Valley Yarns Chrysanthemum Hat Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Chrysanthemum Hat

What Is Being Made

The Chrysanthemum Hat is a beginner-friendly knit beanie designed by Kirsten Hipsky. This is a super simple, bright and stretchy beanie that finishes at 20 inches around and 8 inches tall, making it a classic fitted hat suitable for everyday wear. The design emphasizes simplicity and accessibility for newer knitters while producing a polished, wearable garment.

Construction Method

This hat is worked seamlessly in the round using the bottom-up construction method. Starting from the brim and working upward toward the crown, the seamless construction eliminates the need for finishing seams, which is ideal for beginners. The hat is knit on circular needles, allowing all stitches to be worked continuously in rounds without turning the work.

Stitches and Stitch Patterns

The Chrysanthemum Hat uses fundamental knitting stitches that make it accessible to beginners:

• Stockinette Stitch forms the main body of the hat, created by knitting all stitches on right-side rounds and purling on wrong-side rounds (though in the round, this simplifies to knitting every round)
• Ribbed Welt Stitch (alternating knit and purl stitches in a 1x1 pattern) creates the brim and cuff sections, providing stretch and a finished edge that hugs the head
• Slip, slip, knit (ssk) decrease stitch is used during the crown shaping to gradually reduce stitches from 88 down to 8 stitches, creating a tapered crown

The pattern alternates between ribbed sections and stockinette sections, repeating the rib-and-knit sequence multiple times before transitioning to the decrease rounds that shape the crown.

Techniques Used

Several key knitting techniques are employed throughout this design:

• Casting on 88 stitches to establish the foundation
• Joining in the round to begin seamless, circular knitting
• Stitch marker placement to track the beginning of rounds and to mark decrease points during crown shaping
• Gauge measurement at 4.5 stitches and 8 rows per inch in Stockinette Stitch, ensuring proper fit
• Decreasing using the ssk technique, worked strategically every round during the final shaping phase to close the crown
• Finishing by cutting the yarn, drawing it through remaining stitches to close the top, and weaving in loose ends

Materials and Tools

The Chrysanthemum Hat requires minimal materials, making it an economical project:

• Yarn: 2 skeins of Valley Yarns Stockbridge in the color Kiwi. This yarn is a premium blend of 50% Superfine Alpaca and 50% Wool, with each skein containing 50 grams and 109 yards of yardage, totaling approximately 218 yards for the finished hat
• Needles: US size 7 (4.5mm) 16-inch circular needles, or the size needed to achieve the specified gauge
• Notions: 4 stitch markers to track round beginnings and decrease positions during crown shaping

Difficulty Level

This pattern is rated as beginner level, making it an excellent choice for knitters new to circular needles and in-the-round construction. The straightforward stitch patterns, clear structure, and minimal shaping techniques provide a manageable learning experience while producing a professional-looking finished garment.