Legends Hat

Legends Hat by Shannon Larson

What Is Being Made

The Legends Hat is a knitted beanie designed by Shannon Larson of Justlivin Designs. This intermediate-level hat features a stranded colorwork pattern inspired by the video game Legends of Zelda, with a center motif that evokes the appearance of rupees from the game. The hat is designed as part of a coordinating set that can be paired with a matching cowl, though it can also be knitted as a standalone project.

Knitting Techniques Used

This hat is constructed using knitting in the round, a fundamental technique for creating seamless circular garments. The primary technique featured in this design is stranded colorwork, also known as Fair Isle knitting. Stranded colorwork involves carrying multiple yarn colors across the inside of the work while knitting with the active color, creating intricate patterned designs on the fabric surface. The colorwork pattern is provided in charted format, allowing knitters to follow the design row by row using a visual grid system rather than written instructions.

Stitches and Construction

While specific stitch abbreviations are not detailed in the provided materials, the hat employs standard knit and purl stitches worked in the round using circular needles and double-pointed needles. The construction begins with a smaller gauge needle and transitions to a larger needle, a common technique for creating ribbed cuffs or fitted openings that provide stretch and structure at the hat's base.

Materials and Yarn

The Legends Hat is knitted in sport weight yarn, a lightweight to medium yarn category ideal for creating hats with good drape and definition. The pattern calls for three coordinating colors from The Farmer's Daughter Fibers Recollect collection:

• C1 (Primary Color): 75–120 yards in "Eagle Eye"
• C2 (Secondary Color): 50–75 yards in "Dumplin'"
• C3 (Accent Color): 6–10 yards in "Ranch Romance"

Needles and Tools

The pattern requires two sizes of US needles to achieve proper gauge and structure:

• US #5/3.75mm 16-inch circular needle (or size needed to obtain gauge) for the main body of the hat
• US #4/3.5mm 16-inch circular needle (one size smaller than the gauge needle) for the ribbed cuff or opening
• US #4/3.5mm double-pointed needles (dpns) (or size needed to obtain gauge) for closing the crown when the circumference becomes too small for circular needles

Pattern Notes and Finishing

When working with stranded colorwork and following the instruction to cut yarn, knitters should leave a generous tail of approximately 6–8 inches to allow for proper weaving in of ends during finishing. This ensures a neat, secure finish on the inside of the hat where color changes occur.