The Chunky, Long-band Hat - General Formula, Adult hat, Child’s hat

Materials

Chunky yarn (about 7wpi): Adult - 3 oz., Child - 2oz.
Size 9 US (5.5 mm) straight or double-pointed needles.
1 stitch marker, if desired

Gauge

3 stitches per inch

Measurements, Note:  The depth measurement is simply the width of the long band and does not include any height added by the decrease rows at the crown.

Adult:  Depth - 6.5”, Circumference - 20”
Child:  Depth - 5”, Circumference - 16”

Formula given for child’s size with adult requirements in ( ) parentheses.

Formula

Provisionally cast on 16 (20) stitches.

Work your pattern of choice for 16 (20) inches.  I like to slip the first stitch of every row for a chain slevege (see Stupid Knitting Tricks - The Chain Selvedge for instructions), but that’s entirely a matter of choice and not at all necessary :)

Release your provisional cast on onto a new needle and join the edges by doing a Three Needle Bind-off, Goofy Grafting or regular Kitchener Stitch grafting.

Now, pick up the stitches around the crown.  You’re aiming for a multiple of 8 stitches (8, 16, 24, 32, 40, 48, 56, 64, etc...).

Place marker if desired and knit one round. I always think of this as the get-acquainted round.  On socks, this is round that immediately follows the one where you pick up all the gusset stitches :)

Decrease 8 stitches evenly over the next round.  If you started with 64 stitches, you have 8 segments of 8 stitches each, since 8 x 8 = 64.  In each of those segments, you need to make a decrease, so:

Example 1 *K2 tog, K6* - repeat around

If you started with 40 stitches, you would have 8 segments of 5 stitches each, since 8 x 5 = 40.  Again, you need to make a decrease in each of those segments, so:

Example 2 *K2tog, K3* - repeat around.

See how that works?

On the following round, simply knit.

Continue alternating decrease rounds with knit rounds (remembering that you will have one less stitch in each of the 8 segments for each decrease round you do so in Example 1, the seocond decrease round would be *K2tog, K5*,repeat around.  In Example 2, the second decrease round would be *K2tog, K2*, repeat around.

When you have decreased down to a single digit number of stitches (8 or less), you can cut the yarn (leaving a goodish tail - 6 inches or so) and thread the cut end into a tapestry needle.  Draw the yarn through the remaining stitches on your needles, cinch tightly, thread through to the inside of the hat, tie off and weave in the end.

You could also work I cord for a top-knot or add braids or tassels or both - it’s all up to you :)

And that’s really all there is to it.  All this is is a basic concept - the pattern and design are all yours to play with to your heart’s content!

Here are a couple of written out patterns, one child, one adult - just for fun - and to fortify the idea in case I haven’t been too clear in the above run down :)

Stocking Panel, Long Band hat with tasselled braid

See materials and gauge requirements for general formula above

Provisionally cast on 20 stitches.

Row 1:  (K1, P1) three times, K8, (P1, K1) three times
Row 2:  (K1, P1) three times, P8, (P1, K1) three times

Repeat these two rows until your piece measures about 20”.  Remember that this will have some stretch to it so if your adult’s head is small, you may only want to work 18 or 19 inches.

Undo your provisional cast on and slip these stitches to another needle.  Join your edges in whatever way you’re most comfortable with (see info in gneral formula above).  You can get away without the provisional cast on by just casting on in your normal fashsion and beginning to knit.  When you get to where you want to join the ends, simply pick up the first cast on stitch and knit it together with the first stitch on your needle.  Pick up the next cast-on stitch and knit it together with the next stitch on your needle, etc.  This makes a slightly bulkier seam, but is perfectly do-able.

Now, pick up 48 stitches around the crown of the hat. 

Round 1:  Knit
Round 2:  *K2tog, K4*, repeat around (40 stitches)
Round 3:  Knit
Round 4:  *K2tog, K3*, repeat around (32 stitches)
Round 5:  Knit
Round 6:  *K2tog, K2*, repeat around (24 stitches)
Round 7:  Knit
Round 8:  *K2tog, K1*, repeat around (16 stitches)
Round 9:  Knit
Round 10: K2tog, repeat around (8 stitches)

Finish off as described above in the general formula.

