I keep bees because I love living things and it’s good for the earth; plus, I do live in the Beehive State, after all. I must admit, this hat is for a particular kind of person, but my little beekeeper loves it, so hopefully yours will too! This hat is super warm, due to the double-layers and is very comfortable to wear.

The work is begun at the crown of the lining and is worked all the way to the outer shell (with a bit of ribbing around the ears to keep the hat snug) seamlessly. The band at the bottom of the shell has cute little bees flying around it, worked in Fair Isle knitting. Then the knitting shifts gear, working alternating sections of Stockinette stitch and reverse-Stockinette stitch to the crown, which will make an attractive beehive-looking stitch pattern.

After the shell is complete, there is a little bee suspended from a length of yarn that flies around your beehive. This bee is worked in the round and attached to the crown of the hat.

Sizes: Head size in inches/cm
Small child: 19”/48 cm
Large child: 20”/51 cm
Small adult: 21”/53.5 cm
Large adult: 22”/56 cm

Yarn: Light worsted weight yarn in 4 colors:

1. 175 – 300 yards/160 – 275 meters Main Color (burnt orange) yarn. Shown in Plymouth Worsted Merino Superwash colorway 38 Gulden.
2. 150 – 250 yards/140 – 230 meters Contrast Color (true yellow) yarn. Shown in Plymouth Worsted Merino Superwash colorway 61 Gold.
3. 15 yards/15 meters white yarn. Shown in Plymouth Worsted Merino Superwash colorway 1 (natural).
4. 5 yards/5 meters black or other dark color yarn. Shown in Plymouth Worsted Merino Superwash colorway 45 Hunter Green.

Techniques: Knitting in the round in the Magic Loop method, Fair Isle knitting, basic chart reading, and crochet chain stitch (optional).

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