Recreating the Gagiana Barett – Knitting Pattern For a Barrett or Flat Cap

Based on an extant hat found on the Venetian Ship “Gagiana” Lost at Sea,October 14th, 1583.
Pattern created in 2003, published on website April 2007

by Marion McNealy,

Historical notes on the extant hat can be found in the diary I wrote for this project.
Recreation of a hat from the shipwreck Gagiana

Materials Needed

• 4 ozs Worsted and plied wool yarn, Cascade 220 recommended Historically accurate colors: Black, Red, Ash-colored (Grey), Liver-colored (Brown) and White
• Set of 5, 7 inch double pointed knitting needles in US Size 5 (Metric size 3.75) , or size needed to reach a knitted in the round and fulled gauge of 10 stitches over 2 inches and 15 rows over 2 inches. Metric gauge, 6 stitches over 3cms and 6 rows over 3 cms
• Large eyed yarn needle
• Small size crochet hook
• Rubber point protectors

Skills Needed

• Knitting in the round with 5 needles
• Determining gauge
• Increasing
• Decreasing

Finished Size

Width across crown: 11 ¼ inches / 28 cm
Circumference of crown: 35 ¾ inches / 91 cm
Width across brim: 9 ½ inches / 24.5 cm
Inner brim circumference: 16 inches / 41 cm

Important Instructions!

Please read through ALL of the instructions before beginning.

Please Do not be tempted to skip ANY of the gauge swatch steps. This is crucial to your success in using this pattern and getting a good result!

Preparing the Gauge Swatch

Cast on 30 stitches onto 3 needles, 10 stitches per needle. Knit in the round for 29 rows. Cast off on the 30th row.

Wash gauge swatch with hot water and a little bit of soap either in the sink or in a lingerie bag in the washing machine. You want it to full (shrink a little bit and get fluffy). I recommend washing it twice by hand or once by machine.

Here is a space for you to write down the exact process you used to full your swatch so you can follow the same process with the finished barett.

Swatch Fulling Notes

Rinse well with cool water and squeeze the water out. Do not wring out your swatch. Lay flat in a warm, dry place and let the swatch dry. When the swatch is dry, determine your gauge.

Pattern Gauge, knitted in the round and fulled.

Inches: 10 stitches over 2 inches and 15 rows over 2 inches.
Metric: 6 stitches over 3 cm and 6 rows over 3 cm.

If your gauge is larger than the pattern calls for, i.e. you have FEWER stitches per inch or centimeter than the required gauge, you can either use a smaller size needle or wash the swatch again in hot water to shrink it to the proper size, or you can have a larger sized hat.

If you gauge is smaller than the pattern calls for, i.e. you have MORE stitches per inch or centimeter than the required gauge, you can either use a larger size needle, or not wash the finished hat so much as you did the swatch, or you can have a smaller size hat.

Knitting Techniques

Knit plain in the round: Pick up stitches in the front as you would a purl stitch, but keep the yarn to the back and knit as usual. This keeps the knit stitches from twisting as you knit in the round.

Purl stitch The opposite of knitting. Yarn is carried in front of work, needle is inserted into front leg of loop, catches yarn and a stitch is made.

Increase one stitch: Instead of knitting the next stitch, knit into the stitch below, then knit the next stitch.

k2tog: Since knitting in the round twists the stitches, be sure and untwist the stitches before knitting them together. Slip the next two stitches off onto the working needle as if you were going to knit them, then slip them back onto the holding needle, then with the twist undone, knit the two stitches together as one stitch.

Gagiana Barett Knitting Instructions

The Barett is made in these steps:
1. Inner crown to outer brim
2. Outer brim to inner crown
3. Two layers of the brim are joined into one
4. Increases for crown of barett
5. Crease made in edge of crown
6. Decreases to finish crown

Inner crown to outer brim

• Cast on 100 stitches onto 4 needles, 25 stitches onto each needle.
• Row 1 – 4 : Knit plain in the round
• Row 5: Knit 5, increase 1 stitch underneath the next stitch, knit 1. Repeat for rest of round, until 4 stitches left, knit last 4 plain.
  Stitch count at end of round= 116
• Row 6 – 9: Knit plain in the round
• Row 10: Knit 6, increase 1 stitch underneath the next stitch, knit 1. Repeat for rest of round, until 4 stitches left, knit last 4 plain.
  Stitch count at end of round= 132
• Row 11- 14: Knit plain in the round
• Row 15: Knit 7, increase 1 stitch underneath the next stitch, knit 1. Repeat for rest of round, until 4 stitches left, knit last 4 plain.
  Stitch count at end of round= 148

Outer brim to inner crown

• Row 16 – 19: Knit plain in the round
• Row 20: Knit 7, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round
  Stitch count at end of round= 132
• Row 21-24: Knit plain in the round
• Row 25: Knit 6, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round
  Stitch count at end of round= 116
• Row 26-29: Knit plain in the round
• Row 30: Knit 5, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round.
  Stitch count at end of round= 100
• Row 31-34: Knit plain in the round

Two layers of the brim are joined into one.

