Raindrop Hat + Arm Warmers

Our free Raindrop Hat + Arm Warmers pattern is steeped in Norway! It starts with our spectacular hand-dyed Vinter Wool yarn from Norway and uses a traditional (and very easy!) Norwegian stranded colorwork pattern that has been used in the Setesdal region’s iconic sweaters for hundreds of years.

If you’ve never tried knitting stranded colorwork before, this is the perfect project to give it a go! The underlying patterns for the hat and arm warmers are as easy as can be, so that knitting a contrast-color stitch every now and then, while bringing the yarn loosely across the wrong side of your work, will be all you need to think about. Step-by-step instructions and a video tutorial will clear up any doubts!

The radiant beauty of these pieces comes from our Vinter Wool yarn. Just like the stitch pattern, Vinter Wool is distinctively Norwegian, made with 70% wool from Norwegian white sheep and 30% wool from Norwegian wildsheep. The latter is one of the world’s oldest sheep breeds, reared for 3,000 years on the heathered moorlands of the Norwegian coast… Their wool keeps them warm and dry, and this yarn will do the same for you!

We partnered with a small mill in Norway who skillfully prepares the wool fibers to maximize their softness, luster, and strength, while preserving the yarn’s toothy feel (so good for stranded colorwork… Stitches stay in place and fill in beautifully!).

The same mill spins and hand-dyes the yarn on site. Vinter Wool is a light worsted/DK-weight yarn with an exceptionally resilient feeling, the kind of yarn that stretches and springs right back. Most of all, this yarn feels deep and natural and very special, like you’re holding 3,000 years of Norwegian wildsheep and ocean air right in your hands.

And the extraordinary colors! Since this yarn is dyed over both white and gray wool, each color has tremendous richness and mystery. Just look at this glorious skein of Molasses Brown! Also notice that the hand-dyeing is subtle with just gentle variations in the color, enough to create luminosity. There are nearly two dozen hand-dyed colors to choose from, plus the incredible undyed River Birch color that lets you see every nuance of this unique wool blend… You’ll need just a few skeins of yarn to make a full Raindrop Hat + Arm Warmers set!

Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!

Designed by Purl Soho designer, Gianna Mueller. Click here to see even more of Gianna’s designs!

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!

Materials

HAT

• Purl Soho’s Vinter Wool, 70% Norwegian white sheep wool and 30% Norwegian wildsheep wool. Each skein of this light worsted/dk- to worsted/aran-weight yarn is 120 yards/ 50 grams.
  • Main Color: 1 (1, 1, 1) (2, 2, 2) skein(s); approximately 75 (85, 100, 115) (145, 170, 180) total yards required
  • Contrast Color: 1 skein; approximately 12 (13, 14, 15) (17, 19, 20) total yards required
• US 4 (3.5 mm), 12- or 16-inch circular knitting needles, depending on size you are making
• US 5 (3.75 mm), 12- or 16-inch circular needles, depending on size you are making
• A set of US 5 double pointed needles
• Stitch markers, including one unique

ARM WARMERS

• Purl Soho’s Vinter Wool, 70% Norwegian white sheep wool and 30% Norwegian wildsheep wool. Each skein of this light worsted/dk- to worsted/aran-weight yarn is 120 yards/ 50 grams.
  • Main Color: 1 (1, 2, 2, 2, 2) skein(s); approximately 85 (115, 150, 180, 215, 240) total yards required
  • Contrast Color: 1 skein; approximately 11 (14, 16, 19, 20, 21) total yards required
• A set of US 4 (3.5 mm) double pointed needles
• A set of US 5 (3.75 mm) double pointed needles
• Stitch markers, including one unique

NOTE: If making more than one piece, determine how many skeins you’ll need by adding up the yardages required for each color, then dividing by 120 (the number of yards per skein). If you’re making oppositely colored pieces like we did, be sure to add the yardages of the MC of one piece to the CC of the other piece. If you want your pieces to be the same colors, simply add MC of one piece to the MC of the other.

We knit our samples in these color combinations…

Kid Hat: MC Molasses Brown + CC Peach Taupe

Kid Arm Warmer: MC Peach Taupe + CC Molasses Brown

Adult Small Hat: MC Mustard Green + CC River Birch

Adult Extra Small Arm Warmer: MC River Birch + CC Mustard Green

GAUGE

23 stitches and 28 rounds = 4 inches in lice stitch (see Notes) on larger needles

SIZES

HAT

Newborn (Baby, Toddler, Kid) (Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large)

To fit head circumference of 14–15 (15–16½, 16½–18, 18–19½) (20–21½, 22–24, 23–25)

• Finished Circumference: 13½ (14½, 15¾, 16¾) (18¾, 20¾, 22) inches
• Finished Height: 6¼ (6½, 7¼, 8) (9, 9½, 9¾) inches

ARM WARMERS

Baby/Toddler (Kid, Adult Extra Small, Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large)

• Finished Circumference: 4¼ (5¼, 6¼, 7¼, 8¼, 9½) inches, comfortably stretching up to 5½ (6¾, 8¼, 9½, 10¾, 12) inches
• Finished Height: 10¼ (11¼, 12¼, 12½, 13, 13¼) inches

NOTES

COLOR DOMINANCE

For best results, float the CC under the MC throughout. If you knit with one color in each hand, hold the MC in your dominant hand and the CC in your non-dominant hand.

