The Buck Mountain hat is one of nine patterns in Independent Fabrication: Volume 2, a collection of accessory patterns in small-batch yarn. The print + eBook bundle is currently available for pre-order from Tightly Knit and Sandreed Press; the individual patterns and eBook-only options are available on Ravelry.

Call it old fashioned, but I have always loved riffing on traditional Gansey stitch patterns. I love the magic they produce from simple knit and purl stitches, the way something so bold and graphic can come from such simple, soothing stitch patterns. I love the way they seem to call you to knit “just one more row!” so you can see the pattern develop.

Gansey stitch patterns show to their greatest advantage in round, “organized,” worsted-spun multi-ply yarns with good stitch definition. These yarns have less bloom and fuzz than, say, a woolen-spun two-ply, but in return, you get a crisp pattern of stitches that reads well from a distance, with a sharp, modern look.

The Buck Mountain hat, knit in Sincere Sheep’s Eureka Worsted, takes advantage of this combination of stitch pattern and yarn to produce a bold, graphic look on a hat that couldn’t be simpler to work. The tiniest bit of slouch in the fit is functional and modern, while the bouncy worsted-weight Rambouillet wool is warm and resilient—just what you want in a hard-wearing, goes-with-everything hat. Combine it with its younger sibling, the Buck Mountain Mitts, and get the full set out of a single skein.

Size
Adult S/M (M/L) 19.25 (22.5)” / 49 (57) cm circumference, 8.5” / 22 cm length.

Yarn
Sincere Sheep Eureka Worsted (100% California Rambouillet, 250 yards / 225 meters per 4 oz), 1 skein, or approximately 150 yards / 162 meters of worsted-weight wool yarn. (Note on yarn substitution: you’re looking for something with great stitch definition here. Eureka Worsted is a very round 4-ply yarn that lets this simple Gansey-inspired pattern read well from a distance, but it would have a very different look with a softer, fuzzier 2-ply or single ply yarn.)

Gauge
20 sts and 32 rnds per 4” / 10 cm in stockinette stitch on larger needles, after blocking.

Needles
One long (32” / 80 cm or longer) circular needle (for magic loop), or 5 double-pointed needles, per knitter preference, in sizes US 5 / 3.5 mm and US 7 / 4.5 mm or size needed to obtain gauge, and two needle sizes smaller.

Notions
Stitch markers (optional); tapestry needle.

Skills Required
Decreasing; knitting in the round; small-circumference circular knitting using double-pointed needles or magic loop.