Designer’s email: hiphipcrochet@yahoo.com

Designer’s website: http://hiphipcrochet.blogspot.com/

Hats can be tricky. You think you have a good idea of how large your head is and then you bind off and voila - you have a hat fit for a pumpkin. Or a pinhead. The ribbing on the Watch Me cap gives you a very large margin of error in estimating head sizes so your creative stress levels go way down. In addition, the bulky weight yarn and size 10 ½ needles make the knitting go quickly so you’ll be wearing your brand-new, well-fitting hat in no time at all.

This pattern is a: Knit Pattern

Skill Level: Easy

Credits:

Picture 1: Two hats
Picture 2: Author - top of blue hat
Picture 3: Lily - top of grey hat
Picture 4: Lily (in grey) and Lucy (in blue)

All photos taken by Author

Materials:

Yarn:

Hat #1: Cascade 128. (100 grams, 128 yards) 100% wool. Deep Seafoam. Less than 1 skein. Bulky weight

Hat #2: Lion Brand Chunky USA (4 oz, 155 yards) 100% acrylic. Skyscraper Grey. Less than 1 skein. Bulky weight. Discontinued

Yarn Substitute:

Any simple bulky weight yarn would work for this pattern. Examples include:

Brown Sheep Lambs Pride Bulky (85% wool 15% mohair, 125 yards)
KnitPicks Wool of the Andes Bulky (100% wool, 100 grams, 137 yards)
Lion Brand WoolEase Chunky (80% acrylic, 20% wool, 5 oz. 153 yards)

Knitting Needles:

Circular US# 10 ½ / 6.5mm , 16"
Double point needles: US# 10 ½ / 6.5mm, 7 inches

Notions and Accessories:

One stitch marker
Tapestry needle for finishing
Measuring tape

Size:

Should fit most adult heads (and older children as well)

Pattern Stitch :

2 x 2 ribbing

Gauge: approximately 20 stitches = 4 inches in 2 x 2 rib (unstretched)

Design Notes:

I’ve only included one size for this pattern; because of the ribbing it fits most heads. If you’re making the hat for a larger than average head, add 4 stitches. Subtract 4 stitches for smaller than average heads. Aside from this addition or subtraction, the pattern remains the same.

Pattern:

On circular needle - cast on 56 stitches.

Join being careful not to twist

k2, p2 and repeat around being sure to match k to k and p to p (2x2 rib) on subsequent rounds

Work 2 x 2 rib (k2 p2) in the round for 8.5 inches

Place stitch marker and switch to double pointed needles

Start decreases, new round starts each time you reach the stitch marker
r1 k2 tog, p2 repeat around
r2 k1, p2 tog repeat around
r3 k2, p2 around
r4 k2, p2 around
r5 k2tog around
r6 k2tog around
Bind off, leaving a tail long enough to seam hole in top

 

 

 

 

Finishing:

Use the tail from the bind off to sew the hole closed.

Meet the Designer:

Pam lives and works in Phoenix, Arizona while getting her MLIS at the University of Pittsburgh (Hint: it involves lots of time on the computer). She spends her days organizing an office and her evenings learning secret librarian organization tricks but somehow her stash defies any and all attempts at organization.

Pam refrained from making a Watch Me cap for her dog Lucy, who is very grateful.

Pam’s adventures in knitting, crocheting, organization and dog maintenance can be found at her blog - Hip Hip Crochet (http://hiphipcrochet.blogspot.com/)