This hat is a good project to get used to circular knitting. Orif you prefer, it can be knit ‘flat' and then the side seam sewnup after.
This number of stitches fits my 21" head. You could adjust thenumber of stitches to fit any size head; you can figure outadditions/subtractions of stitches based on your gauge. Thetwisted ribbing stretches nicely but is still snug to the head.
Okay, here we go:
- needles: 4.5 mm (US#7) short circular needle (i.e. 16" length)
- one stitch marker
- worsted weight yarn of your choice (also good for using upleftovers and you can knit stripes)
- a few little wooden beads
Cast on 90 stitches; being careful not to twist stitches, placemarker and join in round. Work 2 inches of twisted K1 P1 rib. (To make it a twisted rib, for each knit stitch, you simply knitinto the back of the stitch, instead of the normal front.)
After the ribbing is done, simply continue in stockingette stitchuntil the total length of the hat is at least 9 inches. (Thelonger you make it, the more ‘droop' the corners will have whenthe hat is on. I wouldn't go longer than 10 inches, though.)
To finish, all I did was turn the hat inside out, split thestitches evenly onto two dp needles and cast off both sets ofstitches together, purlwise. That way you have a nicely joinedseam without having to sew anything!
I made two twisted cords (but you could also just single crocheta little chain) and slid a few wooden beads onto the end of thecord, then tied a knot to hold them in place. Then in eachcorner of the top of the hat, I used a crochet hook to pull thetop end of the cord inside the hat, then sewed it securely to thecast-off seam with needle and thread.
For flat knitting, you would follow the pattern the same way,except you would have to knit one row, then purl the next in yournormal way to get the stockingette stitch fabric. Also, aftercasting off the top, you would have to sew the side seam, using amattress stitch to make a nice invisible join.
Other sizes I've made:
4.5 mm needles and 86 stitches for a 10 year old girl
4.5 mm needles and 94 stitches for a 13 year old boy
4.0 mm needles and 100 stitches for a 6 year old girl
Copyright © 2000 by Terri Lee Royea. All Rights Reserved. Images, text and html coding belong to the author. These patterns are intended for your own personal use and may be distributed FREELY as long as proper attribution is made.
