Highlander Plaid Hat

Highlander Plaid Hat by Jennifer Myrick

What is Being Made

The Highlander Plaid Hat is a knitted winter hat designed by Jennifer Myrick that celebrates the spirit of high school football tradition. This advanced-level knitting project creates a finished hat with an unstretched circumference of 19½ inches and an unfolded length of 10 inches, making it a classic fit for adult wearers. The design incorporates a plaid pattern using contrasting colors inspired by traditional Highlander football team colors—cobalt blue and gold—combined with white accents for visual depth and authenticity.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs several intermediate to advanced knitting techniques that make it suitable for experienced knitters. The hat is constructed using circular knitting in the round, which eliminates the need for seaming and creates seamless fabric. The pattern incorporates stranded colorwork (also known as Fair Isle knitting), a technique where multiple yarn colors are carried across the back of the work to create the plaid design. Knitters will also utilize ribbed edging to create a stretchy, form-fitting brim that helps the hat stay securely in place. The construction begins with a smaller needle size for the ribbed brim section before transitioning to larger needles for the main patterned body, a common approach that provides both elasticity and proper gauge for the colorwork section.

Stitches Used

The Highlander Plaid Hat uses fundamental knitting stitches combined in strategic ways. The brim features a knit and purl ribbed pattern worked as *K3, P2* (knit 3 stitches, purl 2 stitches) repeated to the end of each round. This ribbed stitch creates vertical columns of texture that provide elasticity and help the hat conform to the wearer's head. The main body of the hat utilizes stockinette stitch (knit stitches on every round when working in the round) as the foundation for the plaid colorwork pattern. The plaid design itself is created through stranded colorwork, where stitches are worked in different colors according to the pattern chart, with unused yarn colors carried (stranded) along the inside of the work until needed again.

Materials

The Highlander Plaid Hat pattern calls for specific materials chosen for durability, warmth, and authentic color representation. Yarn: The pattern uses Cascade Yarns CASCADE 220, a worsted-weight yarn made from 100% Peruvian Highland Wool. Three skeins are required: one skein of #9457 Cobalt Heather (main color), one skein of #4147 Lemon Yellow (contrast color 1), and one skein of #8505 White (contrast color 2). Each skein provides 100 grams and 220 yards of yardage. Needles: Two sizes of 16-inch circular needles are needed—Size 5 (3.75mm) for the ribbed brim section and Size 7 (4.5mm) for the main patterned body. The gauge is 22 stitches and 25 rounds per 4 inches when measured over the pattern on the larger needles. Notions: Additional supplies include a stitch marker to indicate the beginning of each round, a tapestry needle for weaving in yarn ends, and a cable needle for any cable techniques if incorporated into the design.

Pattern Overview

The hat construction begins with casting on 105 stitches using the main color (Cobalt Heather) on the smaller circular needles. After joining to work in the round while being careful not to twist the stitches, knitters work the ribbed brim pattern (*K3, P2*) for 3 inches. This ribbed section provides the elastic foundation that keeps the hat secure on the head. Following the brim, the pattern transitions to the larger needles and the main plaid colorwork body, where the stranded Fair Isle technique brings the Highlander football team colors to life in a traditional plaid design. The advanced difficulty rating reflects the skill required to manage multiple yarn colors while maintaining even tension and consistent stitch size throughout the colorwork section.