Backwards C Lazy Days

Backwards C Lazy Days Knit Hat by Ivy Sipes

What is Being Made

Backwards C Lazy Days is a colorwork knit hat designed by Ivy Sipes, an independent designer based in Fort Collins, Colorado. This intermediate-level hat project features colorwork inspired by Cherokee Park Ranch, a historic stagecoach stop located between Fort Collins and Laramie. The design celebrates meaningful friendships and the rich history of this special location, making it more than just a functional accessory—it carries personal and sentimental significance.

Knitting Techniques Used

This hat is constructed using several key knitting techniques appropriate for an intermediate crafter:

• Knitting in the round: The hat is worked circularly, which creates a seamless construction ideal for hat crowns and maintains consistent fabric texture throughout
• Provisional cast on: This technique allows for live stitches that can be picked up later, commonly used in hat designs for creating finished edges or adding ribbing after the main body is complete
• Colorwork knitting: The design incorporates multiple colors to create the "Backwards C" motif, requiring the knitter to manage yarn tension across different colored sections

Stitches and Stitch Details

The primary stitch structure used in this hat is stockinette stitch, which creates a smooth, classic knit fabric with a recognizable V-pattern texture. Stockinette stitch is ideal for showcasing colorwork patterns, as it provides a clean canvas for the design elements. The gauge for this project is 23 stitches over 4 inches in stockinette stitch, which is standard for worsted and aran weight yarns and helps determine the finished hat dimensions.

Materials: Yarn, Needles, and Notions

Yarn: The pattern calls for Brown Sheep Company Lanaloft worsted weight yarn, which is 100% wool at 160 yards per 100 grams. The colorwork design uses multiple color options, allowing knitters to choose their preferred palette. Available color combinations include:

• Sandstone Cove, Roasted Pepper, and Herbal Garden Blue
• Sandstone Cove, Cobalt Ice, and Victorian Plum

Needles: The pattern requires US 8 (5mm) needles in two configurations. A 16-inch circular needle is used for the main body of the hat, worked in the round. US 8 (5mm) double-pointed needles are needed for the crown decreases when the stitch count becomes too small for the circular needle.

Notions and Tools: Additional supplies include a size H crochet hook (likely for finishing techniques or securing yarn ends), a tapestry needle for weaving in ends and seaming if necessary, a removable stitch marker for tracking pattern repeats, and waste yarn for the provisional cast-on technique.

Yarn Weight and Difficulty Level

This pattern is designed for intermediate knitters and uses aran and worsted weight yarns. These yarn weights are thicker than sport or fingering weights, allowing stitches to work up quickly while still maintaining the detail needed for colorwork patterns. The intermediate difficulty reflects the combination of techniques required: managing in-the-round construction, executing colorwork, handling provisional cast-ons, and executing crown decreases.