Juniper Moon Farm Breathless Hat & Mittens Knitting Pattern

Juniper Moon Farm Breathless Hat & Mittens by Kathleen Dames

What is Being Made

The Breathless collection features a cozy knitted hat and matching mittens set designed by Kathleen Dames. This coordinated pair showcases two distinct cable patterns that work together as a cohesive design. The hat is sized for a 20-inch head circumference, while the mittens are offered in three sizes to accommodate hand circumferences of 7, 7.5, or 8 inches. Both pieces are part of the Gamine Collection and are crafted using Juniper Moon Farm Herriot Great yarn in the Atlantic colorway.

Techniques Used

This knitting project employs several intermediate-level construction techniques to create a polished, finished garment. The hat and mittens are both worked seamlessly in the round using circular needles and double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming. The bottom-up construction method allows knitters to begin at the lower edge and work upward toward the crown. Cable patterns are a central design feature, requiring the use of a cable needle to create the twisted, textured stitches that give these accessories their distinctive appearance. The pattern incorporates strategic increases and decreases to shape the pieces, with increases worked using make-one techniques (m1, m1L, and m1R) and decreases accomplished through methods such as slip-slip-knit (ssk) and purl two together (p2tog).

Stitches Used

The Breathless hat and mittens utilize a variety of fundamental and decorative knitting stitches. Stockinette stitch serves as the foundation fabric, providing a smooth, classic base that showcases the cable patterns. Ribbing is worked at the lower edge of both the hat and mittens to create an elastic, fitted edge that helps the accessories stay in place. The two signature cable patterns featured in this design are the Plaid Lattice and the Plait Cable, which are worked across specific stitch counts within each round. The Plaid Lattice pattern spans 16 stitches, while the Plait Cable is worked over 11 stitches, and these patterns are repeated around the circumference of each piece to create visual interest and texture.

Materials: Yarn, Needles & Notions

This project requires 2 skeins of Juniper Moon Farm Herriot Great yarn, each weighing 100 grams, in color #129 Atlantic. The yarn weight and yardage are calculated to complete both the hat and matching mittens as a coordinated set. Knitters will need US size 6 (4mm) circular needles measuring 16 inches long for the main body of the hat, along with a set of US size 6 (4mm) double-pointed needles for working the crown shaping when the circumference becomes too small for circular needles. A cable needle is essential for manipulating stitches when working the cable patterns. Additional notions include stitch markers to indicate pattern repeats and the beginning of each round, a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends, and waste yarn for provisional cast-on techniques if needed. The pattern is gauged at 18 stitches and 24 rows per 4 inches in Stockinette stitch, which is important for achieving the correct finished measurements.