Mulberry Slouch

Mulberry Slouch Knit Hat by Stefanie Bold

What is Being Made

The Mulberry Slouch is a downloadable knitting pattern for a slouch-style hat designed by Stefanie Bold. This intermediate-level project creates a modern, relaxed-fitting hat available in five sizes ranging from small teen to large adult, with finished circumferences from 16⅝ inches to 21⅛ inches. The design combines textural interest with practical warmth, making it suitable for various head sizes and age groups.

Design Features and Construction

The hat showcases a distinctive visual appearance that belies its straightforward construction. The primary design element is a slip stitch texture pattern that uses only knits and purls in single-color rounds, creating the illusion of complexity while remaining accessible to intermediate knitters. This textural approach allows for creative color play: knitters can achieve subtle effects by using lighter and darker shades of a single color, or create bolder visual impact by selecting two contrasting colors.

The hat features a practical doubled hem worked in stockinette stitch that provides extra warmth around the ears. Rather than traditional crown shaping, the design employs an envelope finish for a modern aesthetic. The crown closure is completed with a line of centered decreases that adds visual interest to the top of the hat.

Knitting Techniques and Stitches

This pattern utilizes several fundamental knitting techniques suitable for intermediate crafters:

• Slip stitch patterning: The core textural technique uses slip stitches combined with knit and purl stitches to build dimensional fabric without color changes within individual rounds
• Stockinette stitch: Used for the doubled hem foundation to provide smooth, elastic fabric that hugs the head comfortably
• Centered decreases: Applied at the crown to create a finished, visually interesting closure
• Envelope finish: A modern construction method that eliminates traditional crown shaping for a contemporary look

Yarn and Materials

The Mulberry Slouch pattern calls for 4-ply yarn weight, which provides excellent stitch definition for the slip stitch texture pattern. The gauge is 28 stitches and 40 rounds over 10 centimeters (4 inches) in stockinette stitch, allowing knitters to calculate yardage requirements based on their chosen size. Appropriate knitting needles sized to achieve this gauge are required; needle size will depend on individual knitter tension and the specific yarn selected.

Size Range

Five sizes accommodate a wide range of head sizes:

• Small Teen: 47 cm / 18½ inch head circumference, 42.3 cm / 16⅝ inch finished circumference
• Large Teen: 50.25 cm / 19¾ inch head circumference, 45.2 cm / 17¾ inch finished circumference
• Small Adult: 53.5 cm / 21 inch head circumference, 48.2 cm / 18⅞ inch finished circumference
• Medium Adult: 56.5 cm / 22¼ inch head circumference, 50.8 cm / 20 inch finished circumference
• Large Adult: 59.5 cm / 23½ inch head circumference, 53.6 cm / 21⅛ inch finished circumference