Evelyn Clark Designs
Blythe Felted Hat & Tote Bag
This hat and tote bag set is a quick and fun project to knit for your girls and give as gifts. It is designed for Noro Kureyon yarn, which felts fabulously and comes in many wonderful color combinations. Three styles of hats can be made— beanie, folded brim, and rolled brim. Two hat and tote sets can be knit from each ball, and the pieces will have different, but coordinated, colors. Select yarn with desired brim color at the beginning or center of the ball, or start with the tote instead—knitter's choice, and part of the delight of working with this yarn. After felting, the set can be embellished as desired. Skills Required Knitting in the round
Felted Sizes
Beanie: $4"$ $.20~\mathsf{c m})$ long and $11.5"$ $28\;\mathsf{c m})$ around Folded Brim Hat: 4.5" (11.5 cm) long and 11.5" $(28\mathsf{\ c m})$ around Rolled Brim Hat: $5"$ (12.5cm) long and 11.5" (28cm) around Tote Bag: $2.5\times2.5"$ $(6.5\times6.5\;\mathrm{cm})$ Yarn 50g (110 yds/100m) ball Noro Kureyon
Needles
Set of 4 US 11 (8mm) double-pointed needles (see Note 1), or size to obtain gauge
Supplies
1 coiless safety pin; tapestry needle to weave in yarn ends
Unfelted Gauge
12 stitches $=4"$ $^{10\;\mathsf{c m})}$ in stockinette stitch
Abbreviations
dpn double-pointed needle(s) k knit k2tog knit 2 stitches together p purl ssk slip 1 stitch knitwise, slip next stitch knitwise, replace on holding needle, and k2tog through back loops st(s) stitch(es) repeat instructions between asterisks
Sample Set
Rolled Brim Hat and Tote Bag above made with Noro Kureyon Color 102.
Notes
1. Both the hat and tote are knitted in the round. Double-pointed needles can be used throughout, and instructions give stitch distribution. Since metal needles slip out easily, wood or bamboo are recommended. Pieces also can be knit using two circular needles or magic loop technique with one circular needle. 2. To work knit cast-on, \*knit into last stitch worked, do not remove that stitch and place new stitch next to it on the needles. Repeat from \* until required number of stitches have been cast on. 3. To work 3-needle cast-off, divide stitches onto 2 double-pointed needles and turn to wrong side. Hold needles parallel, and with third needle, \*knit through first stitch on both front and back needles. Repeat from \* and then lift first stitch over stitch just made. Continue until all stitches have been cast off. 4. After felting, stitches still will be slightly visible.
HAT INSTRUCTIONS
Beanie and Folded Brim Hat Beginning
Beginning at bottom edge, loosely cast on 36 sts. Divide sts onto 3 dpn (12 sts on each). Being careful not to twist, join to work in the round. Mark beginning with safety pin or other marker. Round 1: purl. Then work Beanie or Folded Brim Version.
Beanie Version
Rounds 2-14: knit. Then work Crown Shaping.
Folded Brim Version
Rounds 2-18: knit. Then work Crown Shaping.
Rolled Brim Hat
Beginning at brim, loosely cast on 45 sts. Divide sts onto 3 dpn (15 sts on each). Being careful not to twist, join to work in the round. Mark beginning with safety pin or other marker. Round 1: purl. Rounds 2-8: knit. Round 9: $\ast\mathsf{k}3$ ,k2tog\*. (36 sts) Rounds 10-22: knit. Then work Crown Shaping
Crown Shaping All Versions
Round 1: $\ast_{\mathsf{k4}}$ ,k2tog\*. (30 sts) Rounds 2, 4 & 6: knit. Round 3: $\ast\mathsf{k}3$ ,ssk\*. (24 sts) Round 5: $\ast_{\mathsf{k}2}$ ,k2tog\*. (18 sts) Round 7: \*k1, ssk\*. (12 sts) Round 8: $*|{\tt k2t o g^{*}}$ . (6 sts) Break yarn, leaving a ${10"}$ (25.5cm) tail. Thread through remaining stitches and tighten. Loosely weave in yarn ends.
TOTE BAG INSTRUCTIONS
Beginning at handles, loosely cast on 20 sts. Divide sts onto 2 dpn (10 sts on each). Being careful not to twist, join to work in the round. Round $1:{\mathsf{k}}2,$ cast off 6 sts, k4, cast off 6 sts, k2. (There will be 2 sts at beginning and end of each dpn-8 sts total.) Round 2: k2, use knit cast-on (see Note 2) to cast on 6 sts, k4, cast on 6 sts, k2. (20 sts) Rounds 3-8: knit. Turn inside out, and work 3-needle bind-off (see Note 3). Loosely weave in yarn ends.
Felting Instructions
Soak pieces in cold water for at least 20 minutes. Then place them in a zippered pillow case protector to protect washing machine. Use hot water, small load, and high agitation settings, and add small amount of soap and bath towel to speed felting. Check pieces frequently to make sure creases don't form while felting. When size is right, remove from machine before rinse cycle, and rinse by hand. Smooth into shape and allow to dry.
Samples
Beanie (Color 1633) and Folded Brim (Color 185) Sets are shown below.
