Big head slouchy hat – finished!
March 4, 2010 by Bird
Filed under Craft Diary, Show And Tell
I promised to show you the hat that I was knitting, so here it is. After three attempts, two complete unravvelings and a trip into town for the purchase of more wool (I ran out half way through) it is finally done. Hurrah!
I found a lovely easy pattern on Ravelry which I used as a guide, but I realised I’d need to use a bit of initiative to get the effect I wanted with the yarn I’d chosen and after a bit of panic figured out what it was I needed to do. I’d wanted to adapt the hat anyway, from a classic roll up beanie to a slouchy hat. It came out more like a beret, but on the person it’s intended for it will look more as I had first imagined. This person I should add has an enormous noggin and mine is ridiculously small, so in these pictures I am pretty much drowning in the hat!
I have not been knitting long but I really enjoy taking a pattern and improvising ’till I get the effect I want, it isn’t so hard to do and I’d recommend using a pattern more as a guideline to anyone – it’s increased my knitting confidence no end since I realised it is possible to do this. You can change yarn weight, needle size or number of stitches and get something very different looking to the original design. Want to know how I knitted this hat? Read on! (Oh, and this is the first time I’ve ever attempted to write down a knitting adventure so hopefully there are no glaring mistakes. All suggestions and help in this regard gratefully received)
Credit where credit is due:- the following is adapted from this easy to knit beauty here:- Eat… a Hat by Matataki. This is the best and most versatile beginners hat pattern I have ever found. Copyright for original pattern Eat…a Hat belongs to Matataki Design/Naomi Drew. She makes gorgeous, clearly written patterns… go see them, now!
Big Head Slouchy Hat
...for women with brains! Tired of all those cute hat patterns that are made for a teeny tiny noggin? Sigh no more, this will cozify all but the hugest of heads.
You will need:-
Needles
Size 6 circular needles, 40 cm long (US size 10, 16 ins long)
Size 6 double pointed needles for decreases (US size 10)
Yarn
150 yards approx of double knit yarn, preferably something soft and drapey (not sure how else to describe the quality)
Notions
Stitch marker, or bit of contrasting wool will do the trick
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
The Hat – Notes
This pattern will result in a hat to fit a large head, but can be made to fit a smaller head simply by decreasing the number of stitches you cast on by multiples of four. Also, you could improvise with needle size and yarn weight for different effects on the look of the stitches and drape of the hat.
Directions
Cuff:- Cast on 108 stitches on circular needles using long tail cast on or any loose stretchy method. Join in a circle, being careful not to twist the stitches, and mark the start of the round with a stitch marker or bit of contrasting wool.
Proceed in *K2, P2* rib (2×2) for 3 inches or to taste, depending on how long you prefer your cuff to be. Next, you’ll need to add some stitches to get the required level of slouch!
Increase round:-
R1: *K 18, k1f&b* to end
R2: K all stitches
R3: *K2, P2* to end
R4:*K2, P2* to end
You should have 120 stitches on the needle.
Main body of hat:- following the stitch pattern below, knit your hat to the desired length – I would recommend you knit about 5 inches in the main body pattern.
Stitch pattern:-
R1: K all stitches
R2: K all stitches
R3: *K2, P2* to end
R4:*K2, P2* to end
Decrease rounds
When you have knitted to the desired length, switch to the stitch pattern below. At some point, you will want to switch to your double pointed needles as the number of stitches becomes too few to work on the circulars.
R1: *K2, P2tog*
R2: *K2, P1*
R3: *K2tog, K1*
R4:-*K all stitches*
R5:- *K2tog*
At this point, continue as follows until you have about 6 stitches on the needles
R1:- K all stitches
R2:- *K2tog*
Gather live stitches with your tapestry needle, pull tight, weave in the ends and you’re finished.
If you have a go at knitting this hat let me know how you get on, I’d love to know - especially if you improvise!
Related posts:
From now on I hope to do a little bit of...
