Blue Sky Fibers Polka Dot Hat Set Knitting Pattern

Blue Sky Fibers Polka Dot Hat Set

Project Overview

The Polka Dot Hat Set is a coordinated knitting pattern featuring a hat and matching mittens, both designed by Bobbi Intveld. This intermediate-level project uses the fine and luxurious Blue Sky Suri Merino yarn to create a sophisticated accessory set with decorative polka dot patterning.

What Is Being Made

• Hat: A fitted, crown-shaping hat worked from the bottom up in the round with a ribbed brim and stockinette stitch body featuring polka dot intarsia colorwork
• Mittens: Coordinating mittens with thumb openings and polka dot intarsia patterning, also worked in the round

Knitting Techniques Used

This pattern employs several intermediate-level knitting techniques to achieve its finished design:

• Bottom-up construction: Both the hat and mittens are knitted from the lower edge upward, allowing for easier fitting adjustments and a more intuitive building process
• Worked in the round: The entire set is constructed using circular needles and double-pointed needles to create seamless, tubular pieces
• Intarsia colorwork: The polka dot motif is created using the intarsia technique, which involves working with two colors (main color and contrast color) to create a patterned fabric. The pattern includes a chart that is worked from right to left across multiple rounds
• Crown shaping: The hat features strategic decreases to shape the crown, creating a fitted silhouette
• Thumb opening construction: The mittens include a thumb opening created using a stitch holder, with stitches picked up and worked to complete the thumb section

Stitches Used

• Ribbing (Rib st): Used for the hat brim to create elasticity and a polished edge
• Stockinette stitch (St st): The primary stitch for the hat body and mitten body, creating a smooth, classic knit fabric
• Knit stitch (k): Foundation stitch used throughout
• Knit two together (k2tog): A right-leaning decrease used extensively in crown shaping and mitten shaping to reduce stitch counts
• Yarn over and color changes: Used to transition between main color and contrast color for the intarsia polka dot pattern

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Polka Dot Hat Set is designed to be worked with Blue Sky Suri Merino, a premium fine knitting yarn. The yardage is 164 yards per 100-gram hank.

• Yarn requirements: 2 hanks of main color (MC) and 1 hank of contrast color (CC). The pattern photo shows Autumn #420 as the main color and Earth #422 as the contrast color
• Needle sizes for the hat: Size 6 (4mm) 16-inch circular needle for the main body, Size 5 (3.75mm) 16-inch circular needle for the ribbed brim, and corresponding double-pointed needle sets for crown shaping
• Needle sizes for the mittens: Size 6 (4mm) and Size 5 (3.75mm) needles in both circular and double-pointed needle formats
• Additional supplies: 1 stitch marker, 1 stitch holder for thumb opening, and a tapestry needle for finishing

Pattern Construction Details

Hat Construction: The hat begins with a cast-on of 128 stitches on the smaller circular needle, worked in ribbing for 10 rounds to create a stretchy, finished brim. The pattern then transitions to the larger needle and stockinette stitch, where the polka dot intarsia chart is worked for 16 rounds, repeated twice for a total of 32 rounds of colorwork. Crown shaping begins with decreases worked every other round, reducing 6 stitches per decrease round until only 6 stitches remain. The final stitches are drawn through with a tapestry needle to close the crown.

Mitten Construction: The mittens feature a similar construction approach with thumb openings created using a stitch holder. After