On January 6, 1838, Samuel Morse and Alfred Vail give the first public demonstration of electric telegraphy, sending a coded message over two miles of wire at Speedwell Ironworks in Morristown, New Jersey, USA.

This hat pattern was first published on January 6, 2021, the 183rd anniversary of Samuel Morse’s first public demonstration of telegraphic messages.

The hat was inspired by the idea that messages of love and hope are all around, often hidden in plain sight. This hat pattern uses knit and purl stitches to create rows of encoded words spelled out in Morse Code’s distinctive pattern of dots and dashes.

This hat pattern is suitable for beginner knitters. The pattern is offered in one size that fits most teens and adults with head circumference of 22-24 inches (56 - 61cm).

Knit this hat with your choice of a variety of words charted in the published pattern. This hat can be knitted as a fitted beanie, or with added rows to make it slouchy. Words included in the pattern are:

Knit, Pray, Love, Enjoy, Thrive, Renew, Feel, Focus, Sense, Wonder, Relax, Think, Rest, Reflect, Learn, Excite, Aspire, Share, Shine, Breathe, Laugh, Smile, Hope, Admire, Imagine, Care, Dream, Believe, Wish, Listen, Adore, Inspire, Live, Create, Heal, Teach, Balance, Discover, Try, Evolve, Dance, Excite, Enrich, and Trust

The patterned rounds are charted.

This pattern uses approximately 200 yards, or 180 meters (around 80g) of worsted weight yarn. This pattern is a good match for solid color and heathered yarns with good stitch definition. These yarns will show the textured knit-purl-based design to its best advantage.

Recommended yarns include:

• Cascade 220 and Cascade 220 Superwash
• Malabrigo Yarn Rios
• Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Worsted
• Malabrigo Worsted

This is the first edition of this pattern. Please contact me with any edits suggestions or errata. Thank you.