Panthera is a genus within the family Felidae that groups all large spotted cats. One of the most commonly thought of spotted cats is the leopard. The leopard lives mainly in Africa and Asia. However, no matter where you live, you can bring the leopard home to you with this hat.

This leopard spotted beanie will become a staple in your wardrobe this winter. Leopard print is everywhere right now! If you happen to keep up with current trends and styles, you know just what I mean. When I noticed that animal prints were making a comeback (did the leopard print ever go out of style?), I just knew I had to create a simple, yet striking, pattern to show off those well loved spots.

About the Pattern
This is an easy-to-follow written pattern with the colorwork being charted only. The hat comes in two sizes, and each size has its own pdf pattern so you don’t have to keep track of different numbers, or find your place in the midst of another size. This way you can save paper, printer ink, and time. The graphs are rectangular instead of square, added in landscape mode, and fairly large in size so they are easier to see and follow for those with or without vision impairments.

Knitting Notions & Notes
•95 yards/87 meters for size S (110 yards/100 meters for size L) of each of the 2 contrasting/complementing yarns in heavy DK or worsted weight. (Yarn amounts are given on the heavy side. But depending on your hat length and gauge, you may use more/less.)
•Sz 3 US(3.25mm) 16”/40cm circular needles or size needed to obtain gauge (Note: some testers had to go up a size for the brim.)
•Sz 6 US(4mm) 16”/40cm circular needles or size needed to obtain gauge
•Tapestry or Darning Needle
• Tape or Ruler
• Scissors
• Stitch Markers (1 unique, 2(3) others for pattern repeats)

Gauge
Gauge is obtained from the brim in the round at 22 stitches and 28 rows per 4”/10cm. Gauge for colorwork in the round is 22x22. Gauge should be achieved without blocking or stretching the fabric.
If you prefer a looser fitting hat, or are a pretty tight knitter, go up one needle size on the colorwork chart. Gauge is most important for brim.

Stitches to Know:
K knit
Ptbl purl through back loop
K2tog knit 2 together

Colorwork/Fair Isle/Stranding Techniques
Everyone seems to have their own way of knitting in Fair Isle or stranded colorwork. Here’s a YouTube video that shows different ways of Stranding in the Round. But one thing that can help your patterns pop is being aware of color dominance. While there are many articles and videos on the internet, here is a great blog post to explain this technique:
Stranded Knitting: The Importance of Color Dominance

Sample hat details: I am a scrap/stash yarn fanatic so I chose two yarns that contrast yet complement each other from my stash. My Silk/Viscose blend is listed from the supplier as a sport weight, but it measures the same as most heavy DK and worsted weight yarns, including the Caron Simply Soft, the other yarn used in the sample. Because it could only be purchased from the supplier at Mountain Top Alpacas, it does not have a link to look it up. However, you can find their marketplace group on Facebook.

If you upload your project photos to Instagram, please tag me, @OliveAndPearlKnits. You may also tag me on Facebook at @Olive&Pearl. I’d love to see your WIPs and FOs on my feed.

As with all of my patterns, the entire Panthera pattern, including the colorwork chart, has a copyright which solely belongs to me at Olive & Pearl Knits. The pattern may not be freely shared or resold. All purchases are final due to the pattern being an automatic download at the time of purchase. You may sell finished items, however,I do ask that mass production for sale should be guarded against out of respect for the designer and pattern. When selling finished items, please link the design back to me either here at Ravelry, on Facebook, or on Instagram.

If you have any questions, please reach out to me here on Ravelry or via email at OliveAndPearlKnits@gmail.com.