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This design is for all you fellow cat lovers! I have always been an animal lover, but cats hold a special place in my heart. I originally created this hat as a one-off, but to my surprise, I have gotten many compliments on it, even from non-knitters, that I made it into a pattern so you can make your own cat-themed hat!

I knit my sample using the ladderback jacquard technique to manage the longer floats in the colorwork motif. The colorwork is charted, and I’ve included where I recommend adding the ladderback jacquard stitch columns if you want to do the same. You can always catch floats the traditional way, but in the playful spirit of this design, I encourage you to also “play” with a new technique! If you haven’t tried ladderback jacquard before, it’s surprisingly simple once you get the hang of it, and it opens a whole new world of options in your colorwork!

NOTES
Design & Construction: The Cat Hat is a beanie-style hat with a playful cat-themed colorwork motif. It is worked bottom-up beginning with the brim, which is knit in 2x2 ribbing. The body of the hat is worked in 2-color stranded colorwork.

Fit: This hat is intended to be worn with 10 to 18% negative ease. Because the colorwork motif is large, this hat is only offered in one size. With the pattern gauge, this means that this hat should fit head circumferences from 20.75 to 22.25 in. (52 to 55.5 cm). If you do not fall into this size range, you could modify the pattern by working the hat in a lighter or heavier weight yarn. Just be sure to swatch first and consider how your gauge will affect both circumference and length of the finished hat!

Ladderback Jacquard: This pattern provides optional instructions for ladderback jacquard to manage longer colorwork floats. While you can always catch floats the traditional way, ladderback jacquard is a great technique when you have multiple, sequential rows or rounds with large floats.

Stitch Patterns: The stranded colorwork in this hat is only charted, so you should be confident in your chart reading skills—or be open to learning!

SIZES
One size (Adult Medium)
If you wish to adjust size, see the note on Fit above.

FINISHED CIRCUMFERENCE
18.75 in. (47 cm)
This hat is intended to be worn with 10 to 18% negative ease. The samples are pictured with 15% negative ease.

YARN
Sport Weight
C1: 20 g/80 yds or 75 m
C2: 25 g/80 yds or 75 m
C3: 25 g/80 yds or 75 m

SUGGESTED YARN
Spincycle Yarns Nocturne (50 g/200 yds (183 m)) – 100% non-superwash Merino wool
C1: 1 skein
Mountain Meadow Wool Cody (56 g/185 yds (169 m)) – 100% Rambouillet wool
C2: 1 skein
C3: 1 skein
The sample hat is knit in the colorways Aeonium (C1), Natural Light Grey (C2) and Black Hills (C3).

NEEDLES
Needle A (ribbing): US 4 (3.5 mm)
Needle B (body): US 5 (3.75 mm)
For your chosen needle size, you will need needles in your preferred style for smaller circumference knitting (i.e., magic loop, short circular needles, or double-pointed needles).

GAUGE
Measure gauge on Needle B in the round after blocking.
24 sts and 28 rows = 4 in. (10 cm) in stranded colorwork

SKILLS TO USE (OR LEARN!)
Tubular cast-on, stranded colorwork, ladderback jacquard, chart reading, knit decreases