“Hats are like a halo of happiness.”
- An Na

The Beautifully Basic Hat evolved from a need for an easy project that could use any single skein of yarn in any weight. Upstate New York is full of fiber festivals, and it’s common to come home with unique skeins of handspun or hand-dyed yarn that can never be found again. This straightforward pattern lets you choose a size, find your gauge, and cast right on. Knit it as-is, or be adventurous and add in a textured or lace panel. Think of this pattern as a basic recipe to which you can add your own flair. The possibilities are endless!

Choose a needle size that gives you the fabric you want - smaller needles will give you a denser, tighter fabric, while larger needles will give you a looser, drapier fabric.

issue two : new york state is a collection of knitwear designs inspired by the wonderful things Upstate New York has to offer: apples, farmland, rivers and lakes galore, and unmatched foliage every autumn. Knitting patterns for ten new beautiful sweaters, shawls, hats, and mitts are featured in indie dyed yarn from a dozen yarn makers and dyers throughout the region. Mull some cider - recipe included! - and cozy up to the fireplace as you turn the pages and imagine yourself picking apples in the clean, crisp fall air.

Sizing: Finished circumference: 12 (14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24)”/ 30 (35, 40, 45, 50, 55, 60)cm.
The standard recommendation is to choose a size that will give you 1-2”/2.5-5cm of negative ease, so the hat fits snugly. For example, if your head is 22”/55 cm around, you should knit a size 20”/50cm. However, if you want a looser fit, perhaps to protect your hairstyle from flattening on your way to work, knit your actual size. The sizes included in the pattern are typical of preemie (newborn, baby, toddler, child/teenager, adult, large adult).

Needles: A 16”/40cm circular works for most sizes, along with a set of DPN’s to close the top. (The 2 smallest hat sizes will need a 12”/30cm circular instead, or DPNs or a long circular for magic loop.) The ribbing should be worked with a needle one size smaller than the gauge needles.

Gauge: varies between 8 and 36 stitches = 4”/10cm in Stockinette stitch, depending on yarn weight.

Notions: 1 stitch marker, tapestry needle.

Samples knit in: Handmade Travels Tassie Fingering (100% Merino; 516 yards/472 meters per 100g); Jill Draper Makes Stuff Mohonk (100% unregistered NYS Cormo Wool; 370 yards/338 meters per 113g) colorway Vermillion (held double in sample); Knitting Garage Donegal DK (85% superwash Merino, 15% bigs of color; 231 yards/211 meters per 100g); 7th Floor Yarn Tweed Aran (85% superwash Merino, 15% Nylon; 183 yards/167 meters per 100g) colorway Salted Caramel; Hudson Valley Sheep & Wool Company Josephine (100% Merino; 160 yards/146 meters per 100g) colorway Spruce; Loopy Mango Merino No. 5 (100% Merino; 74 yards/68 meters per 150g) colorway Bordeaux; DebDotyKnits Corespun 1-ply (varied materials; approx. 100 yds per 200g).

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