The Musselburgh hat pattern (not sponsored) by Ysolda Teague is one of the best knitting patterns out there. It is a closed tube that folds in on itself to create a 2-layer hat. Two layers means extra warmth and lots of room to play.
There are thousands of projects on Ravelry. Many knitters (including me) make more than one, which says a LOT about the merits of the pattern.
No Gauge Swatch
I repeat. No gauge swatch! Just start knitting.
The pattern is written for a plethora of gauges. You measure your gauge after you’ve knit enough to measure an inch, and then you find your gauge on a table to get the rest of your instructions.
No Purling
Just keep knitting.
Small
Single Skein
It’s a one skein project (or 2 half skeins, etc). It’s a great travel project because it doesn’t take up much space, and it doesn’t cost a fortune’s worth of yarn.
I know I love to get a single skein of a variegated yarn that catches my eye, but what do I do with it that will show off the yarn? Musselburgh.
Stash Knitting
This is a great one to just go grab a skein or two from your stash and go. It’s also a good candidate for using leftovers.
Versatile
There are 2-4 Options for wearing a Musselburgh depending on how you make it.
If you make it in one color, you can wear it cuffed or uncuffed: 2 options.
If you make it in two colors, you can wear it cuffed or uncuffed on the one side or the other: 4 options. This is my new favorite method. It’s fun to pair up two yarns from my stash. I like picking a solid color to go with a variegated yarn.
I also love using two different yarns for each half, resulting in 2 different textures.
Musselburgh 2: Adult Medium, Manos del Uruguay Alegria in Antigua and Magenta
Musselburgh 3: Toddler, Hedgehog Fibres Sporty Merino in Bollywood and Malabrigo Lace in Water Green held double
Musselburgh 4: Baby, Emma’s Yarn in Lilac You a Lot
Mindless
Autopilot
For 90-ish% of the hat, you don’t have to pay attention at all. You increase on one end, you decrease on the other, and in between, you just knit around and around.
For the increase and decrease sections, I use magic loop with my 32” ChiaoGoo Interchangeable Needles, but you could also use DPNs. Then I switch to shorties, so it really is just knitting around and around without having to manage switching needles. Really. ChiaoGoos really are the best – I wrote you a guide.
Zoom Knitting
We all need a great project to pick up when we’re on a virtual off camera meeting or webinar. Knitting on the Musselburgh keeps my brain free for paying attention and my hands busy to prevent me from answering emails instead.
Read While You Knit
The Musselburgh is the perfect candidate for reading and knitting at the same time. If you haven’t tried it yet, this is your sign!
Sock Alternative
I have tried to become a sock knitter, and I’m just… not. The Musselburgh hat pattern fills that hole for me.
Socks are perfect for:
- Featuring a single skein of variegated fingering weight yarn
- Taking on the go
- Knitting from memory once you know your formula
The Musselburgh checks all of these boxes, too.
Easier Gauge
Socks do best at a gauge of 8-9 stitches per inch on teensy size 0-1.5 needles. That gets tedious for me. I’ve settled on a size 4 needle for my Musselburgh hats, which gets me a gauge of 7.5 stitches per inch. It still creates a beautiful smooth fabric, but it’s much more comfortable for me and I can finish the hat more quickly because it takes fewer stitches to get the same measurements.
Gauge. Gotta love it.
Final Thoughts
In summary, I think I’ll always have a Musselburgh on my needles because:
- No Gauge Swatch
- No Purling
- Small Size
- Versatility
- Mindlessness
- Great Sock Alternative
Go get it if you haven’t already! And Ysolda has tutorials waiting for you.
