Cartography Hat

Cartography Hat by Tin Can Knits

What Is Being Made

The Cartography Hat is a knitted hat designed by Tin Can Knits in a range of sizes from newborn through adult large. The hat features a classic crown construction with a ribbed brim and a charted colorwork section that creates a cartography-inspired pattern. The design offers flexibility with optional contrast color accents, including the option to work a "dipped brim" effect by casting on in a contrasting color before switching to the main color.

Sizing Options

This pattern includes six size options to fit head circumferences of:

• Newborn: 14" around
• Baby: 17" around
• Toddler: 19" around
• Child: 20" around
• Adult Small: 21" around
• Adult Large: 23" around

Knitting Techniques Used

The Cartography Hat employs circular knitting worked in the round using a marker to indicate the beginning of each round. The construction begins with a cast-on worked loosely to ensure comfortable fit around the head. The pattern incorporates color work using charted patterns, allowing knitters to work with two or more colors throughout the design. The optional "dipped brim" technique involves casting on with a contrasting color and working ribbing before switching to the main color, creating a distinctive two-tone edge.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch structure is 2x2 ribbing (knit 2, purl 2), which forms the brim section and provides stretch and recovery for comfortable wear. Following the ribbed brim, the pattern transitions to knit stitch for two rounds before introducing the charted colorwork pattern. The charted sections (Chart A) vary in length depending on size, ranging from 12 rounds for the newborn size to 22 rounds for toddler and child/adult sizes, allowing the colorwork design to scale appropriately with each size.

Materials and Yarn Requirements

The Cartography Hat is worked in DK weight yarn, a medium-light yarn weight that creates a fabric with good drape and definition for colorwork patterns. The pattern requires:

• Main Color (MC): 80–180 yards depending on size
• Contrast Color (CC): 40–90 yards depending on size

The contrast color may be worked as a single solid color or combined from multiple colors, offering creative flexibility for personalization. Sample garments shown in the pattern were knitted using Brooklyn Tweed Arbor yarn, demonstrating how this yarn weight and brand work beautifully for the design.

Needles

The pattern calls for two sizes of circular needles—smaller needles for the ribbed brim section and larger needles for the main body and colorwork sections. This needle size progression is a standard technique that allows the ribbing to be worked at a tighter gauge, ensuring the brim stays snug and elastic, while the larger needles create a more relaxed fabric for the body of the hat.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate, the Cartography Hat requires knitters to be comfortable with circular knitting, reading charts for colorwork, and managing multiple yarn colors. The progression from ribbing to stockinette to charted colorwork makes this an excellent project for knitters looking to develop or practice color work skills.