Valley Yarns Hearts of Oak Hat Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Hearts of Oak Hat

What Is Being Made

The Hearts of Oak Hat is a slouchy knit hat designed by Kirsten Hipsky, featuring a textured stitch pattern that creates subtle, intriguing heart shapes throughout the fabric. This hat was the first installment in the 2012 Stitch Red campaign and is notable for its reversible aesthetic—both the right and wrong sides of the fabric are visually appealing, allowing the wearer to choose which side to display or even wear the hat inside out for a different look. The finished hat measures approximately 20 inches around.

Techniques Used

This advanced beginner knitting project is worked in the round using circular needles and double-pointed needles, which creates a seamless construction. The pattern employs several key knitting techniques to achieve its distinctive textured design:

• Ribbing for the brim using knit and purl stitches
• Increases using the Cable Decrease Increase (CDI) technique
• Decreases using the p3tog (purl three together) decrease
• Strategic shaping to transition from the main body to the crown
• Final crown decreases using k2tog (knit two together) to close the top

Stitches Used

The Hearts of Oak Hat utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined in a sophisticated pattern repeat:

• Knit (k) and purl (p) stitches form the base of the pattern
• k1, p1 ribbing for the brim, creating elasticity and a finished edge
• Cable Decrease Increase (CDI) stitches that create the subtle heart shapes through strategic increases
• p3tog (purl three together) decreases that complement the CDI increases and define the heart motif
• k2tog (knit two together) decreases used during crown shaping to gradually reduce stitches

The main body pattern repeats over 16 rounds, with the sequence worked a total of 5 times or to desired length before crown shaping begins. The interplay between the CDI increases and p3tog decreases creates the textured heart pattern that characterizes this design.

Materials

The Valley Yarns Hearts of Oak Hat requires the following materials:

• Yarn: 1 skein of Valley Yarns Northampton (100% Wool, 247 yards per 100 grams) in the color Red
• Needles: US size 7 (4.50mm) 16-inch circular needles and double-pointed needles for the main body; US size 5 (3.75mm) 16-inch circular or double-pointed needles for the brim (or size needed to achieve proper gauge)
• Gauge: 24 stitches and 28 rows equal 4 inches in the main body pattern stitch with larger needles after blocking; 18 stitches and 26 rows equal 4 inches in the brim ribbing

The use of 100% wool yarn provides warmth, elasticity, and the structure needed to showcase the textured Hearts of Oak stitch pattern effectively. The needle size progression from smaller needles for the ribbed brim to larger needles for the main body creates a fitted edge that transitions smoothly to the slouchy main section.