Checked Hat Pattern

With 16" circular needle, cast on 84 sts in chocolate. Place one stitch marker every 21 sts to help keep your place. Join, taking care not to twist. Work in K1, P1 rib for 1½ inches (about 9 rnds). Break yarn. Move all sts to large stitch holder.

With 16" circular needle, pick up and knit 84 sts along cast on edge. Work in K1, P1 rib for 1½ inches (about 9 rnds). Move sts to second circular needle.

Fold work in half so that cast on edge lies in the middle, placing the rougher edge inside the fold. Alternating stitches, combine both sets of ribbing onto the 29" circular needle. (One stitch from stitch holder, one stitch from 16" circular needle, one stitch from stitch holder, one stitch from 16" circular needle, etc.) You should have 168 sts total on the needles now.

Switch to St st and begin chart.

Note: Depending on how you transferred the sts back to the working needle, they may be twisted. I had to work the first rnd of the pattern in plaited stitch to correct this.

This is the chart I designed for the hat.

This is the legend to the chart.

This is the chart in color. I left the symbols in place in case the colors on your monitor or printer are not the same as mine.

To work chart in double knitting, you will work essentially K1P1 all the way around: The K sts will be the ones facing you, and the P sts will be facing the opposite direction. Remember to keep both yarns in back for K sts and both yarns in front for P sts. Anyway, to work the reversible color changes, you will K1 in chocolate and then P1 in chocolate. Then K1 in camel and P1 in camel.

Work till hat measures 8" and begin decreases.

Decreases:

Note: In order to maintain the checked pattern, I have arranged the decreases such that they occur two in a row. That way you will lose one dark and one light stitch at the same time.

When hat measures 8", begin decrease rounds. To decrease in double knitting, slip 3 sts off needles (2 K sts from right side and 1 P st from wrong side); slip P st back onto left needle; slip 2 K sts back onto left needle. Thusly you should have 2 K sts followed by 2 P sts on left needle. To decrease, K2tog and then P2tog. This will result in a decrease of 1 st per side of the fabric. You will do this twice for each decrease.

For the decrease rounds, assume that (Kx, K2tog) refers to the facing side of the work. You will actually be working K1 (on the right side), P1 (on the wrong side) as you have thus far. Thusly, (K10, K2tog twice) means K1 (on the right side), P1 (on the wrong side) 10 times, rearrange the sts as described above, K2tog on the right side, P2tog on the wrong side.

Work decrease rounds as follows:

Rnd 1: (K10, K2 tog twice) around—144 (72) sts.
Rnd 2 and all even rnds: Work even around.
Rnd 3: (K8, K2 tog twice) around—120 (60) sts.
Rnd 5: (K6, K2 tog twice) around—96 (48) sts.
Rnd 7: (K4, K2 tog twice) around—72 (36) sts.
Rnd 9: (K2, K2 tog twice) around—48 (24) sts.
Rnd 11: (K2 tog) around—24(12) sts.
Rnd 13: (K2 tog) around—12 (6) sts.

Break yarns, leaving a tail of about 18 inches. Arrange sts across 2 double pointed needles, 6 sts per needle. Do not turn the work as you graft the remaining sts together as follows:

Grafting preparation:
Draw the yarn through the first stitch on the front needle as if to purl and leave it on the needle.
Draw the yarn through the first stitch on the back needle as if the knit and leave it on the needle.

Grafting steps:

1. Draw the yarn through the first stitch on the front needle as if to knit; slip it off the needle.
   
2. Draw the yarn through the next stitch on the front needle as if to purl; leave it on the needle.
   
3. Draw the yarn through the first stitch on the back needle as if the purl; slip it off the needle.
   
4. Draw the yarn through the next stitch on the back needle as if to knit; leave it on the needle.