Directions on How to Knit a Hat
Most knitters have a skein or two of yarn in their stash that they bought on a whim. It may be a special hand spun yarn or yarn dyed by a friend with Kool-Aid. Or, it may just be the perfect color blue. If you are one of these knitters, try knitting a hat from the top down. With this simple technique, you can try on the hat as you go, and just knit until you run out of yarn.
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Things You'll Need
- Yarn, between 100 and 250 yards for an adult size hat depending on gauge
- Double pointed needles in a size appropriate for the yarn
- Circular needle in the same size as the double pointed needles
- Safety pin
- 8 stitch markers
Instructions
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1
Cast on eight stitches and distribute them on four circular needles, two to each needle. Leave a tail of yarn about 10 inches long.
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2
Join the stitches into a round, being careful not to twist the stitches. Put a safety pin on the needle to mark the beginning of the round.
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3
Knit one round.
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4
Knit in the front and back of every stitch. You now have 16 stitches, four on each needle.
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5
Knit two stitches, place a marker. Repeat for the round.
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6
Knit to the stitch before a marker. Knit into the front and back of that stitch. This includes the safety pin that marks the beginning of the round. This increases your stitch count by eight stitches. Knit one round with no increases.
Repeat this step until the the circle measures five percent less then the total you need to fit around the crown of your head.
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Knit every round even, with no decreases, until the hat fits to your satisfaction. You can add ribbing or use a stitch pattern; use your imagination.
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8
Bind off and weave in the ends. Use the tail of yarn from the center cast on to close up any hole that may be at the very top of the hat.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have a problem twisting the stitches at the beginning, try laying the needles on a table as you knit them and work slowly.
References
- Photo Credit snowy hat image by Karin Lau from Fotolia.com