The Birds in the Meadow online shop ...
Last night I was in Oxford, a city so b...
There's something about old vinyl that m...
So what's been keeping me busy these day...
Hi Bird! That’s a singular hat
Although I must say I am most impressed with the wearer…I don’t think I’ve seen a close-up of you (except retreating up a mountain, or descending into a valley) until now.,,Hello.
I would love to be able to wear that hat, although my Mum used to say “Henry…that does absolutely nothing for you”..whenever I wore something (other than my battered trilby) on my head.
It looks warm and cosy (I have a wool allergy) and I wish I could wear it.
There’s something special about creating a physical object – rather than just creating an entity out of pixels..
It’s great
xhenry
Hi Henry, I’ve been kind of absent in my own blog, haven’t I? Well here I am, partly thanks to that conversation we had on your blog
And hello back, and thank you!
The hat you wear in your avatar pic suits you down to the ground, perhaps people are so used to seeing you wear that kind of hat that you look strange to them in any other kind. I’m sure there’s another hat style you would suit, you need to go on a hat-trying-on-expedition!
I also cannot wear wool, I have eczema and wool is the last thing I want to put near my face, so when I knit for myself it has to be in non wool yarn. But this hat is made with alpaca wool which feels completely different; soft as a cloud. Chrissy tells me that despite having sensitive skin alpaca doesn’t irritate her skin and I have to admit I’m tempted to knit myself one of these hats so I’m going to make a woven bracelet from the leftover wool and wear it just to see if my skin will mind. Perhaps you could wear Alpaca wool Henry?
I agree with you about the satisfaction of making a physical object. I love making, and learning to knit has been fantastic. I really enjoyed having a choice of warm hats this winter! And it’s so portable – I can take it on the bus or train…
I am so proud of you, Bird! What a beautiful slouchy hat and how lucky the friend who’s going to receive it. It is really something else. I just might try making this one though I’m afraid I’ll be doing more than a few unravelings! And what a beauty you are. I’m so glad you modeled your slouchy yourself! You knit girl!
)
Hi Holly… it took a bit of nerve for me to post a picture of myself as generally I try to be kind of invisible here, so thank you so much for your very kind response
Actually you kind of inspired me to do it after you posted a picture of yourself over at your place. Plus, I find myself rambling away about myself in other peoples blog comment boxes and thought it was time to do something about that by putting a bit more of myself here and a little less in other places 
The person who’s getting the hat doesn’t read here I’m fairly sure, so it’s going to be a surprise to her when she gets it… I mean, she knows she’s getting a hat, but not what it will be like. Fingers crossed she will like it – I think the colour will really suit her.
I am so impressed with this. It is a gorgeous hat and you look gorgeous in it. Well done to you for modelling it so beautifully
You need to make one for you now but perhaps a bit smaller. I only have a small head too and they tend to slide off and become very annoying if they are too big!
As for the more of you, well I am intrigued by the busking story!
Hello Chrissy and thank you, I am blushing with all the kind words
You are right, my own hat definitely needs to be a lot smaller, this version wouldn’t have stayed still on my head for five minutes. Years ago I discovered that my head is so small that I can wear child size cycle helmets (which are much cheaper) but that’s the only plus to having a small head that I’ve ever noticed
When I get a bit more time for writing I might enlarge a bit on my busking adventures (anyone reading here that doesn’t know what I’m on about should check out the comments in this post on Henry’s blog http://soulmerlin.typepad.com/stillpoint/2010/02/don-partridge.html) but to be honest I’m not sure how to make a post about that fit in here… perhaps I need another blog – if I could find time to write it!
It looks wonderfully warm!
Hi Lana! I hope it’s warm… it’s going to a friend in Scotland, so it will need to be with the weather they are having!
Wonderful hat! The yarn looks delicious. . . It’s so much fun to see you are knitting! I love to knit- I’ve been doing it for years but I am still a beginner. I progress slowly.
It’s so nice to see a picture of you- hello!!