I’m not generally very keen on intarsia, but I got fixated on making Barley with the garter stitch section in a contrasting color. I used a technique borrowed from The Jogless Hiking Sock to accomplish intarsia-in-the-round with short rows.

Directions

Using main color (MC) and size 6 needle, cast-on 66 sts. Join in round, and work corrugated rib--k1 main color, p1 contrast color (CC)--for 1 inch. Change to size 8 needle.

1. With CC, k22. Shadow wrap and turn.

2. K22, bring CC yarn to inside and drop.

3. Pick up MC beneath to catch CC. Sl1-wyif, p42, purl twinned stitch together. Do a “normal” wrap and turn.

4. K44. Drop MC and pick up CC from beneath to catch.

5. With CC, sl1-wyib, k21, shadow w&t.

Repeat steps 2-5 until hat measures 4 inches. Stop at the end of step 3. This is the new “beginning of round.”

Crown Decreases

*K9, ktog, pm. Repeat from *, remembering to switch colors and slip the first stitch after picking up CC.

Continue working steps 2-5 as before, but on steps 4-5 k2tog 2 sts before each marker. Stop after step 5 when there are 7 stitches between markers.

Wrong-side decrease round:
K to 1st marker, sm, ssk. K to 2nd marker, sm, switch to MC, p2tog. Repeat *p to marker, sm, p2tog* to end of round (that’s where you purl together the twin stitch, then w&t).

Continue decreasing every round, working together 2 sts before markers on the right side (k3tog at end of rnd), then 2 sts after markers on the wrong side, until your last row, which is k2tog around. Work this last round all in MC -- 6 sts remain. Break yarn, thread tail through sts, pull tight, and fasten off.