Berroco Gull Hat Knitting Pattern

Berroco Gull Hat by Norah Gaughan Men

What Is Being Made

The Berroco Gull Hat is a classic men's knit hat designed by Norah Gaughan. This hat features a finished measurement of approximately 20 inches around and 10 inches high, making it a one-size design suitable for average adult head circumference. The hat combines two complementary colors in a stranded colorwork pattern, creating visual interest while maintaining a refined, versatile aesthetic appropriate for men's wear.

Techniques Used

This knit hat is constructed using several fundamental knitting techniques that work together to create a well-finished garment:

• Bottom-Up Construction: The hat is knit from the brim upward toward the crown, allowing knitters to try on the hat as they progress and adjust fit if needed.
• Worked Flat: Rather than being knit in the round, this hat is worked flat on straight needles, which means the pieces are seamed together after completion.
• Seamed Assembly: The flat-knit pieces are joined using a tapestry needle, creating clean seams that add structure and durability to the finished hat.
• Stranded Colorwork: The pattern incorporates stranded knitting, a technique where two colors of yarn are carried across the back of the work. This creates the decorative pattern on the hat's surface while maintaining consistent fabric density and elasticity.

Stitches Used

The Gull Hat employs essential knitting stitches combined with shaping decreases:

• Stockinette Stitch (Pat St): The primary stitch used throughout the hat, worked over the larger needles at a gauge of 23 stitches and 32 rows per 4 inches.
• Knit and Purl Stitches: Alternating knit rows (right side) and purl rows (wrong side) create the smooth stockinette fabric.
• Decreases for Shaping: The crown shaping uses knit 2 together (k2tog) and slip, slip, knit (SSK) decreases. These decreases are worked in a structured pattern, reducing 10 stitches every right-side row across 8 decrease rows to shape the hat crown from the initial stitch count down to just 11 stitches, which are then grafted or sewn closed.

Materials and Yarn

The Berroco Gull Hat calls for Berroco Vintage DK yarn, a worsted-weight option that provides excellent stitch definition for colorwork patterns. The pattern requires one 100-gram hank each of two colors:

• #51191 Blue Moon (Main Color)
• #5106 Smoke (Contrasting Color)

The pattern notes that this hat was originally designed and knit in Berroco Pure Merino, which has since been discontinued. Knitters using Berroco Vintage DK as the recommended substitute should achieve consistent results with proper gauge.

Tools Required

Completion of this hat requires straight knitting needles in two sizes: size 4 (3.50 mm) for ribbing or initial stitches, and size 6 (4.00 mm) for the main pattern. A tapestry needle is essential for seaming the finished pieces together and weaving in yarn ends. Knitters should select needle size based on achieving the specified gauge of 23 stitches and 32 rows per 4 inches in pattern stitch on the larger needles.

Skill Level

This pattern is rated as Easy, making it accessible to knitters with basic skills who understand fundamental stitches and shaping techniques. The straightforward construction, combined with clear decrease sequences and the simplicity of stranded colorwork at this scale, makes it an excellent project for building confidence in color knitting and hat construction.