I had planned to use one of my Yarn Tasting Fall/Winter 2024 kits to knit a hat with a pompom … needless to say that when Alison’s Basic Hat Recipe came out last week … I could not wait any longer.

Here is a bullet list of steps that I used in conjunction with the pattern if you’d like to make your hat just like mine …

• Needles: ChiaoGoo MiniSet with 8” cords (I used two cords with respective needles to make switching between thinner and thicker needles easier).
• I started with Merino 401 for the ribbing, needle 4/3.5mm (I knit loosely). Casted on the sample 96sts.
• I worked twisted-k 2, p2 for 12 rows.
• With Bestie and thick needles work 1 rnd k2tog.
• Purl 2 rnds.
• With Merino 401 on needle 5/3.75mm work 1 rnd kfb.
• Knit one rnd.

First stripe:
-With Hearthside and needle 7/4.5mm, k5, sl 1, repeat to end.

• Repeat last row 2 more times.
• With Merino 401 on needle 5/375mm, knit 1 rnd, purl 1 rnd.

Second stripe:

• With Gimlet and needle 7/4.5mm, k2, sl 1, k5, sl 1 repeat, ending in k3.
• Repeat last row 2 more times.
• With Merino 401 on needle 5/375mm, knit 1 rnd, purl 1 rnd.

Repeat first and second stripe, using the yarns in this sequence: Hearthside, Gimlet, Millstone Tweed. Repeat.

When you run out of Merino 401, continue those rows with Renew.

After 7th stripe (you can start 1-2 stripes earlier if you want a shorter hat height) work decreases as described in the pattern.

Weave in all ends, block as desired.

Use the leftover Bestie to make a pompom.

Each hat will be different, since the colors of each yarn tasting kit are different. However, my experience so far has been that the yarns and colors work out very well together, no matter what you got.