Do you love both simple knitting and knitting garments with unusual construction? You can have it all with this mind-bending hat, which is knit sideways and on the bias. The set-up and finishing will require your attention, but the rest involves nearly mindless knitting, with some short rows thrown in to keep things interesting. Other knitters will stare fixedly at your hat and ask, “How did you make that?!”

This hat works particularly well for hand-dyed yarns, whose variations in color help to showcase the hat’s unusual construction. The pattern provides many options for customizing your hat to suit adults, babies, children, men, women, those who prefer beanies, and those who like slouchy hats.

Materials

Light worsted/heavy DK wool yarn: approx 150 (160, 170, 180) yds for beanie; 170 (180, 190, 200) yds for slouchy hat. Hats shown in:

Red, striped slouchy hat, shown in Adult L size:

• MC: Alisha Goes Around Pulchritude of Peacocks DK (bright red): 175 yds used
• CC: Alisha Goes Around Stable of Horses DK (dark red): 25 yds used

Olive-colored beanie, shown in Child L/Adult S size:
Hiwassee Creek Dyeworks Worsted (Wilderness colorway): 170 yds used

US #7 / 4.5mm circular needle, any length, or size needed to obtain gauge
Another circular needle (any length) in same size as above

Cotton waste yarn in same weight as project yarn
Yarn needle

Size information

Baby (Child S, Child L/Adult S, Adult L)
Finished circumference: 14 (16, 18, 20)“

Note that for good fit, a hat should be about 2–4” smaller than the wearer’s head circumference. Hats pictured measure 20” worn on a 24” head (red hat), and 18” worn on a 22” head (olive hat).