The twisted stitches in this hat provide a subtle texture and spiral pattern. Use a semi-solid or tonal colored yarn to provide depth and dimension to the hat. The decreases at the top of the hat are worked quickly to give the top a gathered appearance.

Sizes
To fit: XS–Toddler (S–Child, M–Women’s Small, L–Women’s Large or Men’s Small, XL–Men’s Large).
XS: 16” (40.5 cm) circumference, 5.75” (14.5 cm) tall
S: 18” (46 cm) circumference, 6.5” (16.5 cm) tall
M: 20” (51 cm) circumference, 7.25” (18.5 cm) tall
L: 22” (56 cm) circumference, 8.25” (21 cm) tall
XL: 24” (61 cm) circumference, 9.25” (23.5 cm) tall

Skill Level: Advanced Beginner
Skills needed: knitting in the round, k2tog, knitting through the back loop, left twist (tutorial video available)

Yarn
SweetGeorgia Superwash Worsted (100% superwash Merino, 200 yds/183 m per 115 g); 1 skein; sample (size M) uses colorway Saltwater; or approximately 100 (125, 150, 175, 200) yds of another worsted weight yarn

Note: A yarn with plies rather than a singles yarn is recommended for this hat as the plied yarn will give the stitch pattern more structure and definition.

Materials
US 7 (4.5 mm) 16” (40 cm) circular needle (size XS uses DPNs due to smaller circumference), or one size smaller than size needed to obtain gauge
US 8 (5.0 mm) 16” (40 cm) circular needle plus DPNs (size XS uses DPNs only), or size needed to obtain gauge
Stitch marker
Tapestry needle

Gauge
20 stitches and 27 rows over 4” (10 cm) in stockinette in the round on larger needles, blocked

Note: I am a tight knitter, so keep that in mind as you may need to drop down a needle size or two.

Thank You
Thank you to my test knitters (JoannaB, JenniferL, CrazierThanMyCat, tempericia, dambird, AlmaPark, VReyes, rturnbull, and KnitFoolDeirdre) who provided valuable feedback. And thank you to the women of Stitch Definition, who provided photography (Anne Podlesak), tech editing (Maureen Hannon), and graphic design/layout (Elizabeth Green Musselman).

About the Name
In the mid-fourteenth century, the population of medieval Europe was decimated by the Black Plague. Those who lived in larger cities and towns often fled to the countryside to get away from the extremely contagious deadly disease. This backdrop sets the scene for Giovanni Boccaccio’s great work, The Decameron. In the text, he introduces a group of ten young people (three young men and seven young women) living in Florence, Italy, who flee the city to a country home. To entertain themselves, they propose to tell stories to one another. Thus the frame story surrounds numerous other stories told during the course of their stay.

Pampinea is one of the young woman of the group. Scholars have suggested that each young woman represents one of the seven virtues, and although not all agree, Pampinea seems to be the model for the virtue of prudence, especially as she is the one who makes the suggestion that the group leave the city to escape the plague. Once they have made their way to the country home, Pampinea tells the group that she has given much thought to how they should conduct themselves, proposing that each of them in turn become the leader for the day. This leader will decide and be responsible for what they do that day. The others agree and quickly elect Pampinea to be their first leader.

She starts by setting the house and the servants in order, then tells the others to wander the gardens and the house until a certain hour, when they will come together for breakfast. She gives them other commands throughout the day, including dancing, singing, and resting. At one point, they find themselves in a meadow, and here Pampinea suggests that they spend this hottest part of the day telling stories (and on the upcoming days, the leader of the day will choose a theme for the stories; for this first day, the theme is open). She explains that once each of them has told a story, not only will they have been entertained, but they will also have made it through the heat and can then move on to other activities. And so the storytelling begins, with stories ranging from the (near) religious to the bawdy.

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