Split Rib Hat in Blue Sky Fibers Baby Alpaca - 201907 - Downloadable PDF

Split Rib Hat in Blue Sky Fibers Baby Alpaca – Pattern No. 201907

This downloadable PDF knitting pattern, Split Rib Hat No. 201907, is part of The Traveler Series from Blue Sky Fibers and was designed by Bobbi Intveld. It produces a stretchy, warm, and beautifully textured knitted hat worked in a classic 2x2 rib stitch with a distinctive split rib brim detail. The colorway shown in the pattern is No. 802 Pesto, worked in Baby Alpaca yarn — Blue Sky Fibers' 100% baby alpaca yarn — giving the finished hat an exceptionally soft and luxurious feel against the skin.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a single unisex knitted hat designed to fit a wide range of adult head sizes. The finished hat has a circumference of 15 inches slightly stretched, with the ability to stretch comfortably to fit adult heads measuring 19 to 22 inches. The finished height is 12 inches, making it a generously sized hat suitable for cold-weather wear. The split rib brim is a key design feature, adding a subtle stylistic detail that gives the hat what the designer describes as "a hint of attitude" — a look that works equally well for men and women.

Techniques Used

This pattern is rated Advanced Beginner to Intermediate in difficulty, making it an excellent project for knitters who are comfortable with basic knitting in the round and are ready to explore simple shaping and ribbing techniques. Key techniques used throughout the pattern include:

• Knitting in the round on a circular needle, transitioning to double pointed needles as stitches decrease toward the crown
• 2x2 ribbing (knit 2, purl 2) worked consistently throughout the body of the hat to create an elastic, form-fitting fabric
• Split rib brim construction, which introduces a distinctive structural detail at the lower edge of the hat
• Crown decreases using the k2tog (knit two together) decrease method to shape the top of the hat smoothly
• Casting on and binding off, along with the use of stitch markers to track pattern repeats and decrease rounds
• Finishing with a tapestry needle to weave in ends neatly

Stitches Used

The stitch pattern is straightforward and highly rhythmic, making it meditative to knit once the repeat is established. The primary stitches and techniques called for in the pattern are:

• Knit stitch (k) — the foundational stitch used throughout
• Purl stitch — worked in combination with knit stitches to create the 2x2 rib texture
• 2x2 Rib — alternating two knit stitches and two purl stitches to create a stretchy, vertically ridged fabric; gauge is 32 stitches and 37 rows to 4 inches in 2x2 rib, slightly stretched
• K2tog (knit two together) — a right-leaning decrease used during crown shaping

Materials Required

The pattern calls for the following specific materials:

• Blue Sky Fibers Baby Alpaca yarn (100% baby alpaca; 50g / 110 yards per hank) — 2 hanks required. Baby alpaca is prized for its exceptional softness, warmth, and slight sheen, and it is notably lighter and less scratchy than traditional wool, making it ideal for a hat worn close to the face.
• Size 2 (2.75mm) 16-inch circular needle, or the size needed to obtain gauge
• Size 2 (2.75mm) double pointed needles (dpns), or the size needed to obtain gauge, used for working the crown decreases when the stitch count becomes too small for the circular needle
• Stitch markers to mark the beginning of the round and any decrease