Spud & Chloe by Blue Sky Fibers Crabby Cap Knitting Pattern

Spud & Chloe by Blue Sky Fibers Crabby Cap

What Is Being Made

The Crabby Cap is a seamless knit hat designed for adults in two sizes: Medium and Large. This downloadable knitting pattern produces a finished cap with a circumference of 20¾ inches (unstretched) for size Medium and 22½ inches for size Large. The cap features a classic crown shaping that tapers to a decorative i-cord finish at the top.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several intermediate knitting techniques to create its finished structure:

• Seamless, worked in the round: The cap is constructed entirely in the round using circular needles and double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming
• Stranded colorwork: Two contrasting yarn colors are carried and worked throughout the pattern, with the unused color carried up the wrong side of the work to maintain tension
• Crown shaping: Strategic decreases are worked in multiple rounds to gradually reduce stitches and form the tapered crown of the cap
• I-cord finishing: An i-cord is worked on double-pointed needles at the crown top using the remaining stitches, creating a decorative finished edge

Stitches Used

The Crabby Cap utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined in specific patterns:

• 1x1 Ribbing: Alternating knit and purl stitches worked over an even number of stitches, creating the elastic cuff at the cap's base
• Stockinette stitch: The primary stitch pattern for the body of the cap, created by knitting all stitches on right-side rounds and purling on wrong-side rounds (though this pattern is worked entirely in the round, so stockinette is achieved through continuous knit rounds)
• Knit two together (k2tog): A decrease stitch used repeatedly during crown shaping to reduce the stitch count
• I-cord: A tubular cord created by working four stitches back and forth on double-pointed needles without turning, using the slide method

Materials and Tools

The pattern requires specific needles and notions to complete the project. Knitters will need Size 6 (4mm) double-pointed needles and a 16-inch circular needle in the same size, or whichever size is necessary to obtain the correct gauge. Additional supplies include stitch markers (with one unique color designated to mark the beginning of each round) and a tapestry needle for weaving in ends after completion.

The pattern is worked in two contrasting yarn colors from the Spud & Chloe by Blue Sky Fibers collection. The photo shown features Waterslide #7519 as the main color (MC) and Life Jacket #7528 as the contrast color (CC1).

Gauge and Finished Measurements

To ensure proper fit, the pattern specifies a gauge of 20 stitches and 24 rounds over 4 inches in Stockinette stitch. The finished cap measures 20¾ inches in circumference (unstretched) for the Medium size and 22½ inches for the Large size, measured around the back of the head. The cap can be blocked as desired after completion for final shaping.