Miniature Top Hat
Materials: Yarn - 1 skein Paton's Classic Wool Needles - 13 (circular) Gauge: not terribly important since the finished product is intended to be small enough to perch on top rather than on the head. Note: A hatpin (or spare dpn) willbe necessary to hold the hat in place. Alternatively, a ribbon or comb could be attached to the inside of the hatband. Also, the beginning of the pattern is written for magic loop, dpns could easily be substituted. $\mathrm{Pm}=$ place marker, $\mathbf{sm}=$ slip marker CO 8 R1: knit R2: kfb around R3: (and subsequent odd rows) knit R4: (k1, kfb, pm) around R6: (k2, kfb, sm) around R8: (k3, kfb, sm) around R10-18: continue to increase before each marker (96 st) R20: purl around For the sides of the hat, rows are less important than the height measured. Knit 1", work decrease round (k2tog at each marker) Knit $2^{\bullet}$ , dec round (removing markers), work straight 4" Hatband row 1: purl around Hatband row 2: knit Hatband row 3: purl Brim: Kfb around, knit straight 4", BO Finishing: An I-cord bind off would look very nice and I plan on using it for my next hat. The one pictured has a slightly shallower brim than the pattern and a plain bind off. The denser the felt, the better the hat shape. I throw mine in the wash with heavy agitation and then allow to dry stretched over a small plastic coffee can. Starch is wonderful after the initial blocking, but beware spraying the outside (especially dark colors) as it can catch on the fuzzy bits and leave you with hat dandruff. Another option I have not tried is using millinery wire to shape the brim. This may be especially helpful if some of your decorations are large or heavy. Decoration is what makes this hat. The green hat in these pictures is almost painfully bare. Keep in mind this is completely a hat of whimsy, and let your imagination run wild.
I make more of these than I need, so check my etsy shop - http://darktwist.etsy.com and I may have an example posted. Pattern and pictures property of Dark Twist Fiber Co. @2008
