Sandbank + Shore Cape Knitting Pattern

Sandbank + Shore Hat in Mode at Rowan Softest Alpaca

What Is Being Made

The Sandbank + Shore collection features a seamless knitted hat designed by Lisa Richardson of Quail Studio. This pattern offers two construction methods: a flat version that is seamed after knitting, and a seamless in-the-round version. The hat is designed to fit an average-sized woman's head with a finished circumference of approximately 50 cm (19¾ inches). The design showcases textural depth through its use of specialized knitting techniques and stitch patterns.

Techniques Used

This advanced beginner knitting project employs several intermediate techniques that build foundational skills. The pattern utilizes fisherman rib, a textured stitch pattern created by knitting and purling into stitches below the working row, which creates a dense, dimensional fabric. The crown shaping involves decrease sequences using slipped stitches and pass-over techniques to gradually reduce stitch count and form the hat's crown. The flat version requires seaming after the initial ribbed section is folded in half, while the in-the-round version demonstrates seamless circular knitting using double-pointed needles distributed across multiple needles to prevent twisting of the cast-on edge.

Stitches Used

• Knit (K) – the fundamental knit stitch
• Purl (P) – the fundamental purl stitch
• Knit into stitch below (K1b) – knitting into the row beneath the working stitch to create fisherman rib texture
• Purl into stitch below (P1b) – purling into the row beneath the working stitch
• Slip 2 knitwise (sl 2 knitwise) – slipping two stitches one at a time as if to knit, used in decrease sequences
• Pass 2 slipped stitches over (p2sso) – passing two slipped stitches over a central stitch to create decreases
• Ribbing (K1, P1) – alternating knit and purl stitches to create elastic edging

Materials and Tools

This pattern is worked in Softest Alpaca yarn by Mode at Rowan, a luxury natural fiber yarn. The project shown is photographed in two colorways: Linen 015 and Willow 018. The pattern requires 5.5mm (US 9) needles—specifically one pair of straight needles for the flat version or a set of double-pointed needles (dpns) for the seamless in-the-round version. The tension is established at 16 stitches and 36 rows or rounds to 10 centimeters when measured over the fisherman rib pattern using 5.5mm needles. The hat begins with a cast-on of 76 stitches and includes a 9-centimeter ribbed cuff before transitioning to the fisherman rib pattern and subsequent crown shaping.