Wishbone Hat

Wishbone Hat by Annie Haas

What is Being Made

The Wishbone Hat is a beginner-friendly knitted hat designed by Annie Haas of This.Bird.Knits Designs. This project is ideal for both novice and experienced knitters, offering a quick, easily memorized stitch repeat combined with textured detailing. The hat functions as an excellent portable project suitable for travel knitting, as the pattern can be worked from memory once the repeat is established.

Knitting Techniques

The Wishbone Hat employs several fundamental knitting techniques. The pattern begins with a tubular cast-on method, which creates a particularly stretchy edge—an important feature that allows the finished hat to accommodate varying head sizes with flexibility. The hat is constructed in the round using circular needles, a standard technique for seamless hat construction. The pattern features a quick repeat that becomes easily memorized, making it an excellent project for knitters developing their skills and confidence with stitch pattern repetition.

Stitches and Stitch Details

While the specific stitch names are not detailed in the pattern excerpt provided, the Wishbone Hat is characterized by a textured stitch pattern that creates visual interest throughout the garment. The pattern's simplicity and memorability suggest it uses basic knitting stitches combined in a repeating sequence that produces the distinctive texture referenced in the design description.

Yarn and Materials

The Wishbone Hat is designed to be worked in worsted weight yarn. The sample shown uses Wishbone Flax Flower Twist Worsted Weight, a blend of 90% Merino and 10% Linen, which provides both warmth and breathability. Yardage requirements vary by size: approximately 115 yards for Size 1, 125 yards for Size 2, and 150 yards for Size 3, with Size 4 requiring up to 170 yards. The sample hat pictured in Pale Rider (Size 2) used approximately 125 yards and requires less than one full skein of 196 yards per 100 grams.

The pattern calls for two sets of circular needles: US Size 5 (3.75 mm) needles with a minimum 16-inch cord for the ribbed cuff, and US Size 8 (5.0 mm) needles with a minimum 16 or 20-inch cord for the main body of the hat. The use of two needle sizes creates a fitted ribbed edge that transitions into a more relaxed textured body.

Finished Measurements

The Wishbone Hat is offered in four sizes with the following finished measurements:

• Size 1: 15 inches (38 cm) un-stretched; 17–19 inches (43–49 cm) stretched
• Size 2: 17.68 inches (44 cm) un-stretched; 20–22 inches (51–56 cm) stretched
• Size 3: 20.2 inches (51 cm) un-stretched; 22–24 inches (56–61 cm) stretched
• Size 4: 22.7 inches (58 cm) un-stretched; 24 inches and above stretched

The stretchy tubular cast-on method allows the hat to accommodate a range of head sizes within each size category, providing flexibility in fit and comfort for the wearer.