Basic Lined Hat Pattern from Elise Cohen (LeesyKnits) Suitable for use with Anne's Fornicating Reindeer Chart or the stitch work of your choice Gauge: $20\;\mathrm{sts}{=}4^{\circ}$ This produced a very stretchy hat which was about $19^{\circ}$ in circumference, suitable as a warm, close-fitting winter hat for an adult. If you want it larger, you can use a looser gauge (16 or 18 st to 4") by changing yarns or needle sizes, or you can increase the stitch count (if you increase stitch count you'll need to do a bit of math to make sure your repeats come out even).
Yarn: I used Brown Sheep in Natural and Bev's Bear. You'll need about 210 yards each of 2 colors of medium weight yarn. Needles: you'll need $16^{\circ}$ circular needles in whatever size gives you the proper gauge, plus either a set of dpns or a long cable needle in the same size for magic-loop work when the hat crown gets small;: you'll also need a crochet hook about the same diameter to create a chain for the provisional cast-on if that's the method you use Notes: I switched which was my background color on each side; the public side is brown with natural patterning while the inside is natural with brown patterning. This evened out my yarn yardage needs. If you have plenty of one particular color and want that to be the background color for both sides, that's definitely an option. If I had done that with this particular brand of yarn, I would have run out of the brown yarn I suspect. You can also choose to use different color combinations on each side, or multiple colors on each side. I picked very natural, neutral colors deliberately to increase the irony of the finnv chart. hut voul can he as traditional or as wild as vou want.
Knit the outside:
Using a provisional cast-on, cast on 96 stitches in the main color (color A) for the outside. Join to knit in the round and work 2 rows knitting in color A. Work one row in your second color for the outside (color B). Work one row again in color A. Begin this chart (adapted from the Fornicating Reindeer pattern) or the stitch pattern of your choice:
Blank space $=$ Color A, your background color $\mathrm{X}{=}1$ ColorB Knit one row in color A, and then one row in color B again. Knit 3 rows in color A; increase by 2 stitches total while working the second of these 3 rows (for a total of 98 stitches around). Work the Nordic Star chart, or stitch work of your choice:
Knit 3 rows in color A, decreasing by 2 stitches while knitting the second row (back to 96 stitches total). Knit one row even in color B, then one row in color A. Work rows 1-7 of the first chart above or stitch pattern of your choice. Knit one row even in color A, then one in color B again, then one more in color A.
Begin decreases:
Row 1: (K21, slip 1, k2 tog, psso) 4 times around Row 2: Knit Row 3: (Knit to 1 stitch before the center stitch of the decrease in row 1,slip 1, k2 tog, psso) 4 times around Row 4: Knit Row 5 and al future rows: work as row 3 above until there are 8 stitches lft on the needles, cut yarn, pull through the loops and finish off. As you get low in stitch count, youll need to switch to dpns or a longer circular needle for magic loop-style work. Tighten and finish offall loose ends of yarn from the first side now. Once the second side is finished, you will not be able to anchor any yarn ends (but you won't have to worry about them being visible, either).
Work the private or lining side:
Unzip your waste yarn at the bottom of the work, and put your stitches back on your needles. Using color B, which will now become your background color to allow better matching of yarn yardage needs, purl 5 rows.
Begin the Fornicating Reindeer chart, or stitch chart of your choice. The directions above give you about 53 rows of even work, so I worked the Fornicating Reindeer chart through the star above the reindeer, but I left out the bower above them. Then work 1 row just plain knitting in color B. Now is the time to tighten and finish off any yarn ends from this side of the work; once you begin the decreases, it will be very difficult to get to them to anchor them in. Work the decreases exactly as you did on the first side. When you finish and pull the yarn end through the loops, pass your needle through the empty inside of the hat and anchor the top of the lining to a stitch or two of the top of the outside. As invisibly as possible, anchor this yarn end and leave it to the inside of the hat. Give your wonderful hat a brief soak in some tepid water, block, dry, and enjoy! copyright 2008 by Elise Cohen of LeesyKnits
