Brioche Braid Hat

Free Hat Knitting Pattern

This cute two-tone hat features a motif of braids created by mixing in Brioche lattice with the regular Brioche stitch. This is a great pattern for anyone looking to get into Brioche knitting!

Skills required: to knit this hat, you have to know how to knit 2-color brioche stitch in-the-round, and make brioche decreases and increases.

Size: one size fits an average woman's head

Finished measurements: Hat circumference: 22” (55 cm), unstretched; hat stretches to fit most adult heads
Height from edge of brim to top center of crown 8" (20 cm).

Materials: Knit Picks (affiliate link) Wool of the Andes 100% wool worsted weight yarn 110 yards (101 meters) / 50 grams, color Claret Heather – 1 skein. (DC)
Knit Picks (affiliate link) Wool of the Andes 100% wool worsted weight yarn 110 yards (101 meters) / 50 grams, color White – 1 skein. (LC)

Needles: US 7 (4.5 mm) 21” (52 cm) circular needles and double pointed needles (dpn) for the top of the hat, OR SIZE NEEDED TO OBTAIN GAUGE

Gauge: 18 sts x 20 rows = 4" (10 cm) in brioche stitch
Please note, that 1 row of brioche consists of 2 rows: 1 row of LC and 1 row of DC

Abbreviations

Please note that I use Nancy Marchant's terminology for brioche stitch. I highly recommend her books Knitting Brioche: The Essential Guide to the Brioche Stitch and Knitting Fresh Brioche: Creating Two-Color Twists & Turns, as well as her lessons on craftsy.com.
yf - yarn forward: bring the yarn to the front, between the tips of the needles.
yb - yarn back: take the yarn to the back, between the tips of the needles.
sl1yof - slip 1, yarn over, yarn to front: with working yarn in front, slip the next stitch purlwise, then bring the yarn over the needle and the slipped stitch, then bring yarn back around to the front, ready to purl the following stitch.
yfsl1yo - yarn forward, slip 1, yarn over: bring the working yarn between the tips of the needles to front of work, slip the next stitch purlwise, then bring the yarn over the needle and the slipped stitch. Leave yarn in back, ready to knit the next stitch.
brk - brioche knit: knit the stitch together with its accompanying yarnover
brp - brioche purl: purl the stitch together with its accompanying yarnover
brsssk (left slant 2-stitch decrease) – work to marked st, slip the next 2 sts (the marked st with its yarn over and the next single st) knitwise, one at a times, onto the right needle. Bark the following st, then pass the 2 slipped sts over.
LS – light side
DS – dark side
LC – light color
DC- dark color
pm – place marker
mm – move marker
k – knit
p – purl
br3-3 (brioche gathered 3 into 3 st) –slip the next st (the marked st with its yarn over) knitwise, onto the right-hand needle.

Brk together 2 next sts (sl1yo and next brk), inserting right-hand needle into brk first, DO NOT take these 2 sts off the left-hand needle, yo, insert right-hand needle into these 2 sts again and pull another st (now you have 3 sts made out of those 2 sts),

with left needle pass the slipped st over 3 sts.

Pattern Notes:

Two-Color Brioche Stitch in rounds

Please note that one brioche round consists of 2 rounds, one worked in LC and the other in DC.

Even number of stitches
Set up round (LC): *k1, yfsl1yo, repeat from * to the end of the round. Bring the LC yarn forward and leave it hanging in front of the work.
Set up round (DC): yf, *sl1yof, brp1, repeat from * to the end of the round. Bring the DC yarn back.
Round 1 (LC): yb, *brk1, yfsl1yo, repeat from * to the end of the round. Bring the LC yarn forward and leave it hanging in front of the work.
Round 1 (DC): yf, *sl1yof, brp1, repeat from * to the end of the round. Bring the DC yarn back.
Repeat round 1 (DC and LC)


Short Overview of the pattern

The hat is knitted in-the-round from the bottom edge up in 2-color brioche stitch. The hat begins with rounds of regular brioche stitch, which is worked for 2" (5 cm). Then the body of the hat is worked in a combination of regular brioche and brioche lattice, which is achieved by working br3-3 (brioche gathered 3 into 3 st). The top of the hat is shaped with brioche decreases.


