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This little hat demands to not be rushed. That you savour the tiny stitches, carefully work the ridges and delight in the puffs that go up and up.

SIZE
1 (2): circumference 44.5 (51.5) cm / 17.5 (20.25) in
Fitted {Slouchy}: length 21 {25} cm / 8.25 {10} in
5 to 10 cm / 2 to 4 in negative ease recommended

CONSTRUCTION
This hat is worked in the round, from the brim to the top.

YARN
Brooklyn Tweed Loft (fingering weight; 100% wool; 251 m / 275 yds per 50g skein) in Almanac (dark blue) - 1 skein for fitted hats, 2 skeins for slouchy hats

OR

John Arbon Harvest Hues (fingering weight; 100% wool; 400 m / 437 yds per 100g skein) in Flax (ochre) - 1 skein for all sizes & lengths

OR

Brooklyn Tweed Vale (lace weight; 100% wool; 411 m / 450 yds per 50g skein) in Arabesque (light pink) - 1 skein for all sizes & lengths; held together with:
Isager Alpaca 1 (lace weight; 100% alpaca; 400 m / 437 yds per 50 g ball) in Peach - 1 ball for all sizes & lengths

Yarn Alternatives
I originally designed this hat for a lofty, woolen-spun fingering weight non-superwash wool (blue sample). This kind of yarn blooms beautifully with blocking, creating a fabric that is both sturdy and soft. An excellent choice for a beany that just needs to stay put!
A slinkier worsted-spun wool (ochre sample) works too, but double-check your gauge - it might turn out a little tighter. Same goes for any super-wash treated fibre that won’t fill out as much with blocking.
I also made a sample in which I held together a strand of 2-ply wool with a strand of 2-ply alpaca (pink sample). The resulting hat was a little drapier, with a lovely halo from the alpaca. Well suited to the slouchier style, I think.

HOOKS, NEEDLES + NOTIONS
3mm, or as required to obtain gauge
Wool needle

GAUGE
One rep of Body Pattern (worked over 15 sts and 16 rows) to measure 7.5 x 10 cm / 3 x 4 in
I recommend that you wash and block your swatch before measuring.

TECHNIQUES TO ENJOY
Foundation stitch
Front and Back Post ribbing
Puff Stitch
Decreasing

PATTERN INCLUDES
Clear, Professionally tech-edited & tested instructions in UK terms
Stitch diagrams
UK to US term conversion chart
Printable “Happy Hat Weather” illustration

SPECIAL THANKS
Thank you to Brooklyn Tweed and John Arbon Textiles for generously gifting me your yarns, without any idea of what I’d use them for! A big thank to Elly the Tech Editing Wizard, as always.

IMPORTANT NOTE
I often illustrate my patterns by drawing people who don’t necessarily look like me. When I searched for “slouchy knit hat” on Pinterest (to get an idea of how to draw the slouchiness), there wasn’t a single photo of a black or brown-skinned person. Not one. I think this needs to change. If you pin an image from this page, please let it be the illustration of the regal-looking black woman. And if the pattern does well, I’ll be making a donation to The Loveland Foundation, which provides black women and girls with free therapy sessions. Thank you for reading, reflecting, and effecting change.
EDIT: I donated $50 to the Loveland Foundation on 6th May 2020. Thank you to all who purchased this pattern!