The Way You Wear Your Hat

The Way You Wear Your Hat by Mary Annarella

Design Overview

The Way You Wear Your Hat is an intermediate-level knit hat pattern created by designer Mary Annarella in 2014. This downloadable PDF pattern addresses a common knitting challenge: working with variegated yarn that tends to pool and create unintended stripes when knitted. The design uses a clever stitch technique to minimize pooling while creating visual interest and texture in the finished hat.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a finished knit hat with a circumference of 21.6 inches and an approximate depth of 9 inches from the folded ribbing to the crown. The hat features a ribbed cuff with an unstretched circumference of 16.3 inches, making it a fitted, wearable topper suitable for a range of head sizes when stretched to fit.

Techniques and Stitches Used

The primary stitch pattern is called the Right Twist Pattern, which forms the main body of the hat. This pattern employs stacks of twisted, faux-cables that serve a dual purpose: they create an easy, almost-woven aesthetic while effectively breaking up color pooling that commonly occurs with variegated yarns. The faux-cable technique gives dimensional texture without the complexity of true cable stitches, making it accessible for intermediate knitters.

The hat features ribbing for the cuff, which provides stretch and a secure fit. The ribbing is worked to a gauge of 26.5 stitches and 28 rows per 4 inches when measured unstretched, creating a snug band that holds the hat securely on the head.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern is designed to work with variegated yarn paired with complementary solid yarn for the ribbing, though it can also be worked entirely in a single semi-solid yarn for a textural effect. This flexibility allows knitters to customize their hat based on yarn availability and personal preference. The pattern calls for size 7 needles (or the size needed to obtain proper gauge) to achieve the specified gauge of 20 stitches and 28 rows per 4 inches in the Right Twist Pattern when blocked.

Pattern Details

• Craft: Knitting
• Difficulty Level: Intermediate
• Finished Circumference: 21.6 inches
• Finished Depth: Approximately 9 inches from folded ribbing to crown
• Ribbing Circumference (unstretched): 16.3 inches
• Primary Stitch: Right Twist Pattern with faux-cables
• Gauge: 20 stitches and 28 rows per 4 inches (blocked) in Right Twist Pattern on size 7 needles
• Ribbing Gauge: 26.5 stitches and 28 rows per 4 inches (unstretched)

Design Philosophy

Mary Annarella created this pattern to solve the aesthetic problem many knitters face when working with multi-colored yarns. Rather than fighting the natural tendency of variegated yarns to pool, the Right Twist Pattern strategically breaks up pooling through its textured stitch structure. This approach transforms a potential design challenge into a feature, resulting in a hat that showcases the beauty of variegated yarn while maintaining visual coherence and an intentional, crafted appearance.