Celery Slouch in Blue Sky Fibers - T18 - Downloadable PDF

Celery Slouch Hat Knitting Pattern by Robin Melanson – Blue Sky Fibers Traveler's Series

The Celery Slouch is a beautifully relaxed, oversized beret-style hat from the Traveler's Series, designed by Robin Melanson and published by Blue Sky Fibers (formerly Blue Sky Alpacas). This downloadable PDF knitting pattern is ideal for beginner knitters looking to build confidence with in-the-round construction while producing a stylish, wearable accessory. The design is intentionally simple, allowing the exceptional softness of the yarn to take center stage.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a single slouchy beret hat knitted in the round. It is offered in one size, with a finished band circumference of approximately 18 inches and a hat circumference of approximately 24 inches. The generous difference between the band and the body of the hat creates the signature slouchy, relaxed silhouette. The sample shown in the pattern photography is worked in Celery colorway #543.

Techniques Used

The construction of the Celery Slouch uses several fundamental knitting techniques that make it an excellent project for beginners while still offering satisfying progression:

• Knitting in the round – the entire hat is worked circularly, beginning on a 16-inch circular needle and transitioning to double pointed needles as the crown decreases reduce the stitch count
• Ribbed brim – seven rounds of 1x1 ribbing create a snug, stretchy band at the cast-on edge
• Needle size transition – the pattern intentionally switches from a smaller circular needle to a larger circular needle after the ribbing, creating a natural increase in fabric drape and volume
• Uniform crown shaping – a structured sequence of decrease rounds interspersed with plain knit rounds tapers the crown smoothly from 144 stitches down to 24 stitches before the final draw-through finishing
• Optional elastic threading – the pattern includes guidance for weaving a piece of 1mm round covered elastic (approximately 22 inches long) through the inside of the ribbed band to improve fit and keep the brim securely in place
• Blocking – finishing by blocking the hat is recommended to open up the fabric and achieve the full slouchy shape

Stitches Used

The stitch vocabulary in this pattern is minimal and beginner-friendly, relying on just a handful of techniques:

• 1x1 Ribbing – alternating knit 1, purl 1 worked over an even number of stitches for the brim section
• Stockinette stitch in the round – all knit rounds form the smooth, classic stockinette fabric that makes up the body of the hat; gauge is measured in stockinette at 24 stitches and 32 rounds to 4 inches
• M1 (Make 1) – a single increase round after the ribbing expands the stitch count from 108 to 144 stitches, creating the volume needed for the slouch
• K2tog (Knit 2 Together) – the primary decrease stitch used throughout the crown shaping rounds to reduce stitches gradually and evenly

Materials Required

The pattern is specifically designed to showcase Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight yarn, a luxuriously soft sport-weight fiber. The materials list includes:

• Blue Sky Alpacas Sport Weight – 3 hanks (50g / 110 yards each), in the featured Celery #543 colorway or any preferred color
• Size 4 (3.5mm) 16-inch circular needle, or size needed to obtain gauge – used for the main body of the hat
• Size 4 (3.5mm) double pointed needles, or size needed to obtain gauge – used for the crown shaping
• Size 3 (3.25mm) 16-inch circular needle, or size needed to obtain gauge – used for the ribbed brim