Paper Planes

Paper Planes Knit Hat by Amy van de Laar

What Is Being Made

Paper Planes is a downloadable knitting pattern for a hat featuring a distinctive ring of classic paper airplanes as seen from above. The design includes five different sizes, ranging from Baby through Adult Large, making it suitable for knitters creating hats for various age groups and head circumferences. The pattern is presented in both written and charted instruction formats, providing flexibility for knitters who prefer different reading styles.

Design and Visual Elements

The hat showcases a creative motif of paper airplane silhouettes arranged in a circular band around the crown. These airplane designs are outlined with twisted stitches, which create crisp, well-defined edges that make the paper plane imagery stand out clearly against the background fabric. This combination of stitch techniques produces a textured, visually interesting finished garment.

Knitting Techniques and Skills Required

Paper Planes is classified as an intermediate-level knitting project, requiring knitters to be comfortable with several fundamental techniques:

• Knitting in the round: The hat is constructed using circular needles, a method that creates seamless, tubular fabric ideal for hat construction
• Basic stitches: Knit and purl stitches form the foundation of the colorwork and textured design
• Decreases: Basic decrease techniques are used to shape the crown and create the fitted top of the hat
• Knitting through the back loop: This advanced stitch variation is incorporated into the pattern, adding technical depth and creating the twisted stitch outlines around the airplane motifs

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for 85 to 185 yards (78 to 170 metres) of yarn, with the yardage varying by size. The recommended yarn weights are 4-ply and sport weight, with the pattern specifically noting that one 50-gram ball of Skeinz Merino Soft 4ply will provide sufficient yardage for any of the five included sizes. The pattern emphasizes choosing a smooth, bouncy yarn to ensure the paper airplane motifs and twisted stitch details are clearly defined in the finished fabric.

Needles and Tools

Knitters will need US size 2½ / 3mm circular needles in an appropriate length for hat knitting, selected based on achieving the correct gauge as specified in the pattern. The same needle size in double-pointed needles (dpns) or a long circular needle is required for executing the final crown decreases, a common approach for completing the top of seamless hats when the stitch count becomes too small for circular needles.

Pattern Format and Instructions

This is a downloadable PDF pattern created by independent designer Amy van de Laar. The inclusion of both written and charted instructions accommodates different learning preferences and allows knitters to choose their preferred method for following the pattern instructions throughout the project.