Blue Sky Fibers Hanley Falls Hat Knitting Pattern

Blue Sky Fibers Hanley Falls Hat

What Is Being Made

The Hanley Falls Hat is a seamless, colorwork beanie designed by Sara Cookson as part of The Traveler Series. This advanced beginner knitting project creates a finished hat with a 19-inch circumference and 9-inch height, suitable for a single size. The hat features a sophisticated fair isle pattern worked across four distinct colors of premium yarn, combining both visual interest and functional warmth.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several intermediate knitting techniques that make it ideal for advancing beyond basic skills:

• Stranded colorwork (fair isle): The hat features a charted fair isle pattern that incorporates multiple colors within rounds, requiring careful tension management and color changes to create the intricate design
• Worked in the round: The entire hat is constructed using circular needles and double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a seamless, professional finish
• Bottom-up construction: The hat is knitted from the brim upward to the crown, allowing for easy try-ons and adjustments during the knitting process
• Decreases for shaping: Strategic k2tog (knit two together) decreases are worked in specific patterns throughout the crown to gradually reduce stitches and create the hat's fitted shape

Stitches Used

The Hanley Falls Hat utilizes fundamental knitting stitches executed with precision:

• Stockinette stitch: The primary fabric structure, created by alternating knit and purl rows (or knit rounds when working circularly), providing a smooth, classic appearance
• Knit stitch: The basic foundation stitch used throughout the pattern
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used repeatedly in the crown shaping rounds to transition from 60 stitches down to 6 stitches, creating the hat's tapered crown

Materials and Specifications

The Hanley Falls Hat pattern calls for high-quality, eco-conscious materials:

• Yarn: Blue Sky Fibers Eco-Cashmere, a blend of 50% recycled cashmere and 50% virgin cashmere, offering both sustainability and luxury. The pattern requires 1 hank each of four colors (A, B, C, and D) from the available palette, with each hank providing 50 grams and 164 yards
• Needles: Size 5 (3.75mm) 16-inch circular needle for the ribbed cuff, and Size 6 (4.0mm) 16-inch circular needle and matching double-pointed needles for the main body and crown shaping
• Notions: Stitch marker for tracking round beginnings and tapestry needle for weaving in ends and closing the crown
• Gauge: 20 stitches and 28 rounds measured over 4 inches in stockinette stitch using the larger needles, with proper gauge essential for achieving the intended finished measurements

Color Options

The pattern showcases the versatility of the design across multiple colorways from Blue Sky Fibers:

• Polished Purl (shown as color A)
• Arctic Shadow Gold Rush (shown as color A)
• Crushed Coral (shown as color C)
• Midnight Oil (shown as color D)

Pattern Characteristics

Designed for an advanced beginner experience level, the Hanley Falls Hat features an easy-to-read fair isle chart that demystifies colorwork for knitters ready to expand their skills. The pattern includes clear abbreviations, straightforward instructions, and logical shaping sequences. Care instructions recommend hand washing or dry cleaning in tepid water with mild soap, with flat drying on a towel to maintain the hat's shape and preserve the integrity of the cashmere blend.