Orcas play in the waters of Puget Sound against a dark backdrop of evergreen trees. A classic Northwest hat is transformed by luxurious merino/cashmere yarn, a slouchy profile, and a frivolous pom pom.

These motifs were inspired by traditional Cowichan designs, but were not copied directly. I highly recommend Working with Wool by Sylvia Olsen if you want to learn more about the role of weaving and knitting in Cowichan culture.

I knit the Ferry Crossing Hat out of The Plucky Knitter Scholar, a worsted-weight merino/cashmere blend—this results in a gloriously snuggly and warm hat! I used approximately 80 g of the main color and 30 g of the pattern/pom pom color. Any two colors with a strong value contrast will work in this pattern.

If you need a smaller hat you could knit this at a tighter gauge, or cast on fewer stitches and then increase more above the ribbing to reach the final stitch count.

There are a few areas in the chart where you will want to trap the carried yarn--this is most easily learned by watching someone, so check out technique videos. The pattern includes instructions for making the pom pom.