Twelve21

Twelve21 Winter Hat by Mary Jane Mucklestone

What Is Being Made

Twelve21 is a cozy and quick winter hat featuring a sparkling diamond fair isle pattern. This knitted hat is designed to be completed in a short timeframe—start knitting on the Solstice and finish by Christmas. The hat is knit circularly from brim to crown and topped with a pompom, creating a bold and modern graphic look suitable for winter wear.

Sizes and Finished Measurements

The pattern is available in three sizes:

• Size S: To fit head circumference approximately 21¼ in (54 cm); finished circumference 19¼ in (49 cm); length from brim to top 8¾ in (22.5 cm)
• Size M: To fit head circumference approximately 22½ in (57.5 cm); finished circumference 20½ in (52.5 cm); length from brim to top 9 in (23 cm)
• Size L: To fit head circumference approximately 24¼ in (61.5 cm); finished circumference 22¼ in (56.5 cm); length from brim to top 9½ in (24 cm)

Knitting Techniques

This intermediate-level pattern employs circular knitting construction, worked from the brim upward to the crown. The hat features fair isle colorwork, a traditional stranded knitting technique that creates the sparkling diamond pattern through the use of two colors worked simultaneously. Different gauges determine the finished size, allowing knitters to adjust their needle size to achieve the desired dimensions. The crown is shaped through decreases, and the hat is finished with a pompom attachment at the top.

Stitches Used

While specific stitch abbreviations are not detailed in the provided content, the pattern utilizes fundamental knitting stitches combined with fair isle colorwork techniques. The fair isle method involves carrying yarn colors across the back of the work to create the diamond pattern, a classic stranded knitting approach that produces a dense, insulated fabric ideal for winter hats.

Yarn and Materials

The pattern calls for super bulky weight yarn, which contributes to the quick knit time and bold graphic appearance. The primary yarn is Quince & Co Puffin (100% American wool, 112 yards per 3.5 ounces), available in two colorway versions:

• Version 1: Main color (MC) Crow (Black) and contrast color (CC) Egret (White)
• Version 2: Main color Kittywake (Grey) and contrast color Iceland (Light Grey)

The pompom is created using Loopy Mango Merino No.5 (100% merino wool, 74 yards per 5.3 ounces), available in Spicy Hot Pink for Version 1 or Peak's Ferry (Red) for Version 2. One skein of main color yarn and one skein of contrast color yarn are required for the hat body, plus one skein of pompom yarn. The super bulky yarn weight ensures rapid project completion while creating a substantial, visually striking finished hat.

Craft and Difficulty Level

Twelve21 is classified as an intermediate knitting project, suitable for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to tackle colorwork. Fair isle knitting requires comfort with managing two colors simultaneously and maintaining consistent tension across both yarns. The circular knitting construction and crown shaping add to the intermediate classification, though the super bulky yarn weight and quick completion timeline make this an accessible introduction to fair isle techniques for advancing knitters.