Old Fashioned Stocking Hat

Description

A throwback to a classic long stocking hat, this pattern has been re-designed to include fingering-weight yarn options and more sizes. Long stocking hats were mostly worn in the Victorian Era and were common garments as early as 1557, when English physician Andrew Borde wrote, “Let your nyght cap be of scarlet…to be made of a good thycke quylte of cotton, or els of pure flockes or of cleane wolle…”

This hat, written for both fingering- and worsted-weight yarn in both long and short versions will take you back to a time where sleeping caps were common to keep the chill off at night.

SIZES: Child—Small/Medium (Child—Large, Adult—Small/ Medium, Adult—Large)
The hat is designed to be worn with negative ease; knit one size smaller than actual head circumference.

FINISHED SIZES:
FINGERING-WEIGHT FINISHED SIZES: 15 (17.5, 18.75, 21.5)” [38 (44.5, 47.5, 54) cm].
WORSTED-WEIGHT FINISHED SIZES: 14.5 (17, 19, 22)” [37 (43, 48.5, 56) cm].
FINISHED LENGTHS: (from cast on to tip, approximate):
LONG VERSION, WORSTED-WEIGHT: 31”/79 cm long.
LONG VERSION, FINGERING-WEIGHT: 32”/81 cm long.
SHORT VERSION, WORSTED-WEIGHT: 23”/58 cm long.
SHORT VERSION, FINGERING-WEIGHT: 26”/66 cm long.

Instructions are given separately for the fingering- and worsted-weight yarns. Within those instructions, round counts for the long version are given in parentheses, where different from the short version.

FOR BOTH VERSIONS: If adding stripes, the total yarn should add up to the total given. When only the tail is striped, as in the worsted-weight samples shown, you will need approximately twice the amount of the main color as for the contrast color.

Sample #1 (Adult—Small/Medium, longer length, worsted weight version) was knit with approximately 305 yds/ 280 m total of worsted-weight yarn, using approximately 100 yds of Another Crafty Girl Merino Worsted (100% merino wool, 215 yds/197 m per 100 g) in the colorway: Charlie’s Tree, and approximately 205 yds/187.5 m of Patons Classic Worsted Wool (100% wool, 210 yds/ 192 m per 100 g) in the color: red. The finished hat measured 20”/51 cm circumference above ribbing and 34”/86 cm long.
Sample #2 (Adult—Large, shorter length, worsted-weight version) was knit using Knitted Wit Worsted Super Wash Merino (100% merino wool, 200 yds per 113 g) and used approximately 125 yds of the colorway: Sassy Santa and 75 yds of the colorway: Purple. Finished yardage used: 109 g, (40 g purple and 69 g Sassy Santa) and measurements: 22”/56 cm circumference above ribbing and 23”/58 cm long.
Sample #3 (Child—Large, long length, fingering-weight version) was knit using one skein of Yarn at Home Mom Basic Fingering (75% merino wool, 25% nylon 463 yds/100 g) in the colorway: Pizzazz. The finished hat used all but one yard of the skein and measured 16”/40 cm circumference above ribbing and 33”/84 cm long.

GAUGE:
FOR WORSTED-WEIGHT YARN: 20 sts X 26 rows = 4”/10 cm (5 sts and 6.5 rows per 1”/2.5 cm) in Stockinette Stitch pattern using larger needles.
FOR FINGERING-WEIGHT YARN: 32 sts X 41 rows = 4”/10 cm (8 sts and 10¼ rows per 1”/2.5 cm) in Stockinette Stitch pattern using larger needles.
Note: Stitch gauge is critical for sizing the hat; if you can only match one gauge measurement, make it the stitch gauge. If your row gauge doesn’t match pattern gauge, the length of your hat may vary from that given. You can adjust the length by knitting more or fewer rows between decreases, taking into account that this will change the amount of yarn required.

YARN:
FOR WORSTED-WEIGHT VERSION: Worsted-weight yarn (approximately 210 yds per 100g);
LONG VERSION: 255 (290, 330, 375) yds [230 (265, 305, 340) m].
SHORT VERSION: 145 (165, 190, 210) yds [130 (155, 175, 195) m].
FOR FINGERING WEIGHT VERSION: Fingering-weight yarn
(approximately 460 yards per 100 grams);
LONG VERSION: 410 (470, 510, 590) yds [370 (430, 465, 540) m].
SHORT VERSION: 325 (380, 410, 465) yds [300 (350, 375, 425) m]

NEEDLES:
FOR WORSTED-WEIGHT VERSION
US Size 6 (4.0 mm) 16” circular needle.
US Size 7 (4.5 mm) 16” circular needle.
US Size 7 double-pointed needles.
FOR FINGERING-WEIGHT VERSION
US Size 2.75 (2.75 mm) optional.
US Size 3 (3.25 mm) 16” circular needle.
US Size 3 (3.25 mm) double pointed needles.