Valley Yarns Taklamakan Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Taklamakan Knit Hat

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Taklamakan is a knitted winter hat designed by Susan Baron. This seamless, colorwork hat is crafted to add warmth and visual interest during cold weather. Available in two sizes—Adult Small and Adult Large—the finished hat measures 20" or 22" in circumference with an 8" height. The design features a snug ribbed band at the base that transitions into a plaid colorwork pattern across the main body and crown.

Techniques Used

This hat employs several intermediate knitting techniques that make it suitable for adventurous beginners with some experience. The garment is worked seamlessly in the round using circular needles and double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming. The construction follows a bottom-up approach, beginning with a ribbed cuff and progressing upward to the crown shaping.

Stranded colorwork is the primary decorative technique, with a plaid pattern worked across the body of the hat. This method involves carrying two colors of yarn simultaneously while knitting, creating the multi-colored design. The pattern uses a 10-stitch repeat of the plaid chart, worked in rounds and repeated multiple times around the circumference. Strategic stitch markers are placed between each pattern repeat to help maintain accuracy during colorwork sections.

The hat construction includes an increase round following the ribbing to expand the stitch count from 90 (100) stitches to 100 (110) stitches, allowing the ribbed band to fit snugly while the main body has proper ease. Crown decreases are worked to shape the top of the hat to a finished point.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (k) – The primary stitch forming the stockinette stitch base
• Purl stitch (p) – Used in alternation with knit stitches to create the 1×1 ribbing at the cuff
• Make One (M1) – An increase stitch used in the rise round to add stitches after the ribbing
• Stockinette stitch in the round – Created by knitting every round, forming the smooth fabric base for the colorwork pattern
• Stranded colorwork stitches – Standard knit stitches worked with two colors held simultaneously to create the plaid design

Materials and Yarn

The Taklamakan is designed to be knitted in Valley Yarns Peru, a luxurious blend of 84% Baby Alpaca, 8% Merino Wool, and 8% Nylon. Each ball contains 50 grams and approximately 120 yards of yarn. The pattern requires one ball each of two colors: Frost (color 11) for the main color and Berry Compote (color 16) for the contrast color in the colorwork pattern. This fiber blend creates a soft and squishy fabric ideal for cold-weather wear.

The pattern calls for US 9 (5.5mm) 16" circular needles for the main body and colorwork sections, with a gauge of 20 stitches and 26 rows over 4 inches in stockinette stitch with the colorwork pattern, when blocked. US 8 (5.0mm) 16" circular needles are used for the ribbed cuff to create a tighter gauge. Double-pointed needles of the larger size are needed for the final crown decreases when stitches become too few for circular needles. Additional materials include stitch markers to track pattern repeats and a yarn needle for weaving in ends.

Construction Details

The hat begins with a stretchy cast-on method—the pattern recommends the Old Norwegian Cast-on or another elastic technique—to ensure the ribbed band has adequate stretch. The ribbing is worked in 1×1 rib for approximately 1¾" or to the desired cuff height. After the ribbing is complete, stitches are increased evenly around, then the knitter transitions to the larger needle size and begins the plaid colorwork chart. The colorwork pattern is repeated three times total before crown shaping begins, creating a hat that measures approximately 7" from the cast-on edge before decreases commence.