Heart in my Hands Hat

Heart in my Hands Hat by Kath Andrews

What is Being Made

The Heart in my Hands Hat is a warm and comforting stranded knit hat designed to coordinate with the Heart in my Hands Mitts and Cowl collection. This intermediate-level knitting project features a decorative Fair Isle pattern with contrasting heart motifs positioned on the crown. The pattern is available in three sizes to accommodate different head measurements, making it a versatile accessory piece.

Construction Method

This hat is worked in the round from the brim to the crown, a popular technique that eliminates the need for seaming and creates a seamless, professional finish. The crown features contrasting spines that highlight the hearts nestled within the decreases, adding visual interest to the top of the hat. The structured construction ensures a comfortable fit and consistent fabric throughout the garment.

Stranded Knitting and Fair Isle Technique

The Heart in my Hands Hat employs stranded knitting, also known as Fair Isle knitting, to create the heart pattern. This technique involves carrying two colors of yarn simultaneously while knitting, dropping and picking up colors as the pattern dictates. The pattern provides specific guidance for managing multiple colors: holding the contrast color below both main colors to keep the Fair Isle design consistently prominent, and weaving the yarn not in use with the active yarn to avoid long floating strands inside the hat. For knitters who work with both hands, holding the contrast color in the left hand and the main color in the right hand achieves a smoother appearance.

Stitches and Techniques

While specific stitch abbreviations are not detailed in the provided content, the pattern utilizes standard knitting stitches combined with decreases to shape the crown. The contrasting spines created during the crown decreases serve both a structural and decorative purpose, framing the heart motifs that are central to the design.

Yarn and Materials

The Heart in my Hands Hat is designed to work with yarn in the 3-ply, 4-ply, and lace weight categories. The pattern recommends Erika Knight Wool Local, a 100% wool yarn with 450 meters per 100 grams. The design uses three colors: two main colors (MC1 and MC2) and one contrast color (CC). Meterage requirements vary by size:

• Small: MC1 – 68 meters/15 grams, MC2 – 41 meters/9 grams, CC – 63 meters/14 grams
• Medium: MC1 – 77 meters/17 grams, MC2 – 41 meters/9 grams, CC – 63 meters/14 grams
• Large: MC1 – 86 meters/19 grams, MC2 – 45 meters/10 grams, CC – 68 meters/15 grams

Knitting needles appropriate for the chosen yarn weight are required to work this pattern in the round.

Difficulty Level

Rated as an intermediate project, the Heart in my Hands Hat is suitable for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to explore stranded knitting techniques. The Fair Isle method and color management add complexity beyond basic knitting, making this pattern an excellent stepping stone for developing advanced colorwork abilities.