Hat

Using 2 strands of yarn (LC and DC), cast on 80 sts, join to the beginning of the round and continue to work in-the-round. Place marker to mark the beginning of the round.

Round SR (LC): ((K1, yf sl1yo) × 10) 4 times. (80 sts)
Round SR (DC): ((Yf sl1yo, brp) × 10) 4 times.

Round 1 (LC): ((Brk, yf sl1yo) × 10) 4 times.
Round 1 (DC): ((Yf sl1yo, brp) × 10) 4 times.

Rounds 2-10 (LC): Repeat round 1.
Rounds 2-10 (DC): Repeat round 1.

Round 11 (LC): (3-3, yf sl1yo, 3-3, (yf sl1yo, brk) × 6, yf sl1yo) 4 times.
Round 11 (DC): (Yf sl1yo, p1, yf sl1yo, brp, yf sl1yo, p1, (yf sl1yo, brp) × 7) 4 times.

Round 12 (LC): Repeat round 1.
Round 12 (DC): Repeat round 1.

Round 13 (LC): (Brk, (yf sl1yo, 3-3) × 2, (yf sl1yo, brk) × 5, yf sl1yo) 4 times.
Round 13 (DC): ((Yf sl1yo, brp, yf sl1yo, p1) × 2, (yf sl1yo, brp) × 6) 4 times.

Round 14 (LC): Repeat round 1.
Round 14 (DC): Repeat round 1.

Round 15 (LC): Repeat round 11.
Round 15 (DC): Repeat round 11.

Round 16 (LC): Repeat round 1.
Round 16 (DC): Repeat round 1.

Round 17 (LC): ((Brk, yf sl1yo) × 5, (3-3, yf sl1yo) × 2, brk, yf sl1yo) 4 times.
Round 17 (DC): ((Yf sl1yo, brp) × 5, (yf sl1yo, p1, yf sl1yo, brp) × 2, yf sl1yo, brp) 4 times.

Round 18 (LC): Repeat round 1.
Round 18 (DC): Repeat round 1.

Round 19 (LC): ((Brk, yf sl1yo) × 6, (3-3, yf sl1yo) × 2) 4 times.
Round 19 (DC): ((Yf sl1yo, brp) × 6, (yf sl1yo, p1, yf sl1yo, brp) × 2) 4 times.

Round 20 (LC): Repeat round 1.
Round 20 (DC): Repeat round 1.

Round 21 (LC): Repeat round 17.
Round 21 (DC): Repeat round 17.

Round 22 (LC): Repeat round 1.
Round 22 (DC): Repeat round 1.

Round 23 (LC): Repeat round 11.
Round 23 (DC): Repeat round 11.

Round 24 (LC): Repeat round 1.
Round 24 (DC): Repeat round 1.

Round 25 (LC): Repeat round 13.
Round 25 (DC): Repeat round 13.

Round 26 (LC): Repeat round 1.
Round 26 (DC): Repeat round 1.

Round 27 (LC): Repeat round 11.
Round 27 (DC): Repeat round 11.

Round 28 (LC): Repeat round 1.
Round 28 (DC): Repeat round 1.

Rounds 29-30: Repeat round 28 (both LC and DC).

Round 31 (LC): ((Brsssk, yf sl1yo) × 5) 4 times. (40 sts)
Round 31 (DC): ((Yf sl1yo, brp) × 5) 4 times.

Round 32 (LC): ((Brk, yf sl1yo) × 5) 4 times.
Round 32 (DC): ((Yf sl1yo, brp) × 5) 4 times.

Rounds 33-34: Repeat round 32 (both LC and DC).

Round 35 (LC): (Brsssk, yf sl1yo) × 10. (20 sts)
Round 35 (DC): (Yf sl1yo, brp) × 10.

Round 36 (LC): (Brk, yf sl1yo) × 10.
Round 36 (DC): (Yf sl1yo, brp) × 10.

Rounds 37-38: Repeat round 36 (both LC and DC).

Cut yarn, leaving a 10" (25 cm) tail. Pull through all the remaining sts and secure.


Finishing

Weave in ends. Block.

Enjoy!

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