Ginger is a delicate, fine-knit wave lace sampler beanie hat (though I’ve added notes to help you knit a slouched version, if you prefer).

It’s knit fine in soft luxury sock- or fingering-weight yarn--the sample shown is knit from Malabrigo Sock in the Turner colorway.

Gauge:
Gauge is 28 sts and 38 rows in stockinette (or a less-official 25 sts and 43 rows over 4” in pattern, taken over the second pattern section).
Most knitters will need a US2/2.75mm-US 3/3.25mm needle to achieve this gauge, but always use the needle you need!
Gauge is much more important than needle size, so it’s worth checking.
Check your gauge if at all possible! Gauge is important in a hat! Your hat will be tiny if you knit it more tightly, for example!

Materials:
You’ll need about 150-220 yards of yarn, depending on which version you want to knit, one 16” circular and a set of DPNs in the size you need to knit at gauge, and a tapestry needle for finishing.

This hat is designed to have slight negative ease. As written, knit to gauge, Ginger Hat blocks to 9.5” across, measured flat (about a 19” circumference, with planned negative ease), and fits most average adult hat sizes 21”-23” around.

This pattern is a written pattern (no charts as of 12/6/16), but includes a schematic for reference, if needed. Best practice is to swatch, but if you’re treating your hat as a swatch (living dangerously! ignoring all this copious swatch advice!), you can compare your hat to the schematic’s flat measurements to make sure it’s right.

Ridiculous pattern name backstory: I was shopping in the bulk bin spices and teas in a little grocery store while working on these, and this time of year at least that section seems to be dominated by the smell of ginger and ginseng, warm and earthy. It matched the yarn too well to overlook it, just so I wasn’t naming things after scents.