After knitting the Autopilot Cowl, I needed a hat to match. I wanted the hat to be warm and incorporate some of the eyelet appearance into the design. I used two strands of yarn to create bulk and that extra warmth. My pattern is very simple and can be adapted for a different number of stitches based on what you want the circumference of your hat to be. I used Knit Picks Caspian Interchangeable 6.5mm, 16″ circular needles and Knit Picks Brava Worsted yarn (weight 4) in Cream.  

Cast on 60 stitches using 2 yarns giving you 120 wraps on your needle 2 wraps for each of the 60 stitches (because you are using 2 yarns not just one). Add a stitch marker to identify the beginning of the stitches and join in the round being careful not to twist. Keep your stitch marker in place throughout. 

Knit K2P2 ribbing for 3 or so inches to give you a bit of extra fabric so that you can roll a neat, little brim. 

Now, follow the Autopilot garter stitch band for 5 rows beginning with a purl row and ending with a purl row.  

Knit two repeats of the YO, K2tog stitching, then another 5 rows of the garter stitch. This gives you two sections of eyelet followed by the garter band. 

Knit one repeat of the YO, K2tog eyelet pattern, ending on a knit row or purl an extra row here if you do not like purl decreases. 

Your hat will now be approximately 7-3/4″ high. A benefit of knitting with circular needles in the round is that you can try the hat on to see how it fits and really determine when you want to start decreasing. It’s all dependent on head size and how you want it to fit. 

Begin the decreasing/shaping of the crown of the hat. I started using 2 circulars at this point, but if you prefer, then you can use one longer cable for the whole process and knit using the magic loop technique. My 16″ cable is too small to use for magic loop. So, I opted for 2 sets of needles. Keep a stitch marker in place to identify the beginning of the work. 

I used the following method: 

(P2, P2tog, P6) rep 6. This gives you a combination of 10 stitches repeated 6 times. You will now have 54 stitches on your needles if you cast on 60 stitches. Change your decrease calculation if you used a different number of stitches. 

K  

(P2, P2tog, P5) rep 6.  

K 

(P2, P2tog,P4) rep 6. 

K 

(P1, P2tog) rep. 

K2tog 

Weave yarn through remaining stitches and weave yarn ends in being careful at the brim of the hat to weave the ends in on the correct side. If you have knitted a brim to fold up, then you will want to ensure that you weave the end in on the front of the work so you don’t see it.  

For this project, you will also need scissors, a tapestry needle and a measuring tape. 

Needles: Caspian Options Interchangeable Circular Set | KnitPicks.com 

Yarn: Knit Picks Brava Worsted Yarn | KnitPicks.com 

*I have no affiliation with any companies mentioned in my posts