Wingate

Wingate Knit Hat by Samantha Guerin

What Is Being Made

Wingate is a downloadable knitting pattern for an adult-sized knit hat designed by Samantha Guerin. The hat features a folded 4-inch brim and a taller crown with four cable repeats. Three finished sizes are available to fit head circumferences of 19–21 inches (small), 20–22 inches (medium), and 21–23 inches (large), corresponding to needle gauges of 48–53 cm, 50–55 cm, and 53–59 cm respectively.

Techniques Used

This intermediate-level pattern incorporates cable knitting as its primary decorative technique. The design employs the Alternating Cable Cast On method to establish the foundation, which creates a structured and elastic edge suitable for a fitted hat. Throughout the pattern, knitters work multiple cable crosses that create the textured, dimensional appearance characteristic of cable-knit garments.

Stitches and Cable Crosses

The Wingate pattern uses four distinct cable crossing techniques to build its visual interest:

• 2 over 2 left cross (2/2 LC): Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold to front, knit 2, then knit 2 from cable needle
• 2 over 1 left purl cross (2/1 LPC): Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold to front, purl 1, then knit 2 from cable needle
• 2 over 2 right cross (2/2 RC): Slip 2 stitches to cable needle and hold to back, knit 2, then knit 2 from cable needle
• 2 over 1 right purl cross (2/1 RPC): Slip 1 stitch to cable needle and hold to back, knit 2, then purl 1 from cable needle

These cable crosses combine knit and purl stitches to create textured panels that twist and interlock across the hat's surface. The combination of left and right crosses produces a balanced, symmetrical cable design.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

Wingate is designed to work with worsted weight yarn, a medium-weight yarn category ideal for creating structured, durable knitwear. The pattern specifies Brooklyn Tweed 'Ranch 02' yarn, which is composed of 100% American Rambouillet wool. This natural fiber choice provides warmth, elasticity, and the slight texture that enhances cable definition.

Yardage requirements vary by size: the small size requires 184 yards (2 skeins of Brooklyn Tweed Ranch 02, which yields 102 yards per 50-gram skein), the medium size requires 194 yards, and the large size requires 204 yards. Knitters using a similar worsted weight yarn can substitute accordingly. The pattern notes that yardage calculations are based on the folded 4-inch brim and four-repeat crown style; knitters choosing to omit the brim can reduce yardage by 20 yards (small), 24 yards (medium), or 28 yards (large).

The pattern requires appropriate knitting needles sized to work worsted weight yarn at the specified gauges for each size, along with a cable needle to hold stitches during cable crosses.