Stacy Charles Fine Yarns Aria Hat Knitting Pattern

Stacy Charles Fine Yarns Aria Hat

What Is Being Made

The Aria Hat is a seamless, worked-in-the-round knitted hat designed by Gabrielle Markle. This experienced-level project creates a fitted hat with a finished circumference of 20¼ inches (51.5 cm) and a height of 10½ inches (26.5 cm), suitable for one size.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several intermediate to advanced knitting techniques:

• Bottom-up construction: The hat is knitted from the brim upward, beginning with a cast-on edge
• Seamless, worked-in-the-round: The entire hat is constructed in continuous rounds using circular needles and double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming
• Stranded colorwork: A charted pattern incorporates two colors (silver as the main color and bark as the contrast color) worked simultaneously using the stranded technique, where unused yarn is carried across the inside of the work
• Decreasing shaping: Strategic decreases are worked in a set-up round and then repeated to shape the crown, creating a fitted silhouette

Stitches Used

The Aria Hat utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined in specific ways:

• Knit and purl stitches: Form the basis of all knitting in this pattern
• K1, P1 Ribbing: A reversible rib pattern (knit 1, purl 1 alternating) worked for 4 rounds at the brim to create elasticity and a finished edge
• Charted stitch pattern: Rounds 1 through 32 follow a provided chart that incorporates the stranded colorwork design using knit stitches in two colors
• Decrease stitches: K2tog (knit 2 together) and ssk (slip, slip, knit) decreases are used symmetrically to shape the crown, with 8 stitches decreased per round over 10 decrease rounds until 16 stitches remain

Materials

The Aria Hat pattern calls for premium yarns and appropriate needles:

• Yarn: Stacy Charles Fine Yarns TAYLOR, a luxurious blend of 45% wool, 25% cashmere, and 30% viscose. One ball each of silver (main color) and bark (contrast color) is required. Each ball weighs 1.75 ounces (50 grams) and contains 132 yards (120 meters)
• Needles: One 16-inch (40 cm) circular needle in size 8 (5mm) for the main fabric, one 16-inch (40 cm) circular needle in size 6 (4mm) for the ribbed cuff, and a set of 4 or 5 size 8 (5mm) double-pointed needles for working the crown when stitches become too few for the circular needle
• Notions: Stitch markers to denote pattern repeats and shaping points, and a yarn needle for weaving in ends during finishing

Gauge

The pattern is worked at a gauge of 19 stitches and 17 rounds over 4 inches (10 cm) in the charted pattern using the larger needles. Checking gauge before beginning is essential to ensure the finished hat achieves the correct measurements.