Make a braid using four strand of yarn for each section (12 strands all together).
Make a short, fat tassel and attach to the braid.
Thread a tapestry needle with yarn and attach the braid to the top of the hat, bring yarn ends to the inside, tie off and weave in.

Seed Diamond, Long Band Childs hat with braid

See materials and gauge requirements for general formula above

Provisionally cast on 16 stitches.

Row 1:  Knit
Row 2:  Purl
Row 3:  K2, P1, (K1, P1) across, end K1
Row 4:  Purl
Row 5:  (K1, P1, across, end K2
Row 6:  Purl

Repeat these 6 rows for pattern to a length of about 16 inches - a couple of rows more or less, depending on the head size of your target child, won’t be a problem :)

Undo your provisional cast on and slip these stitches to another needle.  Join your edges in whatever way you’re most comfortable with (see info in gneral formula above).  You can get away without the provisional cast on by just casting on in your normal fashsion and beginning to knit.  When you get to where you want to join the ends, simply pick up the first cast on stitch and knit it together with the first stitch on your needle.  Pick up the next cast-on stitch and knit it together with the next stitch on your needle, etc.  This makes a slightly bulkier seam, but is perfectly do-able.

Now, pick up 40 stitches around the crown of the hat.

Round 1:  Knit
Round 2:  *K2tog, K3*, repeat around (32 stitches)
Round 3:  Knit
Round 4:  *K2tog, K2*, repeat around (24)
Round 5:  Knit
Round 6:  *K2tog, K1*, repeat around (16 sts)
Round 7:  Knit
Round 8:  K2tog all around (8 sts)
Round 9:  Knit

Finish off as described above in the general formula.

Make a fat braid (I used 8 strands in each section) and tie off the bottom with another strand of yarn.  Trim ends to desired length and tack to top of hat.  Weave in the ends and you’re good to go!

Please enjoy :)

Yesterday was a very cool day :) Not, you know, in any spectacular, life-changing fashion but in a quiet, incredibly pleasant and productive way. 

First, I stopped in at the mill store and found a lot of lovely things - oh man - you can’t beat good timing :)

There was this:

Marigold 4 ply wool in one of my very favorite colors :)

And this:

Scheepjeswol washable worsted weight, 5 balls.  Granted the colors is a little bright, but there are no green tones in it which is what decided me :) Sunny I can deal with :)





Chabotte Numero Quatre (on the left) and Petrouchka (on the right).  The NQ is very soft, winter white washable wool.  The Petrouchka is also washable, a slightly more rustic hand and more of a cream color.  Both of these are tentatively slated for the dye pot :)

There were also three unlabeled balls of a worsted weight red - a real, true red.  It’s not wool, at least not entirely, but it sure is pretty.  But what really blew me over the edge was this:

Froehlich Wolle Special Blauband sock wool!  Two matching balls, complete with additional reinforcement yarn for the heels and toes.  I had read about this stuff bur never seen it before.  All of this incredible largesse was in the bargain bin for $1/ball.  Whee - sometimes the universe just likes you!

Then I finished the back of the Seeds sweater which matches the front perfectly.  Okay, I know I’m being a bit silly, but front and back are the same length (always a good thing), the bind-offs are neat and the corners square.  And (and I was just a little concerned about this) the side-slits don’t gap unattractively when I put the sweater on.  For a first knitted sweater, I’m pretty pleased!  I started the first sleeve last night and am hoping to make quick progress towards finishing.

I also finished the Pagoda Hat :)

This is an adult sized hat and is quite warm as I stranded a piece of mohair with the wool.  I recommend the top down construction method - I know it’s not a reasonable conclusion - but it seems to go so much more quickly that the bottom up method!

Finally, last, but absolutely not least, Chatters was great last night.  Well, it always is, but it was especially pleasant as people dropped in to share holidays greetings and best wishes.

There really should be more days like this :)

Yarnpath and Chatters will be taking next week off for holiday indulgences and so forth.  I’ll see you all again on New Year’s Day, 2007!  Thank you all for reading and sharing your comments and suggestions this year - you are all worth your weight in gold :) I hope with all my heart that your holidays are warm and happy and that your new years are productive, enlightening and kind.

See you then!

