Tuesday, October 17, 2006

Super-Easy Child's Hat




This super easy hat is a great project for a beginning knitter, and a fast knit for a more experienced one. It fits my 8-year-old, but it would fit a smaller child (4-5) or even a little larger one, cuz it's stretchy. Here's the pattern:

Materials:
One skein of Tahki Stacy Charled Bunny Print (or similar)
One 16" circular needle, size 9
One set of size 9 double-pointed needles (or size needed to obtain gauge)
Gauge: 13 st = 4"

Method:
CO 60 st
Join to knit in the round, being careful not to twist
Place marker to indicate beginning of round

Round 1: *K1P1, repeat from * to end of round
Round 2: *P1K1, repeat from * to end of round
(This sets you up in seed stitch)
Round 3: Repeat Round 1
Round 4: Repeat Round 2
Round 5: Switch to stockinette (knit all rounds)

Continue in stockinette until piece measures 5" from cast-on edge.

Begin decreases as follows, switching to DP needles when practical:

Round 1: *K8, K2tog, repeat from * to end - 54 st
Round 2: Knit
Round 3: *K7, K2tog, repeat from * to end - 48 st
Round 4: Knit
Round 5: *K6, K2tog, repeat from * to end - 42 st
Round 6: Knit
Round 7: *K5, K2tog, repeat from * to end - 36 st
Round 8: Knit
Round 9: *K4, K2tog, repeat from * to end - 30 st
Round 10: *K3, K2tog, repeat from * to end - 24 st
Round 11: *K2, K2tog, repeat from * to end - 18 st
Round 12: *K1, K2tog, repeat from * to end - 12 st

Break yarn, leaving enough tail to weave in well. Draw the tail through all 12 stitches and pull closed. Pull tail through to inside of hat and weave in end.

You should have about 12 yards of yarn left over, which you can now make a pompom with, or a braid, or whatever you'd like! I made a pompom using a pompom maker, and then sewed it to the top.


Copyright 2006 Windansea
For Personal Use Only

14 comments:

skybriscoe said...

thank you so much for posting this pattern! it was quick to knit and the pattern was super easy to follow! thank you again! God Bless!
sky

Windansea said...

Thank you for the kind words and I'm glad you liked it! Lydia

Marg said...

I'm so glad I found this pattern. I'm trying to make a hat for each of my 24 - 2nd grade students and most of the other patterns were too big. This should work great.

Also, I noticed another of your entries titled "When it hurts to knit". Do you have any any miracle cures for my aching arm/elbow. I've tried ice, heat, anagesics, ibuprofin, etc. Can't seem to quit knitting for more than a day so need a miracle.

Windansea said...

hi marg, I hope the hat works out for you! You have a lot of knitting to do. You might check out the Father/Daughter hat pattern too - the child size fit my youngest, who was 8 when I made it.

As for the aches, I relearned how to hold my yarn & needles and I try to be conscious of when my arm is tense. If I'm on the mouse a lot, I have to ease back on knitting and vice versa, too. My heated-up buckwheat wrapper helps a bit. Let me know if you find something good too! Lydia

Anonymous said...

I have a new great grandaughter and was looking for a simple hat to knit for her. She is only 4 mos. old but I'm looking toward when she will be a toddler. Thanks for your blob.
efille@comcast.net

pdo12345 said...

Thanks for the hat pattern. I just might try it.

"Hats ON to you" for making your students all a hat! (Reminds me of my mother making all the mittens.)

If it hurts to knit, pour a glass of wine but careful, don't slip a stitch!

Anonymous said...

I was wondering if you could tell me if i had to use a set of double pointed needles or if i could just continue the pattern with circular needles? Im not a very experienced knitter and im not comfortable using double pointed needles yet. If i cant, can you point me in the direction of a toddler hat that i do not have to switch to double pointed needles. Thanks!!!!!!

Windansea said...

Hi slammed, you're going to need double-pointed needles. The knitting won't stretch enough to continue with circulars, sorry - but once you do this, you'll have a really useful skill.

Anonymous said...

Ok, I tried knitting a hat last night and i now know why i have to use double pointed needles. but i didnt have any so i used straight needles. now when i use the dpn, do i use all four of them or just two? Im getting better at teaching myself stuff. I didnt know that to do the stockinette stitch in the round you just knit all rounds. it's pretty cool. Im teaching myself things because i have no one else in my family or friends that know how to knit. also can you lead me into the direction for a hat for a 1 yr old? thanks so much for your help. talk to you soon!!!!

Windansea said...

Okay, not to worry, Veronica! When you use the dp needles, you'll be knitting with all four of them, or maybe five if you've got five in the set, or maybe even only three in some cases! That's dictated by the width of the knitting...having several needles means you can get rid of one as you do the top decreases and your knitting gets smaller and smaller. It works just like a cirular needle - you have the knitting distributed on, for example, three needles, and then you knit with the fourth in your right hand. There are videos online that might help, here's one: http://www.stitchdiva.com/custom.aspx?id=104

Really, once you can do this, it will open up a lot of knitting for you. Check out one of the Elizabeth Zimmerman knitting books - she was the queen of knitting in the round.

As for patterns for other hats, have you been to Ravelry (www.ravelry.com)? Go register there and you can search, seriously, practically every patter available, and you can sort by free patterns or whatever. Feel free to friend me (Windansea) when you get there.

CASPER said...

Thanks for the pattern. I made this hat and posted it on my blog here with a link back to you. Great and easy hat!
http://cassandrallen.blogspot.com/2011/04/cozy-noggin.html

CASPER said...

Thanks for the pattern. I made this hat and posted it on my blog here with a link back to you. Great and easy hat!
http://cassandrallen.blogspot.com/2011/04/cozy-noggin.html

siteseer said...

can't wait to do this pattern. My little Maggie is 5 and she's waiting for a hat and mittens lol. If it's easy enough I'll make them for my other two granddaughters too.

Vic Nicholas said...

I am trying to convert this to UK needle sizes. Are they size 9 US? ie 5.5 mm? Pattern looks great - can't wait to start!