Sigurd Hat

Sigurd Hat by Corrine Walcher

What is Being Made

The Sigurd Hat is a knitted hat designed by Corrine Walcher, featuring a distinctive braided cable pattern inspired by ancient Norse runes. Named after the Saga of the Volsungs, an Icelandic saga, this hat is part of a coordinating collection that includes the Brynhild cowl and Aslaug fingerless mitts. The finished hat measures 18 inches around when unstretched and 23.5 inches when stretched, with a height of 8.75 inches, making it a versatile fit for most head sizes.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project is worked in the round, which creates a seamless construction ideal for hat making. The primary technique featured in the Sigurd Hat is cable knitting, specifically braided cables that create the Norse rune-inspired pattern. Cable work involves crossing groups of stitches over one another using a cable needle to create raised, twisted textures. The hat is worked in stockinette stitch as the base fabric, which provides a smooth, classic knit surface that allows the cable pattern to stand out prominently. Knitters will need to be comfortable with circular knitting and managing stitches on either double-pointed needles or a circular needle.

Stitches Used

• Knit (K): The fundamental stitch that forms the basis of stockinette when worked in the round
• Purl (P): Used to create texture contrast against the knit stitches, particularly in the cable pattern definition
• 2/1 Left Purl Cable (2/1 LPC): Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold in front; purl 1; knit 2 from cable needle
• 2/1 Right Purl Cable (2/1 RPC): Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold in back; knit 2; purl 1 from cable needle
• 2/2 Left Cable (2/2 LC): A symmetric cable cross that creates the braided effect characteristic of the Norse rune design
• Place Marker (PM) and Slip Marker (SM): Used to track pattern repeats and the beginning of rounds

Materials and Gauge

The sample hat was knitted using Dragonfly Fibers Valkyrie, a 100% superwash merino yarn in the colorway Nymeria, though the pattern is compatible with multiple yarn weights. The Sigurd Hat can be made with DK, worsted, or aran weight yarns, allowing knitters flexibility in fiber choice and finished fabric density. The sample required only 100 yards of yarn from a 200-yard/4 oz skein, making this an economical project.

Knitters should use US size 6 (4.00 mm) needles, either a set of 5 double-pointed needles or a 16-inch circular needle, though needle size may be adjusted to achieve proper gauge. The recommended gauge is 19 stitches and 26 rows per 4 inches in blocked stockinette stitch, knit in the round. Achieving this gauge is essential for the hat to fit correctly at the specified dimensions.