Another hat pattern

A friend passed some yarn on to me for the purpose of knitting hats for Boxes of Hope. One ball was soft and fluffy. After two false starts (fortunately it was easy to unravel) I made a hat by a different method.

Hat before stitching seam

With 6.5mm needles cast on 12 sts. and knit until the yarn runs out. Pull back one row and cast off. (If there is plenty of yarn knit to the circumference of child’s head.)

With smooth yarn and 4mm needles pick up stitches along one side. I picked up 69sts.  K. 1 row. P. 1 row.

Next row (K. 21 K 2 tog.) 3 times. (66 sts.)

Finished hat

P.1 row.

Next row (K. 9 K. 2 tog.) 6 times. (60 sts.)

Next row (P. 2 tog. P. 8) 6 times. (54 sts.)

Next row (K. 7 K. 2 tog.) 6 times. (48 sts.)

Next row (P. 2 tog. P. 6) 6 times. (42 sts.)

Next row (K. 5. K. 2 tog.) 6 times. (36 sts.)

Next row (P. 2 tog. P. 4) 6 times. (30 sts.)

Next row (K. 3 K. 2 tog.) 6 times. (24 sts.)

Next row (P. 2 tog. P. 2) 6 times. (18 sts.)

Next row (K. 1 K. 2 tog.) 6 times. (12 sts.)

Next row P. 2 tog. 6 times. (6 sts.)

Fasten off. Join seam by over-sewing using the smooth yarn.

A chunky hat pattern

An earlier post describe a hat knitted in chunky yarn from crown to brim. Having discovered the approximate number of stitches required I knitted a second hat in a more usual way.

Finished hat

The pattern

Using 5.5mm needles CO 88 sts in smooth chunky yarn and work in K.1. P.1. rib for twice the depth required for the brim.

Change to 6.5 mm needles and hairy yarn. Work in stocking stitch throughout.

Continue until work is the desired length before shaping the crown.

(K. 18. K. 2 tog.) 4 times. (84 sts.)

Purl 1 row.

(K. 17. k.2 tog.) 4 times (80 sts.)

Purl 1 row.

(K. 8. k.2 tog.) 8 times (72 sts.)

Purl 1 row.

(K.7. k .2 tog.) 8 times (64 sts.)

Purl 1 row.

(K.6. k.2 tog.) 8 times (56 sts.)

Purl 1 row.

(K.5. k2 tog.) 8 times (48sts.)

Purl 1 row.

(K.4. k2 tog.) 8 times (40sts.)

Purl 1 row.

(K.3. k2 tog.) 8 times (32 sts.)

Purl 1 row.

( K2.. k2 tog.) 8 times (24 sts.)

Purl 1 row.

(K1. k2 tog.) 8 times (16sts.)

Purl 1 row.

(K2 tog.)  8 times (8sts)

Purl 1 row.

(K2 tog.)  4 times. (4sts)

Break yarn, leaving a long end. Thread a tapestry needle and fasten off by passing needle through the remaining stitches. Join seam as far as ribbing using ladder stitch.

Using smooth yarn join ribbing using ladder stitch with right side reversed for folded part of brim.

A knitting problem

In the bag of wool my friend gave me ‘for tea cosies’ there was almost a whole ball of very interesting yarn. It was thicker than double knitting, so unsuitable for the sort of tea cosies I have been making. As there was no ball band, I sent her a message asking her to look up the size of needles and tension if she had time. It just happened that her current project is using the same sort of yarn, so she replied with needle sizes straightaway. I didn’t want to pester about the tension particularly as mine is not always the same as the pattern.

Both hubby and I had looked at the yarn and thought, ‘That would make a hat.’ I didn’t weigh it at the time, but there were 88gms from a 100gm ball. So the problem was how many stitches would be needed for a hat?

Usually (bobble) hats are knitted from the widest point with the decreasing for the crown at the end. It occurred to me that I could knit a hat starting at the top and increasing as required. I planned to do this as two equal halves, but the first ‘half’ came out bigger than I expected. I made a second piece with fewer stitches.

Here is the pattern:-
Size 6.5mm needles.
CO 4 sts. Work in stocking stitch throughout. Work 2 rows. (Next row: increase into every stitch. Purl 1 row.) 3 times. (32 sts.) For the second piece I continued to work on 32 sts to match the length of the first piece.
1st piece only. Next row: (inc.1. K.7.) 3 times. (36 sts)

Hat and yarn remaining

P. 1 row.
Next row: (inc.1. K.8.) 3 times (40 sts)
P. 1 row.
Next row: (inc. 1. K. 9) 3 times (44 sts)
P. 1 row.
Next row: ( inc. 1. K. 10) 3 times (48 sts)
P. 1 row.
Next row: (inc. 1 K.11) 3 times (52 sts)
Continue is stocking stitch until work measures 21cm.
K. 2 rows. Continue in stocking stitch until work measures 26cm. Cast off.
Join seams using ladder stitch.
Secure brim in desired position.

Now I wouldn’t use this pattern again, but it does form a basis from which to develop a pattern, which could be knitted as a single piece. The hat used 49gm. of yarn, leaving 39gm. In the bag there was also a ball of the smooth yarn used for the ribbing of a garment made with the hairy yarn. There is enough in total to make another hat. I just have to work out how to do the ribbing (tension and number of stitches) and I’ll be able to knit it in the conventional way!