Holiday Hats

I'm sure people are tired of reading about my darn hats, but I made a few variations (for donating to the hospital). If you don't want to go with a traditional type Christmas hat (Santa), you can change things up with stripes of various thicknesses and elf-inspired variations on the puff-ball tipped hat (like the green and white one on the right, which I LOVED, and am now making a larger sized one for my youngest niece).

These are basically the same pattern as the Santa Hat, except you start with 50 sts (these were all newborn sizes).

Knitted Santa Hat

I whipped up a quick knitted Santa hat for my son. You know, just because. He refuses to wear it, of course, preferring to rub it on his face instead. *Le sigh*

This hat is probably 6-12 months size. It's pretty simple. I used a fluffy/wispy (yes, very technical!) white yarn for the trim and ball; Vanna's Choice "cranberry" for the red.

Cast on 70 sts with the white on size 7 dpns. Purl around until the work measures approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches (when the hat is finished, this trim will naturally roll under a little bit).

Switch to the red. Stockinette stitch around until the red part of the work measures about 3 1/2 inches.

For the decreases, start by knitting 8, then knit 2 together. Repeat all the way around (7 times total). Then knit 2 full rows.
Next decrease, *k7, k2tog*, repeat around. Knit 2 full rows.
Continue decreases in this manner, remembering to knit 2 rows between decreases, until you have 7 stiches left. *k2tog* until you have 1 stitch left. Tie off and weave in all ends.

For the ball, use straight needles (or two dpns) and cast on 10 sts of the white. Stockinette stitch until you've made a square. Cast off and leave a tail. The purl (or wrong side of the work) will face out when you're done (this side looked fluffier with this yarn). Use the tail of the yarn (and a tapestry needle) to draw together the (4) points of your square. Then run the tail through the (4) mid-points of your square and tie off tightly (you should have a round-ish ball). Use the remaining tail to attach your ball to the tip of your hat.

Gryffindor Baby Beanie

In honor of the imminent release of the last Harry Potter movie:

Here's a sweet little hat pattern to keep your witch, wizard, squib, or muggle warm on a cold day at the quidditch pitch (well, I guess not if you're a muggle), or perhaps a stroll into Hogsmeade.

Size: 0-3 months
Knit in the round, size 5 dpns; Burgundy and Yellow yarn

Cast on 60 stitches (with Burgundy color) and join in the round.
Row 1-8 (approximately 3/4 inch) *k2, p2* rib, repeat around.
The rest of the hat will be knit in Garter stitch (knit 1 row, purl 1 row).
Row 9-14, garter stitch 6 rows (ending with a purl row).
Row 15-16, Switch to Yellow color, garter stitch 2 rows.
Row 17-20, Switch to Burgundy color, garter stitch 4 rows (ending with a purl row).
Row 21-22, Switch to Yellow color (I carried the yellow yarn up the inside of the work, so that there were less ends to weave in), garter stitch 2 rows.
Row 23, Switch to Burgundy color (I carried it up the inside), garter stitch until piece measures 4 1/2 inches from cast-on edge (end with a purl row).
Decreases:
*k8, k2tog* repeat around.
Purl 1 row (to keep the garter stitch pattern).
*k7, k2tog* repeat around.
Purl 1 Row.
*k6, k2tog* repeat around.
*p5, p2tog* repeat around.
*k4, k2tog* repeat around.
*p3, p2tog* repeat around.
*k2, k2tog* repeat around.
*p1, p2tog* repeat around.
*k2tog* repeat around.
You should have 6 stitches left. Run the yarn through the remaining stitches and gather together. Weave in all ends.

Obviously, you can substitute in the colors for the other houses, if you wish. I'll be making a larger version soon (which hopefully will fit my son, not that he needs a hat in the middle of summer), and I'll update the pattern with the directions for it.

The Infamous Cupcake Hat

Ah, the infamous cupcake hat. I'm told by Stacy that the ones I've made for her two daughters always get compliments (I've made five of these hats so far, I think). To my knowledge, the original site where I found this pattern (several years ago) is no longer up. I've reproduced the pattern below, and subsequently left out all the crap that didn't need to be in there.

It should be noted that the pattern below calls for a red pompom for the cherry. The original pompom I made for my niece fell apart (her doing, no doubt), so I replaced it with a knitted cherry of my own design. The cherry and strawberry design are proprietary (i.e. secret, and what makes my hats special), so alas, you'll just have to make due with a pompom. I also have a blueberry design, but haven't actaully put them on a hat yet (everyone always requests the other fruits).

SIZE 1-4 years.

