13. The Two-Tone Houndstooth Jacquard Cap

Introduction

The Two-Tone Houndstooth Jacquard Cap brings classic bespoke tailoring into modern knitwear. Using traditional stranded colorwork (Fair Isle), it renders the iconic dogtooth check in a clean, fitted skullcap silhouette.

What This Idea Means

Houndstooth relies on precise, rhythmic stitch counting. Its balanced grid pattern creates a tailored, graphic look that pairs naturally with structured winter coats, blazers, and trenches.

How to Make It

  • Yarn: Sport-weight Merino Wool: 50g Midnight Black (Color A), 50g Crisp Cream (Color B).
  • Needles: US 3 (3.25 mm) and US 4 (3.5 mm) circular needles.
  • Gauge: 26 stitches and 28 rounds = 4 inches in stranded colorwork.
  • Construction:
    1. With Color A on US 3 needles, cast on 112 stitches. Work 1.5 inches in $1 \times 1$ Corrugated Rib (K1 in Color A, P1 in Color B).
    2. Switch to US 4 needles and follow the 4-stitch, 4-round Houndstooth chart:
      • Round 1: *K3 A, K1 B; rep from *.
      • Round 2: *K1 A, K1 B, K2 A; rep from *.
      • Round 3: *K2 B, K2 A; rep from *.
      • Round 4: *K1 B, K3 A; rep from *.
    3. Maintain relaxed float tension across the back of the work, trapping any floats longer than 3 stitches.
    4. Work until piece reaches 7.5 inches.
    5. Work crown decreases in two-stitch pairings using Color A to create clean converging lines that meet at the top.

Tips and Variations

  • Need to Make: Keep your dominant yarn (Color A) consistently held to the left/underneath to ensure the houndstooth pattern stands out clearly.
  • Variation: Swap the high-contrast black and white for tonals, such as charcoal and camel or navy and slate.