How to Knit an Ear-Flapped Beanie
If you want a winter hat that will keep you cozy on even the coldest days, knit a Peruvian-style ear-flap beanie. These hats, also known as chullos, feature bulky yarn, bright colors and bold patterns. Chullos are traditional Quechua men's attire, but today, the hats are popular cold-weather accessories across the globe, and both men and women wear them. If you know how to knit, purl and knit in the round, making your own chullo will not take much time, especially when you use bulky yarn and incorporate a simple slip-stitch color pattern.
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Things You'll Need
- Bulky weight yarn in two complimentary colors (A and B)
- Set of four U.S. size 10 double-pointed needles
- Stitch marker
- Yarn needle
Instructions
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Cast six stitches onto one double-pointed needle using color A.
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2
Purl the first two stitches in row one, purl into the next two stitches twice, working one stitch through the front of the loop and one stitch through the back of the loop. Purl the remaining two stitches. You should now have eight stitches.
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3
Slip the first three stitches in row two from the left-hand needle to the right-hand needle. Knit two and slip the remaining three stitches.
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4
Purl the first three stitches in row three, purl twice into the next two stitches and purl the remaining three stitches.
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Continue working in the established pattern, slipping the first and last three stitches in every knit row, and purling twice into the fourth stitch from either end of the purl row. As you work, the first and last three stitches in the row will form a tubular i-cord edge.
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End with a knit row once you have 18 stitches on the needle. Break your yarn, leaving a 5-inch tail and set aside the needle.
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Make another ear flap on a second double-pointed needle in the same manner as the first, but do not break the yarn when you finish working the ear flap.
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8
Cast 20 stitches onto a third double-pointed needle, knit the stitches from the first ear flap and cast on 12 more stitches. You should now have 68 stitches. Distribute the stitches evenly over three of the double-pointed needles.
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9
Slide a stitch marker onto the end of the needle holding the last cast-on stitch, adjust your stitches so the cast-on edge and knitted ear flaps rest along the undersides of the needles and join for working in the round.
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10
Knit into the first stitch of the second ear flap and pull your working yarn taut to draw together the two ends of your knitting. Continue knitting until you reach the first set of cast-on stitches. Purl these stitches, knit the stitches from the next ear flap and purl the remaining cast-on stitches. Work in the established pattern for three rounds, the switch to knitting across the entire round.
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11
Knit straight until your hat measures 3 inches from the cast-on edge. Drop your working yarn and begin knitting with yarn color B. Start the slip stitch pattern; knit the first two stitches, slip the next two stitches and repeat until you reach the end of the round. Work round two of the slip stitch pattern in the same manner. Knit round three with yarn color A. These three rounds equal one pattern repeat, and should look like squares outlined in a contrasting color.
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12
Work two repeats of the slip stitch pattern, then drop yarn color B and knit even with yarn color A until your chullo measures 7 inches in length from the cast-on edge.
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13
Begin decreasing in the next round. Knit two, knit two together and repeat until you reach the end of the round. You should have 51 stitches. Knit four rounds even, then knit two together across the next round and knit the last stitch. You should now have 26 stitches. Knit four more rounds, then knit two together across the next round. Knit one, knit two together across the next round, ending with a knit stitch.
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14
Break your yarn, leaving a 5-inch tail, thread the end of the tail onto a needle and sew through the remaining seven stitches. Remove the stitches from the knitting needles and pull the yarn tight to close the top of the hat. Weave in loose yarn ends to finish the hat.
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References
- Photo Credit handcrafted yarn image by mrslevite from Fotolia.com
