Fais Do-Do Hat

Fais Do-Do Hat by Cheryl Toy

What Is Being Made

The Fais Do-Do is a palm fiber sun hat designed by Cheryl Toy of LittleChurch Knits. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a lightweight, breathable hat perfect for warm weather wear. The finished hat measures 21-1/4 inches, 23 inches, or 24 inches in circumference (after blocking), with approximately 1 inch of positive ease recommended for comfortable fit.

Craft and Techniques

This is a knitting project worked in the round using circular needles. The construction method employs several key techniques that give the hat its structure and visual interest:

• Magic Loop method or two circular needles (minimum 40-inch cable length) for working in the round
• Stockinette stitch as the primary fabric base, maintaining stitch markers throughout the piece
• Eyelet rounds that create decorative openings and add visual detail to the crown
• Kitchener stitch (also called grafting) to seamlessly close the top of the hat, creating a finished appearance without a visible seam
• Increases worked every other round during the crown shaping phase to expand the hat from the cast-on

Stitches Used

The pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches suitable for an intermediate maker:

• Stockinette stitch (St st) – the main fabric throughout the hat body
• Knit and purl stitches – basic building blocks
• Yarn overs (yo) – used in the eyelet rounds to create decorative holes
• Knit two together (k2tog) – decreases that pair with yarn overs in the eyelet pattern
• Kitchener stitch – an advanced finishing technique that grafts live stitches together for an invisible seam at the crown

Materials and Tools

The Fais Do-Do is designed to be worked in a specialized palm fiber yarn that creates an exceptionally lightweight and breathable fabric ideal for sun protection:

• Yarn: Universal Yarn Yashi, which is 100% raffia fiber. The pattern calls for 3 balls in color #103 Natural, with approximately 99 yards per 40-gram ball
• Yarn weight: Aran weight classification, though the raffia construction creates a distinctly different fabric than traditional wool or acrylic aran yarns
• Needles: US 7 (4.50 mm) circular needles, either two needles with a minimum 40-inch cable or configured for the Magic Loop method

Pattern Notes

The pattern includes helpful resources for makers unfamiliar with advanced techniques. Video tutorials are available through LittleChurch Knits for the Kitchener stitch, and a Kitchener Stitch Cheat Sheet is provided within the pattern document. The hat is worked from the crown downward, with increases shaping the crown before transitioning to even stockinette stitch for the body. Eyelet rounds add both visual interest and practical ventilation to this warm-weather accessory.