The Hedge and Wall hat is designed to be worn in chilly, wet weather. It’s worked in the round from the bottom up, with a tubular cast-on for a neat, stretchy edge to a dense, elegant herringbone brim, while the main part of the hat is in stockinette. The hat can be worn with the brim folded or unfolded.

What makes the hat wonderfully weatherproof is slightly felting and shrinking it after it’s knitted – details are given in the pattern for both felted and unfelted sizes so you can choose.

Sizes: 1 (2, 3, 4, 5)

For a guideline on sizing, the sizes given after wet finishing should fit 1: toddler/small child (2: child/tween, 3: adult small, 4: adult large, 5: extra room if you have a lot of hair/cerebral capacity!)
The hat is shown in size 3 after wet finishing, worn with 4 cm / 1.5” negative ease. 

Measurements
Before wet finishing:
Finished circumference: 43 (49, 55.5, 61.5, 67.5) cm / 17.25 (19.75, 22.25, 24.5, 27)” 
Height: 17.5 (19.5, 22.5, 25, 27) cm / 7 (7.75, 9, 9.75, 10.5)”
After wet finishing:
Finished circumference: 40 (45.5, 51.5, 57, 63) cm / 16 (18.25, 20.5, 22.75, 25.25)” 
Height: 17 (19, 22, 24, 26) cm / 6.75 (7.5, 8.75, 9.5, 10.25)”

Yarn: Lower Hampen Farm DK (200 m per 100 g skein, 100% Devon Closewool, semi-worsted spun)
45 (60, 80, 95, 115) g or 90 (115, 155, 190, 230) m

For felting the hat, a non-superwash animal fibre yarn is essential. If you do not wish to felt your hat, you have the option of choosing a lighter weight yarn knit with smaller needles to achieve the correct gauge.

Gauge: 
Before wet finishing:
23 sts and 30 rounds = 10 cm / 4” in stockinette in the round
26 sts = 10 cm / 4” in herringbone stitch in the round
After wet finishing:
26 sts and 31 rounds = 10 cm / 4” in stockinette in the round
28 sts = 10 cm / 4” in herringbone stitch in the round

If you’re planning on felting your hat, I highly recommend making a swatch and felting that, using your chosen method, measuring it before and after to check the shrinkage. 

You can also use a lighter-weight yarn on smaller needles to match the ‘after wet finishing’ gauge to get the intended finished sizes without having to do any felting. 

Needles:
Cast-on needles: 3.25 mm / US 3 circular needle, 40 cm / 16” length (or needles 2–3 sizes smaller than main needle)
Stockinette needles: 3.75 mm / US 5 circular needle, 40 cm / 16” length (or needle size that gives correct stockinette gauge) plus preferred needles for smaller circumferences
Herringbone needles: 5 mm / US 8 circular needle, 40 cm / 16” length (or needle size that gives correct herringbone stitch gauge)

Notions: Scrap yarn, stitch markers, darning needle for sewing in ends.

This collection was made possible by funding from South-West England Fibreshed.