Valley Yarns Snowshoe Knitting Pattern

Valley Yarns Snowshoe Knit Beanie

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Snowshoe is a knit beanie hat designed by Julie Turjoman, inspired by the visual pattern of snowshoe tracks left on a winter hike. This cozy winter hat features a distinctive Icelandic colorwork pattern that wraps around the rise of the crown, creating visual interest through stranded color work. The beanie is available in three sizes: Small, Medium, and Large, with finished circumferences above the brim measuring 18¼ inches, 20 inches, and 23¼ inches respectively, fitting head circumferences of 18–19 inches, 20–21 inches, and 22–23 inches.

Techniques Used

The Snowshoe is constructed using several key knitting techniques that make it suitable for advanced beginners:

• Worked in the Round: The entire beanie is knit circularly using the seamless method, eliminating the need for seaming and creating a smooth, continuous fabric.
• Bottom-Up Construction: The hat is worked from the brim upward toward the crown, allowing for easy try-ons and adjustments during the knitting process.
• Stranded Colorwork: An Icelandic colorwork pattern is incorporated over 31 rounds, requiring the knitter to work with multiple colors simultaneously using the stranded technique. This method involves carrying unused yarn colors inside the hat while working with the active color, creating a warm, double-layered fabric in the patterned section.
• Seamless Construction: The hat requires no seaming, as it is worked continuously in the round from cast-on to bind-off.

Stitches Used

The Snowshoe employs fundamental knitting stitches appropriate for hat construction:

• Ribbed Band: The brim begins with a ribbed section, which provides stretch and helps the hat stay securely on the head.
• Stockinette Stitch: The body of the hat is worked in stockinette stitch (knit every round), creating a smooth, classic fabric that showcases the yarn's texture and the colorwork pattern.
• Decreases: Shaping near the crown uses standard decreases including knit two together (k2tog) and slip, slip, knit (ssk) to gradually reduce stitches and form the hat's crown.

Materials: Yarn and Needles

The Snowshoe pattern specifies Valley Yarns Deerfield, a luxurious blend of 80% baby alpaca and 20% silk. This fiber combination provides softness, warmth, and subtle sheen. The yarn is worked at a gauge of 24 stitches and 28 rounds over 4 inches in stockinette stitch.

Yarn Requirements: The pattern calls for three colors of Valley Yarns Deerfield, each skein weighing 50 grams with 109 yards of yardage. The main color (MC) requires 2 skeins in Natural, while two contrast colors (CC1 in Black and CC2 in Periwinkle) each require 1 skein. This provides sufficient yardage for all three sizes while allowing for weaving in ends and finishing.

Needles and Notions: Knitters will need size 5 (3.75 mm) circular needles measuring 16 inches in length for the main body, along with size 5 double-pointed needles (DPNs) for the crown decreases when stitches become too few for the circular needle. Additional materials include stitch markers to track pattern repeats and color changes, and a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends and grafting the final stitches closed.

Pattern Difficulty and Finishing

Rated as advanced beginner, the Snowshoe requires knitters to be comfortable with circular needle techniques and have experience with basic shaping. The stranded colorwork section demands attention to tension and color management, making it an excellent project for developing these intermediate skills. The pattern includes a colorwork chart that should be carefully studied, and knitters are advised to check gauge over both stockinette and the colorwork sections to ensure proper fit and fabric density. Finishing involves weaving all yarn ends on the wrong side of the work and blocking the beanie to match the specified measurements for optimal drape and fit.