Super Puffy BaCk-and-Forth Knit Ear Flap Baby Hat
The flower embellishment is made from a strip of fleece fabric, about 1 inch wide and 36 inches long. You coil it tightly, and either sew or hot glue it in place as you go, giving the fabric strip a twist every couple of inches. The flower is then hot glued to a felt circle, which is then hot glued to a pin back. There are many online video demonstrations of this kind of flower-making with ribbon and with various types of fabrics at www.youtube.com. Type“make fabric rose" in the search box there, or "make rosettes." Written for back-and-forth knitting, and seamed up the back, but if you would prefer to knit in-the-round, with double-pointed needles, use the same cast-on number.
Materials needed:
For the above pictured hat in the newborn size, you will need 2 skeins of TTS 33 Hand Dyed Merino Yarn, in Ecru. For sizes larger than newborn, 3 skeins are needed, or about 100 yards. This yarn is available at www.1lakashazeropointcolorworks.artfire.com and at www.1AZColorworks.etsy.com. It is sold in skeins of 33 yards/50 grams. Not to be confused with TTS 55 or TTS 66, which are different thicknesses. The TTS 33 is very thick and puffy - a delight to work with! For a simpler ear flap hat, pictured below, 1 skein, or 33 yards of this super thick yarn will do for the newborn size. Larger sizes of this simpler version (no braids) require 2 skeins. US Size 17 (12 mm) straight knitting needles Large-eye yarn sewing needle, scissors, and measuring tape Gauge is hard to measure with this type of yarn, because of the big variation of the stitch size. Approximately 1.75 stitches per inch (2.54 cm) in stockinette stitch (knit 1 row, purl the next.) It is a good idea to work 2 or 3 rows of the hat instructions, and then measure the entire row, and compare that with the desired hat diameter, which follows.
Approximate Sizes:
Newborn to 3 months size: 14 inch (35.5 cm) diameter x 5% inches (14 cm) brim to crown 3 to 6 months size: 16 inches (40.5 cm) diameter x 6 inches (15 cm) brim to crown 6 to 12 months size: 18 inch (46 cm) diameter x 6% inches (16.5 cm) brim to crown 12 months to Toddler size: 20 inch (51 cm) diameter x 7 inches (18 cm) brim to crown
Knitting Instructions:
Newborn to 3 months is given first throughout the pattern, followed by these sizes in parentheses: (3 to 6 months) (6 to 12 months) (12 months to Toddler) If knitting in the round, divide the stitches over 3 or 4 needles, and join. Disregard the instructions to purl, Row 1: Purl. as you will work all stitches as knit stitches. Row 2: Knit. Repeat these two rows until the work measures this distance from the cast on edge, ending with a purl row: Newborn to 3 months size: 4 inches (9 to 10 cm) 3 to 6 months size: 4% inches (10 to 11.5 cm) 6 to 12 months size: 5 inches (11.5 to 13 cm) 12 months to Toddler size: 5% inches (13 to 14 cm) Decreases - Start where indicated for the size you are making. (K2tog=knit two stitches together .. P2tog=purl two stitches together.) · Size 12m-Toddler begin here, and continue to work the rest of the decreases. Other sizes, skip ahead. Row 1: \*K2tog, knit 7\*, repeat across. (32 stitches remaining) Row 2: Purl. · Size 6 to 12 months begin here, and continue to work the rest of the decreases. Other sizes, skip ahead. Row 3: \*K2tog, knit 6\*, repeat across. (28 stitches remaining) Row 4: Purl. · Size 3 to 6 months begin here, and continue to work the rest of the decreases. Newborn size, skip ahead. Row 5: \*K2tog, knit 5\*, repeat across. (24 stitches remaining) Row 6: Purl. · Size newborn to 3 months begin here: Row 7: \*K2tog, knit 4\*, repeat across. (20 stitches remaining) Row 8: Purl. Row 9: \*K2tog, knit 3\*, repeat across. (16 stitches remaining) Row 10: \*P2tog, purl 2\*, repeat across. (12 stitches remaining) Row 11: \*K2tog, knit 1\*, repeat across. (8 stitches remaining) Break the yarn, leaving about 24 inches (60 cm.) Thread the yarn sewing needle with this, and pass the needle through the 8 stitches remaining, and then sew uf the back seam.
Ear Flaps:
Holding the hat upside down, beginning in the third stitch to the left of the back seam, and moving from right to left, pick up one stitch in each of 7 stitches. (This is done by inserting the needle from front to back through the fabric just below the brim edge, then yarning over, and pulling the loop to the front of the fabric.) Purl these 7 stitches. Knit. Purl. Slip 1 stitch, knit 1 stitch, pass the slipped stitch over the knitted stitch (SKP), knit 3 stitches, K2tog. (5 stitches remaining) Purl. Slip 1 stitch, K2tog, pass the slipped stitch over the 2 stitches knitted together, K2tog, pass the previous stitch over. (1 stitch remaining) Fasten off. To make the second ear flap, still holding the hat upside down, begin in the ninth stitch to the right of the back seam, and make this one just like you made the first one. The space between ear flaps in the back will be just four stitches wide. The space in the front will be wider.
Braids:
Cut 12 sections of yarn, each about 60 inches long (150 cm). Pass 6 of these pieces of yarn through a space near the tip of an ear flap, pulling them half way through, so that the mid-point of each strand is at the tip of the ear flap. Now you will have 12 strands to use for braiding. Divide them into three sections, four strands in each section, and braid loosely. Tie an overhand knot near the bottom, and trim the ends even. Make the other braid on the other ear flap the same way. Pattern and photographs @2011 Angie Hartley, www.4aSong.etsy.com Purchaser may not distribute nor publish this pattern, nor make copies except for personal use. But permission is hereby granted to sell items knit from this pattern. For answers to questions that arise while knitting this pattern, you may contact me at here2serve2@yahoo.com.