Drop in and join us for the holiday Chatters - same as the usual chatters but a little sillier - because of the eggnog :)

Another busy day :)

There’s a new yarn up at The Dye Pot.  Yet another blue-green, though a heathery one this time, called Drake Mallard.

I have amassed quite a collection of blue-greens now and am beginning to think about what to do with them.  They range in weights from fingering to bulky and from very dark to very light.  I like just looking at the pile, but I would also like to put them to some creative use - preferably ending up with something wearable :)

Any ideas?

In other news…

I wound up spending yesterday whipping up a tiny pair of socks and a little hat for a present for our youngest nephew, Ash :) I don’t have pictures of either item, unfortunately, as they have already been wrapped and sent off.  However, I used this on-line pattern, North Country Cotton Baby Socks, and highly recommend it - quick, simple and easy to follow.  I’ll be making more if these for the Dulaan bag as they go very quickly.  The pair I made for my nephew are wool (as will be anything I make for Dulaan) though, not cotton :)

We pulled out bags and boxes last night, looking for seasonably suitable wrapping and packing material.  When the appropriate items had been located, we kind of left things lying around until later and Jade discovered something to her liking:

This is a lovely silver bag with golden lettering on it but is really too battered to be used again which is why we decided against it.  Apparently all those little scores and micro-folds in the paper make for a nice, comfy cat bed.  Jade was highly indignant that we would disturb her for a photo-op.  A princess she may be, but publicity - especially when it disturbs her beauty sleep - is definitely not appreciated :) Which, of course, makes it all the more fun to do as a cranky Jade is an entertaining Jade!

Finally, some of you may remember the Jedi Light Sabre spoon, discovered in a box of cereal some time ago.  Well, we’ve been at it again!  Same cereal - different, movie related toy - and it also lights up!  This time the movie is The Pirates of the Caribbean and the toy is:

... A Strobe Skull keyring!  LOL!  It’s motion sensitive so when you tap it, a red light goes on and off rapidly for about 30 seconds.  Totally useless but vastly amusing - and appropriate to the season given the color and its flashing tendencies.

Ryan?  I’m going to keep this one :)

If anyone’s still around, Chatters will be on tomorrow night.  Bring your knitting!

I finally got the sweater worked down far enough to separate the front from the back and actually completed the front last night!  It didn’t take very long either and I expect to get the back finished tonight or tomorrow.  Of course then there are still the sleeves, but it is getting there!

I did go with the slit-side, tunic approach using seed stitch on the sides of the vent and across the bottom.  The back piece will be finished identically.

I did some back and forth in my head about the bind-off because I couldn’t decided whether to do it in pattern (seed stitch) or to go with something else.  I have had problems with seed stitch edges flipping up (or in) on me and I really didn’t want the bottom of my sweater doing that!  So I decided to experiment a little.  While working the front bottom flap (one selvage, 5 seed stitches on each side), I had slipped the first stitch of every row to get a nice-looking chain edge that wouldn’t require any further attention and I thought it might be nice to carry that “chain” across the bottom.  As it happened, it took seven rows of seed stitch to almost balance the width of the border (leaving me with the bind-off row to add just the skosh more length needed to balance the hem border with the sides perfectly!) which put me on a wrong side row.

I remember reading somewhere (don’t ask, I have no idea) that a purled bind-off was very attractive.  I gave it a go and lo and behold, I got a beautiful row of chains exactly like the chain selvage of the side border!

I had avoided a purled bind-off up until now because it seemed like it would be a pain in the butt to do.  However, during last night’s experiment it occurred to me that it might not be so tedious if the backwards knitting technique was employed.  So I gave it a try and it worked beautifully and easily.

I also decided to play with the hat-from-the-top-down concept that Ev over at Strings ‘n Things has been thinking about and experimenting with.  Chicken that I am, I started with a 4 stitch I cord and worked that to about 4 inches.  Then I increased in every stitch while transferring everything to 4 DPNs.  It gradually dawned on me that I should probably be increasing 8 stitches on the increase rounds and that the side I was looking at was the purl side - something I generally prefer to be on the inside of the hat :) So I changed directions and began increasing twice the number of stitches.

