A Hat That Fits!

By Laughing Zebra Studios

 Yarn: Worsted weight.

Gauge: This hat is worked in worsted weight yarn at 5.5 stitches per inch.

Size: Adult medium.

96 is the magic cast on number. It is a multiple of 4 so you can do 2 x 2 ribbing easily. Most adult head sizes vary by only a half to one inch at most. To change the hat size to accommodate your favorite “fat head” spouse or a more petite cousin, try varying the size of the needle you are using. In general it is better if the hat has to stretch a little to fit. That way it will stay put on your head and not slide all over the place. This hat fits me “lightly” and does stay put, however if I were doing heavy labor outside (like shoveling snow or extreme sports) I might want it to fit tighter. In retrospect, I would be tempted to subtract 4 to 8 stitches from the cast on number (so much for my magic cast on number of 96!) or do the next one on a smaller size needle. (The math: 96 stitches divided by 5.5 inches per inch equals 17.45 inches. If the gauge is tighter: 96 stitches divided by 6 stitches per inch equals 16 inches. That's an approximate 1.5 inch difference). If you don't like tight knitting you might want to subtract some stitches rather than use the smaller needles.

Cast on 96 stitches on either double pointed or circular needles using your favorite cast on method.

Rim

Work rim of hat in 2 x 2 rib for approximately 2.5 inches.

For an easy decorative effect in this rim try:

6 rows in solid colored yarn. (I used cream in this picture. The cast on edge will make it look like 7 rows. You can sub in any solid color you want.)

4 rows in variegated yarn

7 rows in matching solid yarn. (I used cream again.)

*Alternate variation: some people like the rim of their hats to be turned back. This makes the rim thicker and some people like this. Double the border if you want this effect. I would add a few extra rows (2 or 3) to accommodate the rows that are located where the hat folds back on itself.

Body of Hat

Switch to stockinette stitch and larger needles and work even next 4 inches (plus or minus). (Design note: I used a variegated yarn. Because of the width of the hat there were some nice sections of solid colors. The contrast with the solid colored yarn in the rim helps to set off the variegated section nicely.)

Decreasing

Decrease 6 stitches across round by knitting two stitches together at even intervals across round. This means that with 96 stitch in a round you will be knitting 13 stitches and then knitting 2 together. The last group will have only 12 stitches. (The math: 13 plus 1 equals 14 times 6 equals 84 stitches subtracted from 96 cast on leaves 12 stitches remaining.)

Knit next round even.

You will be doing 7 decrease rows alternating with plain rows. Each decrease row will have fewer and fewer stitches between decreases. Be sure to work the decreases so they line up for a more attractive effect. You can place a stitch marker if that helps. If you change to double pointed needles just use 6 needles and do the decrease at the beginning of each needle.

You are now down to 54 stitches. (The math: 7 rounds times 6 decreases equals 42 stitches subtracted from your beginning cast on of 96 equals 54). Don't worry if you are off by a stitch. It will still work.

Knit a decrease row every row now for the next 3 rows. This time you are going to decrease 12 stitches across the round by adding an additional increase evenly between where you have been decreasing. There may be some “gathers” forming at the top of the hat. This is okay and is to be expected.

At the end of these rounds you will be down to 19 stitches. (The math: 54 stitches minus 12 stitches per round for 3 rounds brings you down to 19 stitches.) If you have few extra or less don't worry about it. Cut yarn leaving a very long tail. Thread a darning need and catch all remaining stitches together. I usually go around 2 times OR use the strand doubled being sure to let the extra tail hang to the inside of the hat. I usually tie a knot. It won't show. I also weave the ends in. They won't show either but I do anyway. Probably wasted effort.

Note - Please read!: when I went to make this hat for my husband, I ended up adding approximately 40 more stitches to the round. The end result, as I didn't know until it was too late, is that we now have matching hats. So, ironically, my personal favorite "fat head" was indeed too fat and head sizes vary more than I had anticipated. I also recently knit a hat for my daughter and found that a rolled up brim looks nicer. The bulkier turn gives more definition to the edge of the hat. When doing a turned up edge, you have a choice of whether to continue the ribbing which may give you an even bulkier brim, or to change to stockinette stitch and knit approximately 3 to 4 inches more than the original pattern. Initially, you may see a little bit of purl stitching along the edge, but as it is worn, the brim retains its shape and that edge of purl goes away. Thank you!

Variegated Plus Knitted Scarf Pattern

 

Variegated Plus Scarf

By Laughing Zebra Studios

How often have we picked up a skein of variegated yarn and just loved the combination of colors just calling us to come play? But when we work up the yarn, the constant repeated mishmash of colors is just not as attractive as we had originally hoped. Or you may have great admiration for the mixture of colors that Norwegian designs incorporate and found that keeping track of that many small balls of yarn crossing and recrossing (knotting and re-knotting!) and the headache of getting the tension on the floats just right was not for you. The question is how to create attractive projects with quickness and ease and avoid these problems.

