874 Finocchio - Hat Knitting Pattern for Women in Valley Yarns Sunderland

Pattern 874 Finocchio – Women's Lace Beanie Knitting Pattern by Julie Turjoman

The Finocchio is a beautifully crafted women's beanie hat designed by Julie Turjoman and published as pattern #874. It is worked in Valley Yarns Sunderland, a 100% baby alpaca DK-weight yarn celebrated for its exceptional softness and luxurious next-to-skin feel. This pattern is rated advanced and is available as a downloadable PDF, making it an excellent choice for experienced knitters looking to expand their skills with a refined, textured accessory.

What Is Being Made

The Finocchio is a fitted beanie-style hat designed for women. It features a classic silhouette with a narrow ribbed brim that transitions seamlessly into an allover textured eyelet slip-stitch pattern that flows up the body of the hat toward a shaped crown. The hat is offered in four sizes to accommodate a wide range of head circumferences.

• Size S: Fits head circumference 18–19 inches
• Size M: Fits head circumference 20–21 inches
• Size L: Fits head circumference 22–23 inches
• Size XL: Fits head circumference 23–24 inches

The sample shown in the pattern is knitted in Size M and worked in the colorway Spring Willow, a soft, nature-inspired shade that complements the delicate eyelet texture beautifully.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several knitting techniques that place it firmly in the advanced difficulty category. Knitters should be comfortable with working in the round, reading lace or textured stitch charts, and executing tidy crown decreases before beginning this project.

• Bottom-up construction: The hat is worked from the cast-on edge at the brim upward toward the crown, a traditional and intuitive approach for hat knitting.
• Worked in the round: The entire hat is knitted in the round using circular needles, then transitioning to double-pointed needles as stitches decrease at the crown.
• Lace and textured eyelet slip-stitch patterning: The body of the hat features an allover textured eyelet slip-stitch pattern, a technique that combines yarn-overs and slipped stitches to create a sophisticated, dimensional fabric with visual interest and a light, airy quality.
• Ribbing: A narrow ribbed band is worked at the brim to provide stretch and a neat, fitted edge.
• Crown shaping with decreases: Evenly spaced decreases are worked at the crown to shape the top of the hat, requiring attention to stitch counts and pattern continuity.

Stitches Used

The Finocchio draws on a combination of fundamental and more advanced knitting stitches to achieve its distinctive look.

• Knit and purl stitches form the foundation of the ribbed brim and the textured body pattern.
• Slip stitches are central to the allover textured eyelet slip-stitch pattern, adding depth and a woven-like quality to the fabric.
• Yarn-overs create the eyelet openings that give the pattern its lace-like character.
• Decrease stitches are used during crown shaping to reduce the stitch count and close the top of the hat neatly.

The textured stitch pattern is worked over a four-round repeat, making it rhythmic and satisfying to knit once the sequence is established. Blocking is recommended and integral to achieving the correct gauge and allowing the eyelet pattern to open up fully.

Materials

The pattern calls for Valley Yarns Sunderland, a DK-weight yarn made from 100% baby alpaca. Each skein contains 50 grams and approximately 109 yards. The yardage required varies by size:

• Sizes S and M: 2 skeins
• Sizes L and XL: