by Beverly Bochenek

Created on: January 06, 2011   Last Updated: January 07, 2011

So, you’re a knitter and you’re ready to do something more than a scarf. Good for you! How about a hat? After all, scarves and hats are a natural pair so if you can make a hat to go with all those scarves you’ve made. In fact, if you can make a scarf, you can make a hat in just a few more steps.

Materials:

Worsted weight yarn (one skein about 6 oz will do just fine) If you know how to add in different colors you can make a striped hat making the stripes any way you want!

Size 6 straight needles

Scissors – to cut the yarn

Darning needle – get one used for yarn not thread to seam the hat

What you need to know

Knit and purl stitch

How to decrease – knit two stitches together or K2tog

How to cast on/bind off

How to seam

Since this is your first hat, let’s not worry about that pesky little thing called gauge – which is making sure you have enough stitches per inch so the hat will fit the head you want it to fit. Right now, we just want to make a hat for an adult and we can deal with gauge in another lesson.

Cast on 80 stitches

Rows 1-8

K2,P2 – repeat to the end of the row. Keeping the rows in the K2, P2 rib pattern.

Ribbing the bottom of the hat gives you ease and stretch so the hat will fit comfortably around the head

Row 9 (Right side)

Knit across

 Row 10

Knit 1, Purl across to last stitch, K last stitch

Repeat rows 9 and 10 for a total of five inches. This is creating the base of the hat in stockinette stitch. This stitch has a tendency to curl but that’s OK; we can use that curl to our advantage in seaming.

End with row 10 you want to decrease with the right side facing you.

Decreasing

Row 1 – knit 8, knit 2 together – repeat to end of row

Row 2 – K1, purl across to last stitch, K

Row 3 – knit 7, K2tog – repeat to end of row

Row 4 – K1, purl across to last stitch, K

Row 5 – knit 6, K2tog – repeat to end of row

Row 6 – K1, purl across to last stitch, K

Row 7 – Knit 5, K2tog – repeat to end of row

 Row 8 – K1, Purl across to last stitch, K

Row 9 – K 4, K2tog – repeat to end of row

Row 10 – k1, purl to last stitch, K

Row 11 – K3, K2tog – repeat to end of row

Row 12 – k1, purl to last stitch, K

Row 13 – K2, K2tog – repeat to end of row

Row 14 – K1, purl to last stitch, K

Row 15 – K1, K2tog – repeat to end of row

Row 16 – K1, purl to last stitch, K

Row 17 – K2tog across row

Cut off the yarn leaving a tail that’s twice as long as your hat. Attach your darning needle, and pull it through the stitches on the knitting needle, removing the knitting needle as you go. When all the stitches have been pulled through, pull the tail through to cinch the stitches and form the top of the hat.

Line up the edges of the hat so the stitches on either edge line up. Seam the sides together by taking the needle through the loop on one side and then the loop on the other side. When you get to the bottom, weave through the ribbing for about an inch and cut off your yarn.

Congratulations, you’ve made a hat. You may find you can turn the ribbing up to make a cuff or leave it down. Save it as a template for other hats. If it’s too big, cast on fewer stitches; if it’s too short or too long, add or subtract from the stockinette rows. Make the entire hat in ribbing. Now that you’ve tried it, your possibilities are endless!

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