This is a quick and simple fair isle beanie, featuring a panel of crossword grid design. It is knit in the round, with black and white yarn.

Any DK yarn can be used, that gets you on gauge.

The pattern includes grids for both American-syle and British-style crosswords, and two colour-ways (black brim, white crown; white brim, black crown).

If you like, you can add letter beads to the grid section, to personalise your design.

NB : no matter which brim and crown colours you choose, the crossword grid will always be white squares with black lines. You can, of course, change the colours to whatever you prefer, but that’s the way to get a beanie that looks like the one in the photos :)

Smaller Version
The original beanie is a fairly generous size. This is a smaller sized version :

Cast on : 84 stitches.
Follow pattern as per the pattern on Knitty. Knit to stitch 84 in the Charts (draw a vertical line through the charts to mark the end of the round at stitch #84).

When you get to the crown decreases, proceed as follows :

CROWN

Round 1: (K5, k2tog) to end. 72 sts.

Even-Numbered Rounds 2-10: K all sts.

Round 3: (K4, k2tog) to end. 60 sts.

Round 5: (K3, k2tog) to end. 48 sts.

Round 7: (K2, k2tog) to end. 36 sts.

Round 9: (K1, k2tog) to end. 24 sts.

Round 11: K2tog to end. 12 sts.

Round 12: K2tog to end. 6 sts.

Break yarn, leaving a tail. Draw tail through remaining sts and pull tight. Weave in end securely.