Berroco Clover Club Hat Knitting Pattern

Berroco Clover Club Hat: Intermediate Knit Design

What Is Being Made

The Clover Club Hat is an intermediate-level knitted hat designed by Thea Colman, featured in Berroco's Portfolio Vol. 4. This is a one-size hat with finished measurements of approximately 19 inches wide around the brim and 20 inches around the hat body, with a length of 9 inches. The design incorporates colorwork elements using a charted pattern, making it an engaging project for knitters looking to develop their skills beyond basic garment construction.

Techniques Used

This hat is worked in the round from bottom to top, a fundamental technique for creating seamless, cylindrical garments. The construction begins with a ribbed brim worked on smaller needles to create elasticity and a fitted edge. As the knitter progresses to the hat body, they transition to larger needles and follow a charted colorwork pattern. The pattern requires switching from circular needles to double-pointed needles (dpns) during the crown shaping phase, when the stitch count becomes too small to work comfortably on a circular needle. Decreases are strategically placed to shape the top of the hat, requiring knitters to work decreases such as SSK (slip, slip, knit) and k2tog (knit two together) in specific sequences.

Stitches Used

• Ribbing: K1, p1 (knit one, purl one) ribbing worked over 3 inches on the brim for stretch and structure
• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary stitch used in the hat body, worked in the round to create a smooth, V-textured fabric
• Decreases: SSK (slip, slip, knit) and k2tog (knit two together) used strategically during the crown shaping to decrease stitches and form the hat's crown
• Charted Colorwork: The hat body follows a 13-stitch repeat chart worked 8 times per round across 35 rounds, incorporating multiple colors

Materials and Yarn

This pattern calls for Berroco Ultra Wool, a worsted-weight yarn. The project requires one 100-gram ball each of three colors: #33151 Beet Root (CC1, the primary color for the brim and base), #33122 Sunflower (CC2, a contrast color), and #33108 Frost (CC3, a second contrast color). The colorwork design uses these three shades to create visual interest in the charted pattern section of the hat.

Needles and Notions

The pattern requires two sizes of circular needles: size 6 (4.00 mm) needles in 16-inch length for the ribbed brim, and size 7 (4.50 mm) needles in 16-inch length for the main hat body. Additionally, one set of four double-pointed needles (dpns) in size 7 (4.50 mm) is needed for working the crown decreases when the circular needle becomes impractical. A tapestry needle is required for weaving in yarn tails left from color changes, and a stitch marker helps identify the beginning of each round.

Gauge Information

Achieving proper gauge is essential for this project. The pattern specifies 20 stitches and 28 rounds equals 4 inches in stockinette stitch when worked on the larger needles following the charts. For the ribbed brim worked on smaller needles, the gauge is 22 stitches and 28 rounds equals 4 inches. The pattern instructions emphasize checking gauge before beginning to ensure the finished hat meets the intended finished measurements.