Dazzle Hat from ModularModular

Fancy Tiger is full of awesomely talented and creative people and our webstore manager, Katy, is no exception. She recently flexed her design muscles and created this bold and colorful short row hat and we couldn't be more excited to show it off.

Pattern: Dazzle Hat by Katy Osterwald
Materials: 7 Madelinetosh Unicorn Tails - 3 of main color (shown in Onyx), 4 contrasting (shown with Edison Bulb, Neon Peach, Glass Bottom Boat, and Pop Rocks)

My most favorite thing to knit is garter stitch short rows. This usually takes the form of shawls, but lately I've been wanting to do some instant gratification knitting that would allow me to use small amounts of yarn and of course, garter stitch short rows. The Dazzle Hat is the result of my experimentation!

The Dazzle Hat is based on German swing knitting, where you created a shape using short rows, and then use more short rows to "fill in" around the shape. So throughout the hat, you're making wedge-shape "hills" with short rows, and then filling in around them with the next wedge's short rows until you're back to an "even" height position. This is a lot easier than it sounds once you get started!

The brim and top of the hat and each wedge is striped with a main color, and then each wedge has a secondary color. The magic of the Dazzle Hat is that the secondary color can be whatever you want! This one uses MadelineTosh Unicorn Tails, which are 52 yard mini skeins of Tosh Merino Light. I used a different neon color for each wedge, with Onyx as the main color.

Other versions I've made are done with just two solid colors with a striped top, with a custom gradient mini sock blank, with a set of ombre mini skeins, and with self-striping sock yarn. It's great for fingering weight scraps too, each wedge is only 30 yards of yarn!

Because of the unique way the hat is constructed, I do recommend making a quick gauge swatch before starting the hat. Unlike most hats, you cannot remove pattern repeats or length to adjust the sizing, so you will need to make adjustments with needle sizes.

Once you make your first Dazzle Hat, you'll find it hard not make more, there are so many color possibilities! Use the hashtag #DazzleHat or #ModularModular, I'd love to see yours!