This is the HARDEST row of the entire hat. Have patience and take it slow. You may find that it helps to fold and safety pin the brim so that it is easy to find the cast on edge.
The goal is to have the two edges joined into one smoothly, getting there can be a little sticky. Using point protectors to prevent the stitches slipping off the needles can save you a lot of frustration.

• Row 35: Slip first stitch off needle purl wise onto crochet hook. Insert hook into cast on edge of brim, into the bottom of first stitch on the cast on edge, catch yarn and pull through cast on edge and stitch on hook, thus making a new stitch. Repeat for the rest of the row, making sure to move over one stitch in the cast on edge for every stitch you work. When you have about 10 stitches on the hook, slip them off the back onto the free double pointed needle.

Increases for crown

• Row 36 – 39: Knit plain in the round. Row 36 doesn’t need to be untwisted, knit normally.
• Row 40: Knit 5, increase 1 stitch underneath the next stitch, knit 1. Repeat for rest of round, until 4 stitches left, knit last 4 plain.
  Stitch count at end of round= 116
• Row 41 – 44 : Knit plain in the round
• Row 45: Knit 6, increase 1 stitch underneath the next stitch, knit 1. Repeat for rest of round, until 4 stitches left, knit last 4 plain.
  Stitch count at end of round= 132
• Row 46 – 49: Knit plain in the round
• Row 50: Knit 7, increase 1 stitch underneath the next stitch, knit 1. Repeat for rest of round, until 4 stitches left, knit last 4 plain.
  Stitch count at end of round= 148
• Row 51 – 54 : Knit plain in the round
• Row 55: Knit 8, increase 1 stitch underneath the next stitch, knit 1. Repeat for rest of round, until 4 stitches left, knit last 4 plain.
  Stitch count at end of round= 164
• Row 56 – 59: Knit plain in the round
• Row 60: Knit 9, increase 1 stitch underneath the next stitch, knit 1. Repeat for rest of round, until 4 stitches left, knit last 4 plain.
  Stitch count at end of round= 180

Crease made in edge of crown

• Row 61: PURL one round

Decreases to center of crown and castoff!

• Row 62-64: Knit plain in the round
• Row 65: Knit 8, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round
  Stitch count at end of round= 162
• Row 66-69: Knit plain in the round
• Row 70: Knit 7, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round
  Stitch count at end of round= 144
• Row 71-74: Knit plain in the round
• Row 75: Knit 6, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round
  Stitch count at end of round= 126
• Row 76-79: Knit plain in the round
• Row 80: Knit 5, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round.
  Stitch count at end of round= 108
• Row 81-84: Knit plain in the round
• Row 85: Knit 4, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round
  Stitch count at end of round= 90
• Row 86-89: Knit plain in the round
• Row 90: Knit 3, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round.
  Stitch count at end of round= 72

Almost there! Distribute the stitches onto 3 needles, 24 stitches on each needle.

• Row 91-94: Knit plain in the round
• Row 95: Knit 2, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round
  Stitch count at end of round= 54
• Row 96: Knit plain in the round
• Row 97: Knit 1, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round.
  Stitch count at end of round= 36
• Row 98-99: Knit plain in the round
• Row 100: Knit 1, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round.
  Stitch count at end of round= 24
• Row 101: Knit plain in the round
• Row 102: Knit 1, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round.
  Stitch count at end of round= 16
• Row 103: Knit plain in the round
• Row 104: Knit 1, k2tog. Repeat for rest of round.
• Row 105: Knit plain in the round
• Cut yarn 15 inches from work, thread needle with yarn and thread through remaining stitches. Weave yarn and any other loose yarn ends into the back the knitting and trim close.

Fulling your Barett

With all loose ends woven into the knitting, wash your finished barett using the same process you used to full your gauge swatch. Arrange it so that it lays flat on a towel in a warm and cat free spot overnight and turn over in the morning to finish drying.

If you have any questions or comments about these instructions, please email me at m_mc_nealy (at) yahoo DOT com.

Happy Knitting!

Marion