Colorado Cadet / Newsboy Cap

Colorado Cadet / Newsboy Cap by Cheryl Andrews

What Is Being Made

The Colorado Cadet is a tailored knit cap featuring a structured brim and newsboy-style silhouette. This intermediate-level knitting project creates a classic, fitted cap with professional shaping achieved through thoughtful construction techniques rather than external stiffening materials. The design produces an adult medium-sized hat suitable for everyday wear.

Construction and Shaping Techniques

This pattern employs innovative geometric shaping to create a structured brim without relying on cardboard or plastic inserts. The brim achieves its distinctive shape through a combination of tight gauge knitting, double-layered construction, and strategic stitch manipulation. The pattern emphasizes the importance of maintaining consistent tension throughout the brim section, as loose knitting will result in a floppy, unshaped brim. Knitters are advised to consider dropping down a needle size if they naturally knit with a looser tension to ensure the brim holds its intended form.

The cap is constructed primarily by working in the round using circular needles, with the brim section worked back and forth in flat rows to establish the foundational structure before transitioning to circular knitting for the crown.

Stitches and Stitch Techniques Used

• Knit-on cast on – Used to begin the brim with an elastic, flexible edge
• Knit and purl ribbing – The first row features [K1, P1] ribbing worked into each stitch to increase stitch count from 52 to 104 stitches
• Slip stitch technique – Purl stitches are slipped with yarn held in front to create texture and structure in the brim
• Knitting in the round – Used for the crown section after the brim is completed

Materials and Gauge

Yarn: Worsted weight yarn, approximately 150 yards total. The sample was knitted using Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride worsted (85% wool, 15% mohair blend), which provides warmth, durability, and a subtle sheen. One skein of Brown Sheep Lamb's Pride (4 ounces, 113 grams, approximately 190 yards) is sufficient for this project.

Needles: Two size 6 circular needles measuring 16 inches, plus one set of five size 6 double-pointed needles for working the crown in the round. A single stitch marker is required to track the beginning of rounds.

Gauge: 19 stitches and 26 rows over 4 inches when knitting in the round. Maintaining this gauge is essential for achieving the correct finished size and ensuring proper brim structure.