Baby Tassels Hat
Size: 0-3 months (approx 5” square with the brim folded)
This striped baby hat is quick and easy to knit as a last-minute baby gift and is an ideal way to use up leftover yarn in aran or worsted weight. The brim is ribbed and the main body is striped in stocking stitch. It can be knit either in the round or flat with seams. (Instructions for both methods are given below) Note: As the stripes in this pattern are only 4 rows wide, there is no need to cut the yarn and weave in the ends every time you swap colours. Instead you can carry the unused colour for 4 rows and then pick it up again after each contrasting stripe. (The small amount of loose thread between each stripe stays neatly hidden inside the hat). Just be careful not to pull too tightly when you start a new colour, to avoid puckering.
Yarn:
Approx 1/2 skein each of baby-friendly aran weight yarn in two colours. (I used Rowan's Amy Butler Belle Organic - approx 40 metres in Robin's Egg blue and 30 metres in Cream)
Gauge: 20 stitches and 30 rows per 4” (10cm) square in stocking stitch
Equipment:
O4mm flat or circular needles (or size required to achieve gauge) OA strip of card (approx 4"” wide) for making tassels OA darning/tapestry needle, to weave in the ends and attach tassels
Stitches Used:
OK2 P2 ribbing: \*knit two stitches, then purl two stitches\* (repeat) OStocking Stitch on flat needles: knit one row, then purl one row OStocking Stitch in the round: knit every round
Baby Tassels Hat
Instructions
To knit in the round:
Cast on 56 stitches in colour A, using cable cast on. Join in the round, placing a marker to mark the start of the round Knit K2, P2 ribbing for 3 inches Switch to colour B and knit stocking stitch for 4 rounds Continue in stocking stitch, alternating between colours every 4 rounds, until you have 8 stripes (see below for help on how to knit jogless stripes) To join the top, transfer half of the stitches to a spare needle, and bind off using the 3-needle bind-off method. (See below for help with the three needlebind-off technique)
To knit flat:
Make two pieces, as follows: Cast on 28 stitches in Colour A, using cable cast-on. Knit K2, P2 ribbing for 3 inches Switch to colour B and knit stocking stitch for 4 rows, slipping the first stitch of every row. Continue in stocking stitch, alternating between colours A and B every 4 rows until you have 8 stripes Bind off. To make up the hat, sew together the two pieces along the sides and the top, taking care to align the stripes. Make the Tassels (see below for a link to a video demonstration) Using Colour A, set aside four short lengths of yarn (approx 6 - 7 “ each) Take a strip of card that is approx 4"’ wide and fold it in half, lengthwise. Wrap your chosen yarn around the strip of card until you have the desired tassel thickness (I chose to wrap mine 32 times per tassel) Feed one of the short yarn lengths through the top of the wrapped yarn bundle and tie firmly (I will refer to this as the ‘head’ end) Now cut through the wrapped yarn at the opposite end, using the groove of the folded card as a guide (this becomes the bottom of the tassel) Wrap another of the short lengths several times around the tassel, to make a ‘neck' that is about 1.5cm down from the top of the head, and tie firmly in place. Hide the ends in the middle of the tassel, using a crochet hook or tapestry needle Trim the tassel ends until they hang neatly at your desired length
Baby Tassels Hat
Attach the tassels at each corner of the hat:
Using a tapestry needle, thread the loose ends from the tie at the top of the tassel head through the corner stitches of the hat and tie firmly in place. Now hide the leftover ends back in the middle of the tassel.
Tips and Techniques (online video demonstrations)
OKnitting in the Round (for demonstrations on different ways to do this, including the ^magic loop? technique, look here: http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/advanced-techniques) Jogless Stripes when knitting in the round (for a video demonstration showing how to reduce the appearance of ‘jogs′ with each colour change, look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PjAoIRoMOU) Three Needle Bind-off (for a video demonstration showing the three-needle bind-off technique, look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2sEqlz yLUg) Making Tassels (for a video demonstration showing how to make tassels, look here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra2qbqISwsM)