What I’ve got so far resembles a small, knitted pagoda, but I plan to keep going to see where this will end up.  Frankly, especially for children, you can knit almost any shape that will cover the head, put ribbing or a rolled edge on the bottom, and have a successful hat.  Oh, and that bit of pink yarn is there to remind me where needle 1 is :)

And since we’re obsessing speaking about hats…

I watched Disney’s Sleeping Beauty last night and found myself just fascinated with Prince Phillip’s cap - the one he’s wearing while riding through the forest prior to his first encounter with Aurora/Briar Rose.  It looks something like this (forgive the crappy drawing):

And in my head, I kept trying to unfold the brim to see what the hat looked like as a whole so I could maybe figure out how to knit it.  Myria’s mildly sarcastic comment was “Oh, that’s a shock” - LOL.  Please tell me mine isn’t the only head that does this?

Happy Monday, folks!

All my life, since I was about 15, I have been a coffee drinker - nay, a coffee lover and an ardent one at that.  I buy whole beans which I grind immediately prior to brewing and make only one cup at a time so that nothing is hanging around getting old and bitter - well, besides me, that is :) As I try to keep my caffeine intake balanced, that initial morning cup is usually all the coffee I have - but I enjoy it enormously.

And then a few years ago, a required prescription did strange and funny things to my taste buds.  Some flavors disappeared entirely.  Sour things were always “tasteable” - pickles, lemon and so forth.  But my beloved coffee tasted horrible.  After trying three or four different coffees, I was forced to admit that the problem wasn’t with the beans, but with me.

So I turned to tea which, oddly enough, tasted just fine.  I had never been much of a tea drinker before.  I liked the stuff well enough, but I loved my coffee.  I guess it had also seemed to me that one was one thing or another - a tea drinker or a coffee drinker - but not both.  I’m not sure where I got that idea but I can now tell you from personal experience that it ain’t so :)

Once I no longer needed that particular medication, I was able to enjoy my coffee again but I had developed a fondness for the afternoon cup or two of tea and that has remained with me.  For a long time I made my tea a cup at a time - as I had always made my coffee but recently I began to obsess over being able to have a second cup of tea without having to go out to the kitchen again to make one.  Hence began the search for a teapot!

This is my teapot.  It holds about two of these:





After I brought the teapot home, I tried it out a few times - always with the same result.  The first cup was wonderful and the second cup was stone cold.  So, reluctantly, I put it away and went back to making tea one cup at a time and wishing there was a better way.

Turns out there is :)

I had seen tea cozies before (and there are many patterns for both knit and crochet versions available on line) but wasn’t quite sure what their purpose was.  Surely not just for decoration?  I couldn’t imagine that this layer of fabric would actually help the tea stay hot...would it?  Hmmm...wool definitely helps me stay warmer.  I wonder…

So, entirely in the nature of scientific inquiry, you understand, I knit a tea cozy :)

And this afternoon, after the top had been knitted and knotted, the sides tacked together and the last end woven in, I tried it out.  I made a pot full of tea, encased it in its new sweater, and brought it into the living room with me (where the temperature was a balmy 66.3ºF) along with a mug, a small pitcher of milk (yes, I’m one of those barbarians that puts milk in their tea), sweetener and a spoon.  When the tea was ready, I poured the first cup - steaming, strong - perfect!  I then proceeded to read blogs for the next 45 minutes.

When that time had passed, I finished the last swallow of the first cup (pretty cold by now) and poured the second cup.  It wasn’t boiling hot - but it was still steaming!  Plenty hot enough to be enjoyable :)

Further notes:  I hadn’t done much in the way of modular knitting before so making this was interesting.  The first set of pieces (at the bottom of the pot) are knitted individually and then tied together.  Subsequent pieces are picked up from there - in fact the whole procedure bore more than a passing resemblance to entrelac.  Adding to the fun, there wasn’t a photo of the finished item so it was kind of like assembling a picture puzzle for which you lacked the box - the pieces are all there but you can’t see what you’ve got until you’ve put everything together - a productive and entertaining adventure!

Thanks again to all those who dropped by Chatters last night - whee!! - what a good time :)

Bring your handwork and we’ll while the evening away (or morning, for those of you on the other side of the world!) with virtual snacks and drinks and comfortable conversation.  Please drop in, if you have time?  It would be great to see you!