Counterpose Hat

Counterpose Hat by Corrine Walcher

What is Being Made

The Counterpose Hat is a knitted accessory featuring positive and negative colorwork design. This intermediate-level project creates a fitted hat with a finished unstretched circumference of 18 inches and a stretched circumference of 23 inches, standing 8.75 inches tall. The hat is part of a coordinating accessory set that also includes a matching cowl and fingerless gloves, allowing crafters to create a complete collection using complementary colorways.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

This pattern employs colorwork knitting as its primary technique, utilizing a chart-based design that incorporates positive and negative color blocking. The hat is knit in the round, which creates a seamless construction ideal for fitted headwear. The colorwork requires careful attention to tension, as the pattern notes that puckered colorwork will not block out properly, making consistent stitch tension essential for achieving the intended visual effect.

The stitch work uses fundamental knitting abbreviations including knit (K), purl (P), and knit two together (K2tog) decreases. The base fabric is worked in stockinette stitch, which provides a smooth, classic knit surface that showcases the colorwork pattern effectively.

Materials and Gauge

The Counterpose Hat is designed to work with worsted weight yarn. The sample was knit using Dragonfly Fibers Valkyrie, a 100% superwash merino yarn offering 200 yards per 4-ounce skein. The sample colorway combined Julia's Tresses (Color A) and Birch (Color B), using 116 yards total for the hat alone. The complete accessory set requires two full skeins of Valkyrie.

Needles required include a set of 5 double-pointed needles or a 16-inch circular needle in size 7 US (4.50 mm), or whatever size is needed to obtain proper gauge. The pattern calls for a gauge of 16 stitches and 24 rows per 4 inches in blocked stockinette stitch, knit in the round. Achieving this gauge is critical for the hat to fit correctly at the specified dimensions.

Design Flexibility

While the sample uses the darker colorway as the main color, the pattern explicitly allows crafters to choose their own color combinations. This flexibility enables customization while maintaining the positive and negative colorwork aesthetic that defines the Counterpose design.