche 2-Stitch Decrease (brRsl dec) – a right-leaning decrease involving three stitches that shapes the crown of the hat

The pattern uses alternating rounds of brioche knit and purl stitches combined with slipped stitches and yarn overs, creating the signature brioche texture throughout the hat body.

Materials and Tools

This project requires 1 skein each of Malabrigo Rasta yarn in two colors: Color A in shade #195 Black and Color B in shade #416 Indiecita. Malabrigo Rasta is a bulky-weight yarn known for its vibrant colors and soft, supple characteristics. The pattern calls for 12mm/US 17 circular needles with a 16-inch cord length and 12mm/US 17 double-pointed needles (dpns) for working the crown decreases. Additional notions include a stitch marker to track the beginning of rounds and a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends. The gauge is 6 stitches and 20 rows per 4 inches (10 centimeters) in brioche stitch, which is essential to achieve the correct finished dimensions.