The classic bias ribbed hat pattern. Columns of k2p2 ribbing spiral around the wearer’s head. The hat is knit sideways (rather than top-down or bottom-up). A parallelogram of k2-p2 ribbing is joined and gathered at one end to make a stylish cloche which can be worn with brim folded up or left down.

This is my version of a genuinely vintage pattern. I first saw this style of hat a few decades ago. The person who knit it told me how it was done. I wrote down her instructions in the form of a schematic. I have been sharing this ever since. She told me that it was an old pattern even then.

This hat can be knit with any yarn in any gauge. The hat in the photo took about 100g of worsted-weight alpaca.

It is knit flat. When the last stitches are cast off, the edges are seamed and the top gathered. If the finishing is done neatly, the hat is totally reversible.

There are suggestions at the end of the pattern for how to convert the pattern to seamless if desired. However, this is the classic method!