Chadbourne Hat & Mittens Knitting Pattern

Chadbourne Hat & Mittens in Juniper Moon Farm Gabriella

What Is Being Made

The Chadbourne Hat & Mittens set is a coordinated knit accessory collection designed by Alison Green. This project creates a matching hat and mittens pair featuring a sophisticated guernsey-pattern inspired knit and purl texture. The set is available in three sizes: Small, Medium, and Large, making it suitable for various head and hand measurements. The hat offers a finished head circumference ranging from 18¼ inches (Small) to 22½ inches (Large), with a length between 7½ and 9 inches depending on size. The mittens are proportionally sized with hand circumferences from 6¾ to 8½ inches and hand lengths from 6 to 7½ inches, not including the cuff.

Techniques Used

This knitting project employs circular knitting techniques worked in the round, which creates seamless, tubular fabric ideal for hats and mittens. The construction utilizes both circular needles and double-pointed needles to manage stitches at different stages of the project. Knitters will practice increase and decrease techniques essential for shaping, including M1R (Make 1 Right) and M1L (Make 1 Left) increases, which create directional slant lines in the fabric. The ssk (slip, slip, knit) decrease and k2tog (knit two together) techniques are employed for decreasing stitches, particularly during crown shaping on the hat and thumb gusset shaping on the mittens.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch: The primary stitch used throughout the project, creating a smooth, classic knit fabric. When worked in the round, stockinette stitch produces a V-pattern texture on the right side.
• Seed Stitch: A textured stitch pattern worked over an even number of stitches in the round. Seed stitch alternates knit and purl stitches in each round, with the pattern reversed in the following round, creating a bumpy, reversible texture often used for cuffs and ribbed sections.
• Guernsey-Pattern Inspired Knit and Purl Pattern: The defining feature of this set, this pattern combines knit and purl stitches to create traditional guernsey-style texture. Guernsey patterns are historically worked with alternating knit and purl stitches to produce raised, decorative motifs characteristic of traditional Channel Islands knitting.

Materials: Yarn, Needles, and Notions

Yarn: The Chadbourne Hat & Mittens are designed to be knitted with Juniper Moon Farm Gabriella yarn in color #04 Green Melange. The yardage requirement is modest: Small size requires 1 ball, while Medium and Large sizes each require 2 balls of Gabriella yarn.

Needles: This project requires US 8 (5 mm) circular needles in a 16-inch length for the hat construction, and US 8 (5 mm) double-pointed needles for both the hat (particularly for crown decreases) and mittens. Double-pointed needles are essential for working small circumferences in the round, such as the top of the hat crown and the mittens.

Notions and Accessories: Additional supplies needed include a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends, stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and increases/decreases, and scrap yarn or stitch holders for temporarily securing stitches during construction.

Gauge and Sizing

The project is designed to be worked at a gauge of 18 stitches and 26 rows per 4 inches (10 cm) in Stockinette stitch. Achieving proper gauge is critical for ensuring the finished hat and mittens fit correctly across all three available sizes. Knitters should knit a gauge swatch before beginning the project to verify their tension matches the pattern specifications.