Gartered Garden Hat

Gartered Garden Hat by Terry Morris

What is Being Made

The Gartered Garden Hat is a women's medium-sized knit hat with a finished circumference of 19 inches. This design features a distinctive construction method that begins with a decorative garter stitch band adorned with buttonholes, which serves both a functional and aesthetic purpose. The crown of the hat is created by picking up stitches along one edge of the garter band, resulting in a unique silhouette suitable for warm-weather wear.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project employs several key techniques. The hat begins with a garter stitch band knit flat on straight needles, introducing knitters to the foundational garter stitch texture. The pattern incorporates buttonholes created through a bind-off technique, where stitches are passed over one another to create openings for ribbon weaving. The construction transitions from flat knitting to circular knitting as the crown is developed by picking up stitches from the completed band. The pattern offers flexibility in finishing methods, allowing knitters to choose between a center back seam or a provisional cast-on with grafting for a seamless join.

Stitches Used

• Garter Stitch: The primary stitch forming the decorative band, created by knitting every row for a textured, reversible fabric
• Knit Stitch: The fundamental stitch used throughout the construction
• Bind-Off: Used to create buttonholes by passing stitches over one another
• Stitch Pickup: Stitches are picked up along the edge of the garter band to begin crown shaping

Materials and Tools

This hat requires 160 yards of worsted weight yarn, approximately 2 balls. The sample was knit using Tropicana by Karabella yarns, a blend of 84% polyamide and 16% acrylic (50g/1.75oz per ball, 81 yards/75 meters per ball). Knitters will need a 16-inch circular needle in US Size 7 (4.5mm) and one set of US Size 7 (4.5mm) double-pointed needles for the flat band construction and crown shaping. Additional materials include a stitch marker for tracking rounds and 1 yard of 5/8-inch ribbon for weaving through the buttonholes. The recommended gauge is 4.5 stitches per 1 inch.