Verhånnrosa Hat

Verhånnrosa Hat by Rebekah Wilce

What is Being Made

The Verhånnrosa Hat is a Norwegian-style stranded colorwork hat featuring a traditional motif from Selbu known as the Verhånnrosa, or Ram Rose. This design offers crafters flexibility with two construction options: a tam (a rounded, flat-crowned hat) or a beanie (a fitted, close-crowned style). Both versions showcase two-color stranded knitting with one solid main color paired with a multicolor contrast yarn, creating a visually striking Nordic-inspired accessory.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level knitting project incorporates several advanced techniques that require focus and precision. The hat begins with a Latvian braided cast-on, which creates a decorative and elastic foundation edge. The cast-on edge is then worked in corrugated ribbing, a technique that alternates colors within ribbed stitches to create a seamless color transition and prevent the ribbing from curling.

The main body of the hat is constructed using two-color stranded knitting, also known as Fair Isle knitting, where both yarn colors are carried across the row and floated behind the stitches to create the colorwork pattern. Crafters follow a detailed chart to execute the traditional Verhånnrosa motif accurately. The hat is worked in the round using circular needles, with the option to use a long circular needle and the "magic loop" technique for working small circumferences. The pattern also requires increasing and decreasing shaping to form the crown of the hat, and finishing with a Latvian braid for a polished edge detail.

Stitches Used

• Latvian braided cast-on
• Corrugated ribbing
• Knit stitch (in the round)
• Two-color stranded knitting
• Increases and decreases for shaping
• Latvian braid finishing

Materials

This pattern calls for fingering weight yarn, which is a fine 4-ply yarn that creates detailed colorwork with excellent stitch definition. The sample shown was knit using Knit Picks Palette in Cream and Knit Picks Preciosa Fingering Bare as the main color (MC), paired with Crystal Palace Yarns Mini Mochi in Color 105 Tapestry Rainbow and Color 124 Greens as the contrast color (CC).

Yardage requirements vary depending on which style is chosen. For the tam version, approximately 110–165 yards of main color and 95–120 yards of contrast color are needed. For the beanie version, approximately 100–120 yards of main color and 80–110 yards of contrast color are required. Circular needles suitable for working in the round with fingering weight yarn are necessary, with the option to use a long circular needle for the magic loop technique if preferred.

Difficulty and Skill Level

Rated as intermediate difficulty, the Verhånnrosa Hat is designed for knitters with foundational skills who are ready to tackle more complex techniques. The pattern requires concentration and attention to detail, particularly when managing two colors simultaneously in stranded knitting and following the colorwork chart. Prior experience with circular needle techniques and basic shaping is recommended.