Rachel Brown Sappen Hat Knitting Pattern

Nordlándda SAPPEN Knitted Hat by Rachel Brown

What Is Being Made

The Nordlándda SAPPEN is a seamless knitted hat designed by Rachel Brown. This downloadable PDF pattern provides instructions for creating a sophisticated, cable-detailed hat worked in the round from the crown down. The pattern is available in multiple sizes (Small and Medium sizing options are included in the instructions), making it accessible for various head measurements.

Knitting Techniques

This hat employs several advanced knitting techniques that create visual interest and texture:

• Seamless Construction: The hat is worked in the round using circular needles or double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a continuous, polished garment.
• Cable Knitting: Intricate cable patterns form the primary design element. The cables are worked using left and right cable crosses, including 1/1 cables (left cross and right cross) and 2/2 cables (left purl crosses and right purl crosses), creating dimensional twisted rope effects throughout the hat.
• Decreasing Techniques: Strategic decreases using ssk (slip, slip, knit) and k2tog (knit two together) methods shape the crown as the hat tapers toward completion, ensuring proper fit and shaping.
• Twisted Ribbing: The pattern includes twisted rib sections using knit through the back loop (K1tbl) paired with purl stitches, adding elasticity and a refined finish.

Stitches Used

The Nordlándda SAPPEN incorporates a variety of essential knitting stitches:

• Knit (K) and Purl (P): Foundation stitches that create the base fabric and define the cable pattern backgrounds.
• Knit Through the Back Loop (K1tbl): Used in twisted rib sections for added texture and visual definition.
• Cable Crosses: 1/1 LC (one over one left cross), 1/1 RC (one over one right cross), 2/2 LPC (two over two left purl cross), 2/2 RPC (two over two right purl cross), and 2/2 LC (two over two left cross) and 2/2 RC (two over two right cross) create the signature cable patterns.
• Decreases: SSK (slip, slip, knit) and K2tog (knit two together) for crown shaping, plus specialized cable decreases including 1/1 LCdec and 1/1 RCdec for seamless tapering.

Materials and Tools

While specific yarn weight and needle size recommendations are not detailed in the provided content, this pattern is designed to be worked with yarn suitable for hat knitting and circular needles or double-pointed needles appropriate to the chosen yarn weight. The seamless, in-the-round construction requires either a circular needle or a set of double-pointed needles to maintain continuous rounds throughout the project.

Pattern Structure

The pattern is organized into distinct sections: a cable row-by-row written instructions section with multiple rounds of patterning, followed by a cable decrease section that systematically reduces stitches to close the crown. Size variations are built into the pattern with bracketed options (such as p1 (2, 3)) that allow knitters to select the appropriate stitch count for their chosen size.