MATERIALS

Acrylic yarn in the following colors:
Cup: 1 skein gold or tan, Worsted Weight
Frosting: 1 skein pink or cream or brown, Worsted Weight
Cherry: Scrap Red Yarn, preferrably Chunky Size
You'll need: US 7 (4.5 mm) Circular Needle (16") and set of DPNs, OR SIZE TO OBTAIN GAUGE; Large-eyed, blunt needle
Optional: Buttons, scrap yarn, beads, safety pins
GAUGE 16 sts and 22 rows = 4" in St st BE SURE TO CHECK YOUR GAUGE.

Special Stitch: (MN) MAKE NUBBLE - Pull loop through the next st as if to K, then place this look on the left needle next to the original st(2sts). Pull new loop through the second st as if to K, then place loop on the left needle next to the second st (3sts). Repeat twice¡(5sts). BO 4 kwise. The fifth stitch is now on the right needle.

DIRECTIONS
With Cup Color and circular needle, cast on 80 sts. Work in k2 p2 ribbing for 1 row, join in the round and continue k2 p2 for 2 inches. Switch to Frosting Color. K one row. Next row, *K1, MN. Repeat until you made one row of nubbles (40 times total). K until entire piece measures 5 1/2 inches.

Then start the decreases (switch to dpns when necessary): *K 6, k2tog. Repeat from * 9 more times. *K 5, k2tog. Repeat from * 9 more times. *K 4, k2tog. Repeat from * 9 more times. *K 3, k2tog. Repeat from * 9 more times. *K 2, k2tog. Repeat from * 9 more times. *K 1, k2tog. Repeat from * 9 more times. *K2tog. Repeat from * 9 more times. Continue to k2tog until 5 stitches remain. Break off yarn and thread the end through the remaining 5 stitches.

With the chunky red, make a pom pom, about 1 inch wide. Whatever looks best on your cupcake. (You should be able to find a simple pompom tutorial by Googling.)

**NOTE: If making this hat for a child 2 or under be sure to attach the beads, buttons, etc very secure. Otherwise, do not include them.


Mr. grumpy modelling a cupcake.

Sun Hats

I've been wanting to make sunhats for the girls for awhile and finally got around to it. Summer is quickly approaching!

I decided to make my own pattern because 1) it's fun and 2) because my firstborn's head has always been in the 99th percentile. Finding a child's hat that fits is a bit of a challenge.

You can buy a pattern, of course - McCall's has some cute ones like here and here.

I made paper test hats out of my patterns until I got it right (newspaper ads work great for this!) - three or four test hats later I had my patterns set.

(Evie wearing a paper test hat which was too small)


Below is Evie's almost finished hat. I added two more rows of stitching on her brim than what you see. We've had so few warm sunny days lately that I took the girls out for pictures before I was done.



Madeline's hat has a fabric flower on it that turned out pretty snazzy. I cut a strip of fabric about 40 inches long and 2 inches wide and finished all four edges with a Serger-like stitch (on my Brother machine it's stitch #6). Then I sewed one gathering stitch down the middle, gathered the fabric as tightly as I could and folded it in half lengthwise. Then I rolled it up and basted the flower base together with a needle and thread and attached it to the hat.



All in all, a fun learning experience. Hats are pretty easy to do if you're looking for a beginner project.

Make Your Own Knitted Hat Patterns: Diamond Lace Baby Hat

My creative projects have been on hold as of late because of the recent birth of my son, so this is my first post-partem finished project! I had been looking at a few patterns in one of my pattern books and I saw a diamond pattern I thought might make a cute baby hat. The thing about patterns in books though, is that they are meant for straight needles, so the pattern on the left side and right side are different (and in more complex patterns the even numbered rows are more than just purl around and have to be reversed to be knit in the round). This pattern also started in the middle of the diamond pattern (making a triangle at the beginning of the pattern). Why would I want to do that, book?! So I had to start in the middle of their pattern to start mine. Nothing's ever easy.

Anyways, my pattern ended up as below (see chart). The pattern is based on a repeating 8 stitch pattern, so I cast on 64 sts on a size 7 circular needle (I used a sport weight baby yarn). I did a k 2, p 2 rib for the brim (about 6 rows or approx. 1 inch). I knit two rows plain before starting the pattern. After finishing with the lace pattern, I knit every row until the work measured approx. 5 inches. Then I switched to dpn and started the decreases: first decrease row was *k 6, k 2 tog* repeat around; then k one row; then *k 5, k 2 tog* repeat around; k one row; then decrease every row, continuing the pattern (*k 4, k 2 tog* repeat around, *k 3, k 2 tog* repeat around, etc), until you have 4 sts left. Pull the yarn through these stitches and gather. Weave in all ends.

A tip: double decrease is slip one, k 2 tog, pass slipped stitch over. And every even row is a knit row.

Hat shown is about 1-3 month size.

The hat turned out alright I think. Admittedly it turned out smaller than I intended and I also didn't expect it to be so feminine. Unfortunately, I only have one baby for a model, so that's my son modelling this girly hat. *le sigh*