Valley Yarns Veranda Tam Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Veranda Tam

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Veranda Tam is an intermediate-level knitted hat designed by Kirsten Hipsky. This fingering weight tam features a classic beret-style silhouette with a finished brim measurement of 20 inches around. The tam combines decorative stitch patterning with functional shaping, creating a sophisticated accessory suitable for various occasions and seasons.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several advanced knitting techniques that work together to create visual interest and structural integrity:

• Seamless construction: The tam is worked in the round from the bottom up using circular needles, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a continuous, polished fabric.
• Cable work: Cable stitches are integrated throughout the pattern, including cable three over two right and cable two over two right and left variations that add textural depth and dimension.
• Lace patterning: Yarn overs and decreases (including ssk, k2tog, and sl1-k2tog-psso) create openwork elements that interact with the cable motifs. The pattern notes that the design successfully balances cables in a lace pattern with lace in a cable pattern.
• Shaping: The tam incorporates strategic decreases in the crown section that gradually reduce stitches and create the characteristic rounded, full shape of a tam o'shanter.

Stitches Used

The Veranda Tam employs a variety of knitting stitches to achieve its textured appearance:

• Knit and purl stitches for ribbing and stockinette sections
• Yarn overs (yo) for lace openings
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk) decreases
• Knit two together (k2tog) decreases
• Slip one, knit two together, pass slipped stitch over (sl1-k2tog-psso) central decreases
• Cable stitches worked with a cable needle
• Purl two together (p2tog) for decreasing in purl sections

Materials and Specifications

The pattern is designed to use one 100-gram skein of Valley Yarns Charlemont yarn, which contains 439 yards of fingering weight fiber. The yarn composition is 60% Fine Superwash Merino, 20% Mulberry Silk, and 20% Polyamide, offering a blend of warmth, luster, and durability. The recommended colorway shown is Whipple Blue.

Knitting needles required include US size 3 (3.25 mm) and US size 5 (3.75 mm) 16-inch circular needles, or the size needed to achieve proper gauge. Additional materials include stitch markers for tracking pattern repeats and a cable needle for executing cable stitches. The pattern is worked to a gauge of 32 stitches and 40 rows over 5 inches in stitch pattern using the larger needles.

Construction Overview

The tam begins with 120 stitches cast on with smaller needles and worked in one-by-one ribbing for one inch to create an elastic, fitted brim. Stitches are then increased to 160 stitches through a set-up round that introduces the lace and cable pattern. The main pattern repeats over 20 rounds and is worked twice, followed by a partial repeat through round 19, creating the body of the tam. Crown decreases are then worked in subsequent rounds to shape the top, gradually reducing stitches and creating the tam's distinctive rounded silhouette. The combination of techniques and the interplay between cable and lace elements make this an engaging project for knitters with intermediate-level skills.