CARRYING YARN

When you’re knitting rounds with just the MC, carry the CC up the inside of the work by holding it in front of the working yarn as you knit the first stitch of the round.

Our Stripes In The Round Tutorial shows you how!

TRAPPING FLOATS

On colorwork rows, trap the float of CC yarn every time you work a set of five stitches in MC. To do this, knit the first two MC stitches normally, bring the CC yarn over the MC yarn at the wrong side of the work, and knit the third stitch with MC (trapping CC behind this stitch), then knit the remaining two stitches as normal.

For help with this technique, please visit our Trapping Floats Tutorial.

LICE STITCH PATTERN (FOR GAUGE SWATCH)

Works over a multiple of 6 stitches, in the round

Round 1: *K1 with CC, k5 with MC, repeat from * to end of round (see Notes, Color Dominance for tips on carrying yarns and Trapping Floats for tacking down the Contrast Color).

Rounds 2–5: Knit to end of round with MC, carrying up CC.

Round 6: K3 with MC, *k1 with CC, k5 with MC, repeat from * to last three stitches, k1 with CC, k2 with MC.

Round 7–10: Knit to end of round with MC, carrying up CC.

Repeat Rounds 1–10 for pattern.

HAT PATTERN

BRIM

With Contrast Color (CC), cast 78 (84, 90, 96) (108, 120, 126) stitches onto smaller circular needles. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Place unique stitch marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.

Cut CC.

Round 1: With Main Color (MC), *k1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.

Repeat Round 1 until piece measures approximately 1 (1¼, 1¾, 1¾) (1¾, 2, 2) inches from cast-on edge.

BODY

Change to larger circular needles.

Set-Up Rounds 1 and 2: With MC, knit to end of round.

Round 1: *K1 with CC, k5 with MC, repeat from * to end of round (see Notes, Color Dominance for tips on carrying yarns and Trapping Floats for tacking down the Contrast Color).

Rounds 2–5: With MC, knit to end of round, carrying up CC (see Notes).

Round 6: With MC, k3, *k1 with CC, k5 with MC, repeat from * to last three stitches, k1 with CC, k2 with MC.

Round 7–10: With MC, knit to end of round, carrying up CC.

Repeat Rounds 1–10 one (1, 1, 1) (2, 2, 2) more time(s), then repeat Rounds 1–5 zero (0, 0, 1) (0, 0, 0) time(s).

Cut CC.

CROWN

NOTE: Change to double pointed needles when necessary.

Continuing with MC…

Set-Up Round: *K13 (14, 15, 16) (18, 20, 21), place marker (pm), repeat from * to end of round, omitting final stitch marker. [6 stitch markers, including unique end-of-round marker]

Decrease Round: *Knit to two stitches before next marker, knit 2 together (k2tog), repeat from * to end of round. [6 stitches decreased]

Repeat Decrease Round 11 (12, 13, 14) (16, 18, 19) more times, removing stitch markers on final round except unique end-of-round marker. [6 stitches remain]

Next Round: [K2tog] 3 times. [3 stitches remain]

Cut MC.

I-CORD

Join CC.

With remaining 3 stitches, work an I-cord for 3 inches.

Bind-Off Row: K1, k2tog, pass first stitch over second stitch and off right needle.

Cut CC, leaving an 8-inch tail and draw it through remaining stitch.

Thread tail onto a tapestry needle. Make a loop with I-cord and draw tail through fabric at base of I-cord, then weave it into the inside of the Crown and back up through inside of I-cord.

FINISHING

Weave in any remaining ends and gently wet block.

ARM WARMER PATTERN

NOTE: To make your set like ours, swap the MC and CC that you used for the hat!

BOTTOM CUFF

With Contrast Color (CC), cast 24 (30, 36, 42, 48, 54) stitches onto smaller double pointed needles. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Cut CC.

Round 1: With Main Color (MC), *k1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.

Repeat Round 1 until piece measures 1 (1½, 2, 2, 2½, 2¾) inches from cast-on edge.

BODY

Change to larger double pointed needles.

Set-Up Rounds 1 and 2: With MC, knit to end of round.

Round 1: *K1 with CC, k5 with MC, repeat from * to end of round (see Notes, Color Dominance for tips on carrying yarns and Trapping Floats for tacking down the Contrast Color).

Rounds 2–5: With MC, knit to end of round, carrying up CC (see Notes).

Round 6: With MC, k3, *k1 with CC, k5 with MC, repeat from * to last three stitches, k1 with CC, k2 with MC.

Rounds 7–10: With MC, knit to end of round, carrying up CC.

Repeat Rounds 1–10 three more times, then repeat Rounds 1­–8 once more.

Cut CC.

TOP CUFF

Change to smaller double pointed needles.

Round 1: With MC, *k1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.

Repeat Round 1 for 2 (2½, 3, 3¼, 3¼) inches, until piece measures approximately 10¼ (11¼, 12¼, 12½, 13, 13¼) inches from cast-on edge.

Cut MC.

With CC and larger double pointed needles, bind off in stitch pattern.

FINISHING

Weave in any the end.

Make a second arm warmer just like the first, wet block both, and enjoy!

Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!