Berroco Four Winds Hat Knitting Pattern

Berroco Four Winds Hat: Knitted Cable Design with Earflaps and Pom-Pom

What Is Being Made

The Four Winds Hat is an intermediate-level knitted hat designed by Melissa LaBarre. This finished piece measures approximately 19½" around and 8½" high (not including the earflaps and pom-pom topper). The hat features a classic construction with attached earflaps and is topped with a decorative pom-pom, making it both functional and stylish for cold-weather wear.

Knitting Techniques Used

This pattern employs several key knitting techniques suitable for intermediate crafters. The hat is constructed using both flat knitting and circular knitting methods. The earflaps are knit flat on double-pointed needles as separate pieces before being incorporated into the main hat body. Once the earflaps are complete, stitches are returned to a circular needle for knitting in the round, which is an efficient method for creating seamless cylindrical garments. The pattern also includes shaping techniques such as increases and decreases to form the hat's crown and structure.

Stitches and Stitch Details

The Four Winds Hat utilizes several essential stitches and cable techniques:

• Garter Stitch: The primary stitch used throughout the hat, worked at a gauge of 14 stitches and 24 rows over 4 inches
• Cable Stitches: The pattern includes two cable stitch abbreviations—CF4 (Cable Front 4) and CB4 (Cable Back 4)—which create the textured cable details characteristic of this design. CF4 involves slipping 2 stitches to a cable needle and holding them in front, knitting 2 stitches, then knitting the 2 stitches from the cable needle. CB4 follows the same process but holds the cable needle in back
• Increases: M1R (Make 1 Right) and M1L (Make 1 Left) are used to add stitches during the earflap construction
• Decreases: SSK (Slip, Slip, Knit) and k2tog (knit 2 together) are employed for shaping, particularly when decreasing stitches on the front during the crown shaping

Materials and Tools Required

The Four Winds Hat pattern calls for specific materials to achieve the intended finished product. Yarn: 2 hanks of Berroco Vintage Chunky (100 grams each) in colorway #6181 Black Cherry provides the substantial, chunky texture appropriate for this design. Needles and Tools: Knitters will need a 16-inch circular knitting needle in size 10 (6.00 mm) for the main hat body, one set of four double-pointed knitting needles (dpns) also in size 10 (6.00 mm) for the earflap construction, a cable needle for executing the cable stitches, stitch markers to track pattern sections, stitch holders to temporarily hold stitches, a tapestry needle for finishing and weaving in ends, and a 3-inch pom-pom maker for creating the decorative crown topper. Checking gauge—14 stitches and 24 rows in Garter Stitch over 4 inches—before beginning is essential to ensure the hat fits properly when completed.