The Hand Knitted Shady Hill Hat
- Using worsted weight wool, cast on 80 stitches onto # 8, 16 inch round needles (preferably bamboo rather than metal).
- Knit only (do not purl) four rows. You should have four rows of garter stitch.
- Join at the fifth row so that you have a complete circle. Keep knitting.
- Beware that you don't knit a mobius strip. Keep checking that the circle is even all around and that the knitted rows face down from the needle.
- Variations: If you decided to do a color pattern which requires dragging the yarn, then you must increase 10 stitches before you start dragging. You should have 90 stitches on your needle before you begin your color pattern.
- Keep knitting until you have seven to eight inches from the bottom row. Try on your hat, if you want it longer knit another inch or more. Don't skimp here, if your hat is too short, it won't stay on your head and keep you warm.
- Count the stitches on your needles . If you have eighty, knit eight stitches and place a marker, knit another eight stitches and place a marker (if you have ninety do the same every nine stitches). Keep doing this until the entire circle of eighty stitches is divided up into sections of eight stitches per section. If your last section is less than eight stitches, don't worry, just let it be.
- Row 1 -- knit six stitches and then knit stitch #7 and #8 together. Move the marker to the right hand needle and knit the next section of stitches, knitting stitch #7 and #8 together.
- Keep doing this around the row.
- Row 2 -- Do the same thing but now you knit stitch #6 and #7 together; always knit the two stitches before the marker together.
- Your circle will be getting smaller and smaller.
- Keep knitting the last two stitches before the marker together until you have one stitch between each marker.
- Cut your yarn twelve inches long.
- Thread this yarn onto a large-eye needle. With this needle, slip the ten stitches onto the twelve inch yarn. Pull the yarn. You have closed your hat. Sew the circle closed and send the extra yarn to the inside of the hat. Cut the yarn.
Brava! Bravo !
You have a Shady Hill Hat!