String Aurora Hat Knitting Pattern

Aurora Hat by Lidia Karabinech

What is Being Made

The Aurora Hat is a sophisticated, seamed knit hat designed for adults in two sizes: Adult Small with a 20"/51 cm circumference and Adult Large with a 21½"/54.5 cm circumference. This downloadable knitting pattern creates a refined, modern hat suitable for everyday wear or as a luxury gift item.

Materials Required

This hat is crafted using premium yarn and essential knitting tools:

• Yarn: String Verona, a luxurious blend of 95% Cashmere and 5% Extrafine Merino Wool. The pattern requires 2 balls for Adult Small or 3 balls for Adult Large. Each ball contains 1.75 ounces (50 grams) and yields 88 yards (80 meters). The featured colorway is 2206 Sand.
• Needles: US 10 (6.0mm) needles, or the size needed to achieve proper gauge
• Additional Tools: Tapestry needle for seaming and finishing
• Optional: Pom pom for embellishment

Techniques Used

The Aurora Hat employs seamed construction and is worked flat rather than in the round, making it accessible to knitters who prefer flat knitting methods. The hat is constructed in distinct sections—a border, body, and crown—each with specific stitch patterns and shaping techniques. The seaming occurs on the right side of both the crown and body, with the border seamed to the cast-on edge. After completion, the border is turned up to create a finished look where the wrong side of the border becomes the visible right side.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Aurora Hat features a specialized stitch pattern called Twisted Stitch, which creates visual interest and texture throughout the hat. The Twisted Stitch is executed by slipping a stitch but leaving it on the left needle, then knitting the first stitch again through the back loop before removing both stitches from the needle—this creates 2 stitches from 2 stitches and produces a distinctive twisted appearance.

The pattern also incorporates fundamental knitting stitches and decreasing techniques:

• Knit (K): Basic knit stitch used for edge stitches and border sections
• Purl (P): Used for the initial border rows and alternating rows throughout the body
• P2tog (purl two together): A decrease used in the crown shaping to reduce stitch count
• SSK (slip, slip, knit): A left-leaning decrease used in the final crown shaping to create a neat, tapered top

Construction Details

The hat begins with casting on 68 stitches for Adult Small or 74 stitches for Adult Large. The border section is created by purling 2 rows, then alternating knit and purl rows in Twisted Stitch for 6 repeats, followed by 3 additional rows of alternating purl and knit. This border creates a folded edge that will be turned up after finishing.

The body section is worked in Twisted Stitch on the right side with purl rows on the wrong side, continuing until the piece measures 10 inches (25.4 cm) for Adult Small or 11 inches (28 cm) for Adult Large from the cast-on edge.

The crown shaping begins with strategic decreases: first, a purl decrease row reduces stitches to 46 (50), followed by even rows without decreases. A second decrease row using P2tog reduces to 24 (26) stitches, and a final row using SSK decreases to 13 (14) stitches. The yarn is cut with a generous tail, threaded through remaining stitches, and pulled gently to close the crown opening.

Gauge and Fit

The pattern specifies a gauge of 16 stitches and 20 rows over 4 inches (10 centimeters) in Twisted Stitch. Achieving proper gauge is essential for the hat to fit correctly at the specified circumference measurements.

Finishing

Finishing involves seaming the hat on the right side of the crown and body, then turning the hat over to seam the border to the cast-on edge on its