Boldly Going

I am a pattern follower. It’s who I am. I like rules and rubrics; organizational charts are like porn to me. I find a knitting pattern I like and I follow it like a religion. I am also moderately lazy and why reinvent the wheel when I can find a perfectly serviceable pattern on Ravelry to do what I want?

However, recently I was looking for a very specific thing. I told a friend I would make him a nerdy hat.

Specifically a Star Trek hat.

Next Gen era command, to be exhaustively specific.

I made this promise thinking, there are tons of crafty nerds out there, surely one of them will have created a pattern doing what I want. I went to Ravelry, searched “Star Trek” and fewer results were returned than I anticipated and none doing exactly what I wanted.

I was going to have to go off-book. *panic*

BUT I DID IT. I figured out a workable hat pattern achieving the look I was going for, I gauged it, I charted an insignia pattern for the brim, I knitted and frogged (several times), and made it work. As a result, I have my first pattern design! And here it is, free for you and for everyone!

Enjoy!

INSIGNIA HAT

                                    

Size: One size. Finished hat will fit head circumference of 21-23” + or -

Materials:

·         Yarn: worsted weight yarn, three colors, Brim Color (BC) 150yds, Crown Color (CC) 100yds, Insignia Color (IC) 25yds (yarn shown in patt is Knit Picks Wool of the Andes Superwash)

·         US3 16” circular needle, 4 US3 double point needles

·         Stitch marker

·         Tapestry needle

Gauge: 5 sts = 1” in seed stitch

Instructions:

Brim:

Cast on 104 sts in BC, join being careful not to twist stitches.

Set up rows:

Row 1: *K1, p1, (repeat from * to end)

Row 2: *P1, k1, (repeat from * to end)

Repeat rows 1 and 2 for 26 rows.

Row 27: Continue in patt as established for 6 sts, work chart row 1 with IC continuing to work BC sts in seed stitch, work in patt to end.

Work chart in patt as established over next 20 rows.

Rep rows 1 and 2 twice.

Crown:

Switch yarn to CC. Work in stockinette for 7.5-8.”

Crown Shaping:

Row 1: *K11, k2tog, (rep from * to end)

Row 2: *K10, k2tog, (rep from * to end)

Row 3: *K9, k2tog, (rep from * to end)

Row 4: *K8, k2tog, (rep from * to end)

Row 5: *K7, k2tog, (rep from * to end)

Row 6: *K6, k2tog, (rep from * to end)

Row 7: *K5, k2tog, (rep from * to end)

Row 8: *K4, k2tog, (rep from * to end)

Row 9: *K3, k2tog, (rep from * to end)

Row 10: *K2, k2tog, (rep from * to end)

Row 11: *K1, k2tog, (rep from * to end)

Row 12: *K2tog, (rep from * to end)

Cut long tail and thread through remaining sts, pull and bring tail to inside hat.

Fold bottom half of hat brim to the inside of the hat and stitch where brim and crown meet so hat brim thickness is doubled.

Chart