How to Knit a Cat Hat

You can knit a cat hat at home.

Lindsay Lohan and Snoop Dogg probably paid a pretty penny for their kitty caps but you can knit one at home for a fraction of the cost. Knit caps are great for keeping you warm on a nippy day. When you add the cat factor to the cap it becomes simply adorable. Cat caps can be knitted today and worn tomorrow. You may decide to knit a whole litter.

Things You'll Need

• 16" Circular knitting needles, size 7
• Double point needles, size 7
• Yarn
• Stitch markers
• Tapestry needle

Instructions

The Cap

1. Cast 86 stitches onto your circular needles to start your cat hat. Place a ring marker and join the stitches into a round.

2. Knit one stitch, purl one stitch. Repeat this pattern for the round.

3. Purl one stitch, knit one stitch. Repeat this pattern for the round. Alternating rounds of the knit and purl pattern is known as seed stitch.

4. Repeat the seed stitch for 1 3/4 inches.

5. Knit each stitch in the next row.

6. Purl each stitch in the next row. Stockinette stitch is the term for alternating rows of consistent knit and purl stitches.

7. Repeat the stockinette stitch for four inches. Place a ring marker after the 12th stitch in each row.

8. Switch to double point needles. Decrease by knitting two stitches together before the marker. Knit one round with no decrease. Repeat four times.

9. Knit two stitches together before the marker in every round until there are seven stitches left on the needle.

10. Clip the yarn leaving six inches. Weave the yarn through the stitches that remain. Pull the yarn tight through the hole in the top. This will close the cap, leaving no hole in the top. Weave in the ends with a tapestry needle.

The Ears

1. Lay the hat flat with the front on top and centered. Measure 1 inch from the top of the hat down the right side edge. Pick up 12 stitches toward the bottom edge with your double point needle.

2. Seed stitch two rows.

3. Make a decrease row by doing the following: knit one, knit two together, seed stitch six stitches, knit two together, knit one.

4. Seed stitch one row.

5. Decrease the rows until you are left with four stitches.

6. Finish the ear tip by working in a knit one, knit two together, knit one. Turn and knit one and then knit two together. Knit the last two stitches together.

7. Clip the yarn leaving 3 inches. Pull the last stitch tight. Weave yarn through the ear with a tapestry needle.

8. Repeat the ear steps for the left ear.

Tips & Warnings

• Use fuzzy yarn for a truly cat-like appearance.

• Make the cap out of white yarn and the ears out of black yarn for a Siamese cat cap.

• Add wiggle eyes with fabric glue to add character.

• Add ear flaps for added warmth.

References

• Craftstylish: How to Knit a Hat on Circular Needles
• "The Chicks With Sticks Guide to Knitting"; Nancy Queen and Mary Ellen O'Connell; 2008

Resources

• People: Lindsay's Dueling Styles
• OK Magazine: Jimmy Fallon Confronts Snoop Dogg about His Hat