A New Knit Hat for Sarah

Last Updated on November 20, 2017 by lydiaf1963

I’ve mentioned before how much I’ve enjoyed watching Orphan Black the science fiction series from BBC America and Netflix. While it’s taken the show 5 seasons to tell the story, the actual timeline of the events portrayed is around a year, maybe a year and a half. Since the show is set in Canada, the various characters wear a lot of knit wear…and some of it is really cool looking. Like this hat worn by Sarah, the lead character, when she travelled to an island to rescue one of her clone sisters.

Unfortunately, she lost her hat while on the island when she had to use it as a compress because she was attacked by a different clone sister (intrigued? You can stream the show through Amazon if you don’t have access to BBC America or Netflix). I thought we could make her a new one. I didn’t have enough black, but the navy blue I had in my stash worked well enough.

Sorry the screen grabs aren’t that great but they’re good enough to get an idea of the design behind the hat so it can be duplicated.

The hat is a slouchy beanie style hat which means the crown is taller than the top of your head. Depending on the type of yarn and the stitches used a slouchy hat may fold. It’s typically finished by threading the yarn through the stitches when the desired length is reached.

So, based on the photos this is what we know about the hat: There’s a wide band of 2 x 2 rib. It’s wide enough to cover the ears. The body of the hat is formed by a field of stockinette stitch (all knits) broken up by bands of garter stitch (alternating a round of knit and a round of purl stitches). The two sections are alternated until the desired length is reached, then the crown is decreased and finished off to complete the look.

To make Sarah’s hat you’ll need:

• worsted weight yarn (I used a navy blue acrylic yarn from my stash)
• 5mm knitting needles (US Size 8); either double pointed or circulars, your preference
• stitch markers
• tapestry needle
• cloth tape measure

If you have another yarn you’d prefer to use feel free. Select the needles that work with your choice of yarn and adjust the number of stitches as needed to achieve the proper fit. (Your cast on should be a multiple of 4). The instructions will assume worsted weight yarn and 5mm needles will be used.

You’ll need to have these skills:

• knitted cast on or other stretchy cast on
• joining in the round
• knit, purl, knit 2 together, and purl 2 together

Let’s start knitting!

1. Cast on 80 stitches and join to work in the round. Place a marker.
2. Make a Knit 2, Purl 2 rib (also known as 2 x 2 rib) for 3 inches (7.6 cm) or so. It should be wide enough to completely cover your ears.
3. Knit around until your “stripe” is about an inch long. That was 7 rounds for me, but it’s not important if the stripe isn’t exactly an inch wide. You could even vary the width of the stripes if the idea appeals to you.
4. Make a Garter Stitch Band like this:
   • Purl a round
   • Knit a round
   • Purl a round
5. Continue alternating knit stripes with the Garter Stitch Band until the body of the hat is between 6 and 7 inches (15 – 18 cm).

At this point, begin decreasing.

• Round One:  [Knit 8, Knit 2 Together, Place Marker] Repeat to the end of the round. (72 stitches left; 9 between the markers)
• Round Two: Knit around, slipping the markers as you come to them.
• Round Three: Knit until two stitches before the marker, knit 2 together.
• Round Four: Knit around.

Stay in pattern with the knit stripes and garter stitch band. If you happen to be on a purl row when you need to decrease use Purl 2 Together.

Switch to DPNs if necessary.

Repeat rounds Three and Four until you have 24 stitches left (3 stitches between the markers).

Cut a long tail and thread the yarn onto a tapestry needle. Thread the tail end through the remaining stitches and pull tight to close up the hole. If there’s still a little hole, use the tail end to sew it closed. Weave in any loose ends.

If you’d like a taller crown, add more length before starting the decreases.

Add a pompom if you like. Sarah didn’t have one on her hat, so I didn’t bother.

Each clone on Orphan Black had her own style and I found out while researching this post that there were blogs and membership boards devoted to “buying the look” of the shows. The Hot Topic chain of stores featured Orphan Black lines of clothing as well. They really rocked the knit wear in the last 2 seasons when the story took place in the winter. I’ve spied a few other items I’d like to recreate. Stay tuned.

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The Crafty Destash Challenge was set up to encourage us to create something from supplies we already have on hand. We’re allowed $10 to purchase items like glue and such. This month I didn’t have to spend any money. I like the pattern of the hat and may do it again with a nice wool in a different color as the acrylic yarn is a bit stiff.

Every month a group of bloggers are challenged by C’mon Get Crafty to create a new craft or project from their own stash of goodies! Check out some awesome creations you might be able to make from your own stash! #CraftRoomDestashChallenge.

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