free pattern: reversible ribbed hat

Here's a pattern for the simple ribbed hat I made my husband for Christmas. One size will fit almost any adult because the ribbing is extra stretchy and it's easy to add stripes and make it look store bought.



yarn: Debbie Bliss merino aran, less than 2 50gram balls of the main color with a small amount of two contrasting color for the stripes
needles: size 6 (4mm) 16" circular and 6" double points - I used needles 2 sizes smaller than recommended since ribbing is generally worked with smaller needles
size: 20inches unstretched, stretches to fit heads up to 24 inches
gauge: 10 stitches = 1.75" unstretched in 2x2 ribbing

body of hat:

1. cast on 100 stitches with the main color (I used the long-tail cast on)
2. join in the round careful not to twist the stitches, mark the beginning of the round
   
3. knit in 2x2 ribbing for 8 rows
4. switch to a different color and knit 1 entire round (this makes the color change look neater on the right side)
   
5. continuing with the new color, re-establish the 2x2 ribbing and knit 3 more rounds; there should be a total of 4 rounds in the new color
6. switch back to the main color and knit 1 entire round, then re-establish the 2x2 ribbing and knit 5 more rounds for a total of 6 rounds of the main color
7. switch to the second contrasting color, knit 1 round, re-establish 2x2 ribbing for 3 additional rounds for a total of 4 rounds in the second stripe
8. switch back to the main color and knit 1 round, change to 2x2 ribbing and work until hat fits comfortably on the head (about 8 inches)

crown decreases: place a marker at the beginning of the round, the first two stitches should be knits, switch to double pointed needles when necessary - between round 5 and 7

repeat stitches between * and * until the end of the round, numbered instructions are for each round:

1. *knit 2, purl2together, knit 2, purl 2*, there should be 87 stitches at the end of the round
2. *knit 2, purl 1, knit 2, purl 2*
3. *knit 2, purl 1, knit 2, purl 2*
4. *knit 2, purl 1, knit 2, purl2together*, there should be 75 stitches at the end of the round
5. *knit 2, purl 1* there should still be 75 stitches per round
6. *knit 2, purl 1* there should still be 75 stitches per round
7. *knit 2, knit a purl and knit together, knit 1*, [50 stitches at end of round]
8. knit entire round
9. *knit 2 together, knit 3* [40 stitches at end of round]
10. *knit 2, knit 2 together* [30 stitches at end of round]
11. *knit 2 together, knit 1* [20 stitches at end of round]
12. *knit 2 together* [10 stitches at end of round]
13. *knit 2 together* [5 stitches remain]

(note that decreases are staggered for the crown so there won't be any obvious decrease lines - if you like the decrease lines, just line them up!)

Cut or break the yarn leaving a tail at least 10 " long, thread a darning needle and draw the tail through the remaining 5 stitches to secure them. Weave in ends and enjoy!

The hat was a bit itchy after extended wear (hours) so I washed it with some shampoo and conditioner - it's much softer now. I really enjoyed working with the Debbie Bliss merino aran yarn - it worked up beautifully on smaller needles than called for and has a nice tight twist which made it easy to knit without looking. I can tell this yarn will hold up wonderfully. With the wide array of colors, this might be my new favorite worsted weight yarn!