String Carey Cabled Hat Knitting Pattern

String Carey Cabled Hat

What Is Being Made

The Carey Cabled Hat is a seamless, one-size-fits-all knitted hat designed by Lisa Hoffman. This classic knit hat features a sophisticated cable pattern and is worked from the bottom up in the round. The finished hat measures 18 inches (45 cm) in circumference and 8 inches (20.5 cm) in height, making it a versatile accessory suitable for various head sizes due to its stretchy construction.

Techniques Used

This hat employs several intermediate to advanced knitting techniques that create visual interest and structure:

• Seamless construction: The entire hat is worked in the round using circular needles and double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming
• Bottom-up construction: The hat is knitted starting from the brim and progressing upward to the crown
• Cable work: Cables are a primary design feature, created using cable needles to cross stitches over one another
• Decreasing techniques: Multiple decrease rounds shape the crown, including k2tog (knit two together) and ssk (slip, slip, knit) decreases, as well as a specialized Right Cable Double Decrease (RCDD) stitch
• Stitch marker placement: Removable stitch markers help track pattern repeats and decrease points throughout construction

Stitches Used

The Carey Cabled Hat incorporates a variety of essential knitting stitches:

• 2x2 Rib: Creates the elastic cuff at the brim, alternating knit and purl stitches in a 2-by-2 pattern
• Stockinette Stitch: The base fabric between cable sections, created by knitting every round
• C6B (Cable 6 Back): Slip 3 stitches to a cable needle and hold to the back, knit 3 stitches from the left needle, then knit the 3 stitches from the cable needle
• C6F (Cable 6 Front): Slip 3 stitches to a cable needle and hold to the front, knit 3 stitches from the left needle, then knit the 3 stitches from the cable needle
• C5F (Cable 5 Front): Slip 3 stitches to a cable needle and hold to the front, knit 2 stitches from the left needle, then knit the 3 stitches from the cable needle
• Right Cable Double Decrease (RCDD): A specialized decrease that combines cable work with decreasing by slipping 2 stitches to a cable needle and knitting them together with stitches from the left needle

Materials

The Carey Cabled Hat is crafted using premium materials that provide both warmth and softness:

• Yarn: STRING DOLCETTO, a luxurious blend of 70% Merino wool and 30% cashmere. The pattern calls for 2 balls of this yarn, with each ball containing 1.75 ounces (50 grams) and 136 yards (125 meters). The primary colorway uses silver (color 200073) as the main color and ebony (color 400002) as the contrast color, with an alternate colorway option of almond (color 200007) as the main color and silver as the contrast
• Needles: Size 8 (5mm) circular needle measuring 16 inches (40 cm) long for the main body, with a matching set of size 8 (5mm) double-pointed needles for working the crown decreases when stitches become too tight for the circular needle
• Additional tools: Cable needle for executing cable stitches, stitch markers to track pattern repeats and decrease rounds, a removable stitch marker for marking specific points, and a yarn needle for weaving in ends
• Optional embellishment: A pom pom may be added to the crown for decorative purposes

Pattern Structure

The hat begins with a 2x2 ribbed cuff that provides stretch and shape retention. The main body features a 12-round cable pattern that repeats multiple times, alternating between C6B and C6F cable crosses with stockinette stitch sections. After the cable pattern is complete, strategic decre