Champernowne Hat Knitting Pattern

Champernowne Hat in Juniper Moon Farm Gabriella

What Is Being Made

The Champernowne Hat is a striking knitted topper featuring bold diagonal stripes created through contrasting colors. This one-size hat has a finished circumference of 18 inches (45.5 cm) and is designed to make a visual statement with its geometric patterning. The hat is part of The Kittery Collection and was designed by Alison Green.

Techniques Used

This hat employs several intermediate to advanced knitting techniques that create its distinctive appearance and structure. Stranded colorwork is the primary technique, allowing two colors to be carried and worked simultaneously to create the diagonal stripe pattern shown in the charts. The hat is worked in the round using circular needles and double-pointed needles, which eliminates the need for seaming and creates a seamless, professional finish.

The crown shaping utilizes centered double decreases (CDD), a technique that decreases two stitches while maintaining a centered, vertical line of decreases. This creates a neat, symmetrical crown closure. The hat concludes with an i-cord finish at the top, a decorative and functional technique that creates a small cord of stitches for a polished edge.

Additional techniques include working garter stitch sections for textural contrast, strategic increases and decreases to shape the hat, and transitioning between needle sizes to achieve proper gauge in different stitch patterns.

Stitches Used

• Knit (k) and purl (p) stitches form the foundation of the garter stitch sections and colorwork rows
• Knit two together (k2tog) for basic decreasing
• Centered double decrease (CDD) for symmetric crown shaping, defined as slipping 2 stitches together as if to work a k2tog, knitting 1 stitch, then passing the 2 slipped stitches over
• Stranded colorwork stitches where both main color and contrast color are carried and worked in pattern according to the provided charts
• I-cord stitches for the top finish, worked by knitting stitches without turning the work

Materials

Yarn: The Champernowne Hat uses Juniper Moon Farm Gabriella, a premium yarn choice. One ball each of two colors is required: color #10 brown (main color) and color #01 ecru (contrast color). The yarn is worked at two different gauges depending on the stitch pattern section.

Needles: The pattern requires three needle sizes to achieve proper gauge and structure. US 9 (5.5 mm) circular needles are used for the main colorwork sections, US 6 (4 mm) circular needles for the ribbed or garter stitch foundation, and US 9 (5.5 mm) double-pointed needles for the crown decreases and i-cord finish when the circumference becomes too small for circular needles.

Notions: A tapestry needle for weaving in ends and stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and the beginning of rounds are essential notions for completing this project.

Gauge Information

Achieving proper gauge is critical for this hat to fit correctly. The pattern specifies 20 stitches over 4 inches (10 cm) in garter stitch using the smaller US 6 needle, and 15 stitches and 20 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) in stranded colorwork using the larger US 9 needle. These different gauges reflect the density changes created by the colorwork technique and stitch pattern variations.