Cisco Hat Knitting Pattern

Cisco Hat Knitting Pattern by Berroco

What Is Being Made

The Cisco Hat is a brightly striped Peruvian-style baby hat featuring decorative ties. This intermediate-level knitting project produces a finished hat measuring approximately 12 inches around the back of the head and 6 inches high, including the neckband. The design combines vibrant color blocking with a traditional tied closure, making it both functional and visually striking for infants and young children.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several fundamental and intermediate knitting techniques. The construction begins with casting on and uses strategic increases worked every sixth row to shape the back panel. The pattern incorporates a two-stitch decrease technique (Dec 2) that involves slipping two stitches together as if to knit two together, knitting one stitch, and passing the two slipped stitches over the knit stitch to create a centered double decrease. The ear pieces are constructed by picking up stitches along the bound-off edge of the back panel and then working decreases every right-side row to taper the ears to a single stitch. The hat demonstrates color work through stripe sequencing rather than colorwork techniques like Fair Isle or intarsia.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette Stitch (St st): The primary stitch throughout the pattern, created by alternating knit rows on the right side and purl rows on the wrong side, providing a smooth, flat fabric
• Garter Stitch: Produced by knitting every row, used in specific stripe sequences to create textured horizontal ridges
• Dec 2 (Double Decrease): A centered decrease that removes two stitches in a single row by slipping two stitches together knitwise, knitting one stitch, and passing the slipped stitches over
• Increases: Single stitch increases worked one stitch in from each edge every sixth row to gradually expand the back panel

Stripe Sequence and Color Work

The pattern features a carefully planned stripe sequence that repeats once for a total of 36 rows. The sequence progresses as follows: 2 rows in Berroco Comfort DK Kidz Orange, 2 rows in Sunshine yellow, 2 rows in True Red worked in stockinette stitch, 4 rows in Turquoise, 2 rows in orange using stockinette stitch, 2 rows in Primary Blue, and 4 rows in Seedling green worked in stockinette stitch. This sequence then repeats once more to complete the hat back. The alternation between garter stitch and stockinette stitch rows creates subtle texture variation while the color changes produce bold horizontal stripes.

Materials and Tools

The Cisco Hat requires one 50-gram ball each of Berroco Comfort DK yarn in six colors: Kidz Orange (#2731), Sunshine (#2719), True Red (#2751), Turquoise (#2733), Primary Blue (#2736), and Seedling (#2740). Construction uses straight knitting needles in size 6 (4.00 mm) or the size needed to achieve the specified gauge. The recommended gauge is 22 stitches and 32 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch, and checking gauge before beginning is emphasized to ensure proper fit for the baby hat.

Pattern Structure

The hat is constructed in three main sections. The back panel begins with 11 cast-on stitches and increases to 23 stitches through six increases worked every sixth row. After completing the 36-row stripe sequence, additional rows in yellow, orange, and red are worked before binding off. The right and left ear pieces are then worked separately by picking up stitches along the bound-off edge of the back panel, casting on additional stitches to create the ear shape, and working decreases every right-side row until a single stitch remains. This modular construction method allows for precise shaping of the ear details and creates the characteristic tied closure of a Peruvian-style baby hat.