Generic Hat Recipe for Cristi

Cristi asked yesterday if I had a generic hat recipe I use for these hats. I do, and here it is:

Gauge? We don't need no stinkin' gauge. For the most part this is worsted to heavy worsted weight stuff and I use size 6 or 8 12" circulars as the mood pleases me and switch to DPNs when it gets too tight.

CO a multiple of 8 stitches plus 1. (For most children's hats, depending on the thickness of the yarn, this will be 65, 73 or 81 stitches). Join, be careful not to twist, and place a stitch marker after the first stitch.

Work a 2X2 rib pattern, and when you get to that last lonely stitch, K2tog with the first one to create a tighter join. Work the rib for 1.5 - 3" as it pleases you.

Switch to knitting every stitch, and K7, M1 all around (this confused me when I first started this, so for you absolute newbies, it means knit 7 stitches, make 1 in that 8th stitch, then knit that 8th stitch). Repeat until you get to the marker.

Knit until you think that hat is long enough to get to the crown of someone's head. I'm afraid I don't have an exact measurement here. I have a 5 year old model and I use make her sit still, pull the hat on her head until I think I am where I should be decreasing.

Count your stitches and start using your elementary school math. If you have 72 stitches, 8X9=72, so when you start decreasing you will K7, K2tog all the way around until the marker. The next round you will knit plain. The third row you will K6, K2tog all around, then knit a row plain. Each decrease row you will knit one less before you start K2tog. Switch to DPNs when it gets too tight on the circular. Keep going until you get to the row where you K2tog all around (no extra K stitches preceding it), and knit the last row plain.

Cut a 6" tail on the yarn, using a needle pull the tail through the last loops, pull tight, and weave in the end. Voila! A child's hat!

Here is a pic of Willow and the chapeau du jour:



This is the Patons Classic Wool I dyed this week and my sister Teri suggested calling it 'Mossberry.' I have another skein soaking in vinegar right now and am trying to decide what colour combination to go with next. I was at JoAnn's this morning using my 40% coupons to get more skeins of Patons Classic Wool (yeah... I brought Willow with me so she could use another coupon and get me more wool. I'm shameless.) I also picked up two new dye colours: black and burgundy. I'm a little worried that the black will just fan out like some of the other dyes have.

On our way back from JoAnn's we stopped at a grocery store that was having a grand re-opening party and Willow was given the coolest balloon:



Wouldn't that be a neat combination? A little burgundy, more pink, then leave some undyed?