KEEP LITTLE HEADS WARM AND TOASTY..
BRISK MORNING HAT
BY LINDSAY OLIVER - SEPTEMBER2O11 It was a brisk morning when we decided to go raspberry picking. We didn't have a warm baby hat in the house. I had to either let my baby be cold and endure other mother's judging stares as his ears turned red in the raspberry rows or I could knit a quick hat. I grabbed two balls of yarn from my leftovers pile and in 20 minutes had this cute little baby hat. Perfect for the Fall.
Getting Started:
SIZE:
Fits a head roughly 15 1/2 inches around. Cast on more stitches in the front and back and make it a little longer to fit a bigger head.
YARN:
Two leftover balls of worsted to chunky weight yarn, knit together.
NEEDLES:
Four double pointed needles, size 15 GAUGE: 4" x 4" = 10 stitches x 14 rows
CARE INSTRUCTIONS:
Machine wash, gentle; tumble dry low.
The hat is knit on double pointed needles. The ear flaps are knit first. They are knit straight on separate needles then joined as additional stitchesarecastontocoverthefront and back of the hat. After joining, the hat is knit in rounds.
NOTES:
Instructions:
Cast on 3 stitches. Ear Flaps: make two (knit straight): Row 1 (WS) and all WS Rows: purl all stitches. Row 2 (RS): Knit in front and back (Kfb) in first stitch, knit 1, Kfb in last stitch. Now have 5 stitches. Row 4: Kfb in first stitch, knit 3, Kfb in last stitch. Now have 7 stitches Row 6 (last row): Kfb in first stitch, knit 2, Kfb, knit 2, Kfb in last stitch. Now have 10 stitches. For the frst ear flap, leave on the dp needle and cut the yarn. For the second ear flap, leave on the dp needle and leave the yarn attached. Cast on the additional stitches that form the front (8 st.) and back (8 st.) of the hat, you'll have a total of 36 stitches. Arranging the stitches to evenly cover three dp needles (l2 st. per needle) as follows: Start with the ear flap with yarn attached (needle l), cast on two stitches at the end. Using a new needle (needle 2), cast on 6 stitches, then knit the first 6 stitch of the free ear flap. On the third needle, knit across the remaining 4 ear flap stitches and cast on 8 additional stitches. Now have 36 stitches.
continued...
Connect the ends and knit in a round until the hat measures 3 1/2 inches from the front of the hat (the 8 cast on stitches). Begin decrease with needle 1. Decrease, Row 1: Slip-slip knit (Ssk) the first stitch, knit 4, repeat 5 more times (30 st.). Row 2: Ssk, knit 3, repeat 5 more times (24 st.). Row 3: Ssk, knit 2, repeat 5 more times (18 st.). Row 4: Ssk, knit 1, repeat 5 more times (12 st.) Row 5: Ssk, repeat 5 more times (6 st.) Cut the yarn, leaving a 6 inch tail. Draw the yarn through the remaining 6 stitches, tighten and tie off. Weave in loose ends, wash and wear.
HOMEMADE RASPBERRY JAM
Ingredients
4 cups ripe raspberries and 3 cups sugar
Preparation
1. Place raspberries in a large sauce pan. 2. Bring to a full boil over high heat while mashing with a potato masher. 3. Boil hard for l minute while stirring. 4. Add sugar and return to a boil. 5. Boil until the raspberry mixture forms a gel, about 7 minutes. 6. Transfer the jam into appropriate containers for canning, freezing or immediate use.
Gel Test
While the raspberry mixture is boiling, dip a cool metal spoon into the jam. Pull it out and hold it horizontally. The jam is done when two drops slowly flow together and form a sheet that hangs off of the edge ofthe spoon.
