Brocatelle

Brocatelle Hat by Barbara Benson

What is Being Made

Brocatelle is a knitted hat designed by Barbara Benson featuring slipped stitch colorwork. This intermediate-level project creates beautifully complex color patterns through strategic stitch manipulation rather than traditional yarn carrying techniques.

Knitting Techniques Used

The primary technique featured in this hat is slipped stitch colorwork, which Barbara Benson describes as a favorite knitting method for producing intricate patterns with minimal extra effort. This technique builds colorwork patterns by slipping stitches from the previous row—which is a different color—without the need to carry extra yarns throughout the work. The designer notes that while the traditional approach involves knitting two-row stripes and slipping stitches with yarn held to the wrong side of the work, this hat design innovates on that standard method by varying the technique.

The hat is worked in the round, as indicated by the use of round-based abbreviations and construction methods typical of circular knitting.

Stitches Used

• Knit (k) – fundamental stitch for building fabric
• Purl (p) – creates textural variation
• Knit two together (k2tog) – decreases for shaping
• Slip stitch (s) – inserted purlwise with yarn held to wrong side of work unless otherwise specified, essential for the colorwork pattern
• Slip stitch with yarn in front (-wyif) – variation used strategically within the design
• Slip marker (sm) – used to track pattern repeats and round progression

Materials

This hat is worked with aran weight yarn, a medium-weight yarn that provides good stitch definition for displaying the slipped stitch colorwork patterns. The project requires appropriately sized knitting needles for aran yarn (specific needle size is referenced in the pattern gauge section). Additional notions include a tapestry needle for finishing, eight stitch markers (with one being unique to mark the beginning of round), and an optional pom pom maker for adding a decorative finish to the crown.

Difficulty Level

Rated as intermediate, this hat is suitable for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to explore colorwork techniques. The slipped stitch colorwork method, while visually complex, is accessible to intermediate crafters as it eliminates the complexity of managing multiple active yarn colors simultaneously.