Reili Hat in Novita 7 Veljestä Pohjola - Downloadable PDF

Reili Hat in Novita 7 Veljestä Pohjola – Free Knitting Pattern Summary

The Reili Hat is a beautifully simple yet elegant knitted hat designed by Sisko Sälpäkivi and worked in Novita 7 Veljestä Pohjola yarn. This free, downloadable PDF pattern is suitable for intermediate knitters and produces a cosy, generously sized beanie with a clean, minimalist aesthetic. The finished hat measures approximately 55 cm in circumference when lightly stretched, making it a comfortable one-size-fits-most design.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a single knitted hat — a classic, deep-crowned beanie worked entirely in the round. The design is characterised by its long, uninterrupted body of stockinette stitch before a tidy, symmetrical decrease section closes the crown. The result is a smooth, stretchy hat with a neat gathered top, ideal for everyday cold-weather wear.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for Novita 7 Veljestä Pohjola, an aran weight yarn, in colourway 050. Approximately 150 g of yarn is required to complete the hat. This yarn is known for its warmth and durability, making it an excellent choice for winter accessories.

• Yarn: Novita 7 Veljestä Pohjola, colourway 050, 150 g
• Needles: Circular needles for the main body, transitioning to double-pointed needles when the stitch count reduces during crown shaping
• Weight: Aran

Techniques Used

The Reili Hat is worked entirely in the round, beginning with a cast-on of 100 stitches. The body of the hat is knitted in a continuous tube for 48 cm before crown shaping begins. This extended body length gives the hat its characteristic deep, slouchy silhouette.

Crown shaping is achieved through a structured decrease round worked with the help of stitch markers. Four markers divide the stitches into four equal sections of 25 stitches each. Decreases are then worked symmetrically within each section on every round until only a small number of stitches remain, at which point the yarn is broken, threaded through the remaining stitches, and the hole is closed — a classic finishing technique for knitted hats in the round.

Stitches Used

• Stockinette stitch in the round — the primary stitch used throughout the body of the hat, creating a smooth, flat fabric on the right side
• SKP (slip, knit, pass slipped stitch over) — a left-leaning decrease used during crown shaping
• K2tog (knit two together) — a right-leaning decrease used in combination with SKP to create symmetrical, paired decreases within each marker section
• Marker placement and slipping — used to organise the four decrease sections evenly around the crown

Crown Shaping Detail

The decrease section begins once the body reaches 48 cm in length. On the first decrease round, 8 stitches are removed, bringing the total from 100 down to 92. Each subsequent round continues to decrease 8 stitches, with a knit 1 buffer stitch maintained on either side of each decrease pair for a clean, structured appearance. As the stitch count drops, knitters are instructed to switch from circular needles to double-pointed needles to accommodate the smaller circumference comfortably. Decreasing continues until 5 stitches remain on each needle, at which point the hat is finished off in the traditional manner.

Pattern Format and Accessibility

The Reili Hat in Novita 7 Veljestä Pohjola is available as a free downloadable PDF, making it an accessible and cost-effective project for knitters looking to build their skills in working in the round and shaping a crown. Rated as intermediate in difficulty, it is an ideal project for knitters who are comfortable with circular and double-pointed needles and