Akkol Hat

Akkol Hat by Terry Morris

What Is Being Made

The Akkol Hat is a knitted adult beanie designed by Terry Morris that combines multiple yarn colors to create striking visual patterning. This intermediate-level knitting project produces a finished hat with three available sizes: Adult Small (18" circumference), Adult Medium (20" circumference), and Adult Large (22" circumference). The hat features a distinctive wide hem that creates a double layer of fabric, providing both functional warmth and a polished appearance, particularly over the ears.

Techniques Used

This pattern employs stranded colorwork as its primary decorative technique, a method where multiple yarn colors are carried across the fabric to create intricate patterns. Stranded colorwork not only produces eye-catching visual effects but also adds structural warmth to the finished garment due to the extra yarn layers built into the fabric. The pattern is designed with flexibility in mind, offering both charted instructions and line-by-line written instructions, allowing knitters to choose their preferred method for following the pattern.

Stitches and Construction

The Akkol Hat is constructed using fundamental knitting stitches worked in the round. The pattern specifies a checkerboard pattern as the gauge reference, indicating the primary stitch pattern used throughout the colorwork sections. The hat begins with a cast-on worked on smaller needles to create the wide hem, which is then worked in the round using circular needles. Once the hem and main body reach the appropriate length, the pattern transitions to double point needles for the crown decreases, a standard technique for closing the top of a hat.

Materials and Yarn Requirements

The Akkol Hat requires worsted weight yarn in three distinct colorways:

• 150 yards of Main Color (MC)
• 75 yards of solid Contrasting Color A
• 75 yards of variegated Contrasting Color B

The total yardage requirement is 300 yards, making this an efficient project for stash yarn or smaller yarn quantities. The variegated yarn adds visual interest and complexity to the colorwork without requiring a fourth solid color.

Needles and Tools

The pattern calls for multiple needle sizes to achieve proper fabric structure:

• 16" circular needle in US size 6 (4.25mm or 4.0mm) for the hem cast-on and initial rows
• 16" circular needle in US size 8 (5.00mm) for the main body colorwork
• Set of double point needles in US size 8 (5.00mm) for crown decreases
• Stitch marker for tracking the beginning of each round

The use of smaller needles for the hem creates a tighter, more elastic fabric that holds its shape, while the larger needles for the main body allow the stranded colorwork pattern to display clearly at the specified gauge of 5 stitches per inch over the checkerboard pattern.

Skill Level

Rated as an intermediate project, the Akkol Hat is suitable for knitters who have mastered basic circular knitting and are ready to tackle stranded colorwork. The combination of multiple yarn colors, pattern reading (whether from charts or written instructions), and the transition from circular needles to double points provides appropriate challenge without overwhelming newer knitters.