Wolf pack hat
This hat, knit in the round, speaks to the predator-friendly philosophy of Thirteen Mile Farm ( www.lambandwool.com). The lined brim keeps your ears extra warm.

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Skill level
Intermediate/Experienced

Size
Adult

Finished measurements
Circumference: 21" (53.5cm)
Height: 9" (23cm)

Materials
• 1 skein Thirteen Mile Farm 100% wool ( www.lambandwool.com/yarn.htm), sportweight yarn, 200 yd (183m), 3-1/2 oz (99g), in dark brown, main colour (MC), 1 skein in tan, contrast colour 1 (CC1), and 1 skein in medium brown, contrast colour 2 (CC2).
• 2 US size 2 (2.75mm), 16" (40.5cm) long circular needles, or size needed to obtain gauge (one needle will be needed only for holding the hem sts when working the joining round)
• US size 3 (3.25mm) 16" (40.5cm) long circular needle
• US size 3 (3.25mm) set of double-pointed needles
• D-3 (3.25mm) crochet hook for provisional cast-on
• Waste yarn

Gauge
25 sts = 4" (10cm) in St st using the size 2 (2.75mm) needle

Hat
Cast on 144 sts using a crochet (or other provisional) cast-on as follows:
With a smooth waste yarn, work a crochet chain about 150 sts long. Starting 1 or 2 sts in from the end of the chain and using CC1 and the smaller needle, pick up and knit 1 st in the back loop of each chain stitch until 144 sts have been worked. Later, the chain will be unravelled and the resulting live sts picked up to finish the hem facing.
Join into a round, being careful not to twist the sts, and place a marker.
Knit rounds in St st for 3" (7.5cm). Switch to MC. Knit 2 rounds. This forms the hem facing.

Turning round
Purl all sts. This will form a sharp fold line.
Using MC, knit 5 rounds.
Using CC1, knit 1 round.
Using CC2, knit 2 rounds.
Using CC1, knit 3 rounds.
Change to the larger needle.

Knit wolf chart
Some of the carries are quite long, so you may need to twist the light colour behind the dark; these will be hidden by the hem facing. After the last row of the wolf chart is finished, change to the smaller needle for the next 6 rounds.
Using CC1, knit 4 rounds, using CC2, work 2 rounds.
Remove the waste yarn and place the live sts on the extra 16" circular needle before working the joining round.

Joining round
Fold facing along the fold line so wrong sides are together. Each stitch on the needle will line up with a stitch on the cast-on edge. With CC1, knit each stitch on the needle together with the corresponding stitch of the cast-on row.
The hat is now worked on the larger needle. Following the snowflake chart, repeat chart 4 times, or to desired length. Break off CC1, and with MC begin decreasing for the top, changing to double-pointed needles when necessary.

Decrease rounds
Round 1: *K2, k2tog; repeat from * to the end of the round – 108 sts.
Rounds 2 and 4: Work even.
Round 3: *K1, k2tog; repeat from * to the end of the round – 72 sts.
Rounds 5-7: *K2tog; repeat from * to the end of the round – 36 sts after round 5, 18 sts after round 6, 9 sts after round 7.

Finishing
Break off yarn, draw through the remaining sts and fasten securely.
Weave in ends.

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Excerpted from Shear Spirit: Ten Fiber Farms, Twenty Patterns, and Miles of Yarn by Joan Tapper, with photography by Gale Zucker. Copyright 2008 by Joan Tapper and Gale Zucker. Excerpted with permission from Potter Craft, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced without permission in writing from the publisher.