With careful placement of the blocks of solid and variegated colors you can create a project that has the best of both worlds without having to carry floats or keep track of rows worked. The following project is easy and flexible. You can add easily add extra stitches if you would like it wider or longer. It is worked in knit 2, purl 2 so the edges don't curl and it has just a bit of texture to give it added interest.

When working through the design I tried to balance the sections of colors so the scarf had some continuity. It is somewhat random, but the sections repeat and have a (vague!) rhythm to them. The scarf is pretty long, measuring out at approximately 88 inches without the fringe. It easily wraps around the neck and hangs nicely.

Yarn used: Worsted weight. 1 skein cream, 1 skein khaki, 2 skeins variegated. I used inexpensive acyclic yarn so it wouldn't itch. There are more expensive acrylic yarns out there and also non-itchy wools.

Needles: I use straight single pointed needles in size 5, but you could sub in circular needles and just work back and forth.

Gauge across rib: approximately 4 stitches per inch across the ribbing.

Directions:

Cast on 46 stitches in cream colored yarn. I use long tail cast on, but any method would work. I begin and end the project with the same color yarn and with matching fringe. If you choose to add additional width to the scarf, make sure you begin and end with a knit row so it is symmetrical. That means you need a multiple of 4 plus an extra 2 stitches for the total width of the scarf. To add 2 inches the total stitch count would be 54 stitches, for 3 inches the total would be 58 stitches.

Knit 2, purl 2 for entire scarf.

All color changes are at the edges of the scarf and are woven in afterward.

Stripe Pattern is given in both rows and inches. In some places it is easier to count rows, in others, just keep your ruler handy. The exact row count is not critical.

Cream 11 rows 2 inches

Variegated 5 rows 1 inch

Khaki 3 rows .5 inch plus or minus

Variegated 5 rows 1 inch

Cream 11 rows 2 inches

Variegated Section

This block of variegated yarn actually has two narrow sections of solid khaki mixed in so you have variegated/khaki/variegated/khaki/variegated. The solid in the middle helps to break up the section and connect it visually to the rest of the scarf. I have other long sections of variegated yarn where I didn't do this and it doesn't seem to make a big difference.

Variegated 20 rows 4 inches

Khaki 3 or 4 rows .5 inches

Variegated 10 rows 2 inches

Khaki 3 or 4 rows .5 inches

Variegated 18 rows 3.5 inches

Long blocks of colors. This is fun and easy to knit. Again the inch count is not critical.

Cream 15 rows 3 inches

Khaki 28 rows 5.5 inches

Variegated 90 rows 18 inches

Khaki 30 rows 6 inches

Cream 18 inches 3.5 inches

Variegated 75 rows 15 inches

Cream 8 rows 1.5 inches

Variegated 8 rows 1.5 inches

Khaki 10 rows 1.75 inches (you could just do 8 rows here instead)

Variegated 8 rows 1.5 inches

Cream 8 rows 1.5 inches

Variegated 45 rows 9 inches (to add additional length, try adding a block of khaki in the middle of this section.)

Cream 13 rows 2 inches

Bind off.

Add fringe. I used doubled strands of cream so there are 4 strands hanging down together. I spaced them every inch on sections of knit ribbing.

If you use acrylic yarn there is no need to block the project.

Happy knitting!

Crosswords

We've gotten this far and the big blizzards, knock on wood, have so far drifted by. It did that last year also. Funny how fate leads you astray, gets your hopes up and then lets you crash in misery. The bottom line is that you can't rely on fate or luck to get you ahead. Yes, we all know people who have zoomed to stardom on a whim, but they had the skills in place to start with. Hard work, practice and, most importantly, time spent will get you further ahead than a lottery ticket bought when the jackpot is at half a billion.

As for “time spent” being the number one factor, lets look at that. I do crossword puzzles and I remember a time when I'd complete maybe a quarter or less of the items in the grid. Now, I can generally complete the entire Globe crossword when I do it. At first, I thought, that they were just getting easier! Then I thought it was the anti-biotic I was on. It had miraculously cleared out some under-performing neural connections, and now like Charley*, I was brilliant. It took me a while (so much for the concept of brilliance) to accept credit for this achievement, but I still wondered how I got so smart. Maybe it was just age. I had finally seen enough of the world and life that I just plain knew more. Naaaaah. Or maybe, it was that I had spent the time and practiced, learned the moves, and over time, actually, quite a bit of time, I'd improved. My attitude going in to the task is now more positive. I know I can do this. I have confidence (more on that in a later post!). I will not succeed every time, but I have confidence in my skills, my breadth of knowledge and now the weight of a heavy task to surmount is not pushing me down.

For crafters and artists of all types, this applies not just to the craft and learning the skills of the trade or art that is practiced, it also applies to the task of getting out there. It is, like a crossword, a cypher. We don't know the moves. We don't know what language to use. We don't know how to get there from here, but by trial and error, we will move forward and at some point in time we will find success and then we'll label it as our “lucky day”.