I Heart Hats

I decided not to do a ton of handmade gifts this year for Christmas.  Last year I was too stressed trying to get everything done in time.  This year, I am knitting only a few hats.  These hats will be for a few of my friend's daughters.

Yarn

Here are two of the yarns that I am using for the first hat.  Pink as the main color (Bernat Softee Baby in Soft Peach) and a cream with a gold thread (Lion Brand, Vanna's Glamour in Topaz 170). 

This is your basic knitted hat pattern:

• Worsted weight yarn (less than 1 skein each)
• Size 8, 9 or 10 straight needle
• Cast on: 54 sts for Baby / 63 sts for Toddler, Small Adult & Large Adult
• Use Size 8 for Baby / Size 9 for Toddler & Small Adult / Size 10 for Large Adult
• Work this pattern for ~4" for Baby / ~6" for Toddler / ~7" for Small Adult & Large Adult
• *k8, p1, repeat from * to end
• After the desired length is knitted, start decreasing as follows:
• Rows 1: *k6, k2 tog, p1, repeat * to end
• Rows 2, 4, 6: Work even (p the p's and k the k's)
• Rows 3: *k2 tog tbl (through back loops), k5, p1, repeat from * to end
• Row 5: *k4, k2 tog, p1, repeat * to end
• Row 7: *k2 tog tbl (through back loops), k4, p1, repeat from * to end
• Row 8: *p2, p2 tog, k1, repeat from * to end
• Row 9: *k2 tog tbl, k1, p1, repeat from * to end
• Row 10: *p2 tog, k1, repeat * to end
• Row 11: *k2 tog tbl, repeat * to end
• There are only 6 sts left (don't worry if it is not exactly 6).  Cut the yarn so there is a tail about a foot long.  Thread it on a blunt tip needle. Take the threaded needle and cross over the sts on the wrong side and start threading the sts on the knitting needle onto the blunt tip needle and tail yarn.  (See picture below somewhere) Remove the sts off the knitting needle and pull the tail tight.  This closes up the top.  Take that tail and seam the hat down the side.  Weave in ends.  Viola!

You can do this pattern with one yarn thickness or two yarn thickness.  You can play around with the pairing of the colors.  You can do stripes.  You can continue decreasing into an I-cord or you can add a pom-pom. You can really do anything with this basic pattern.

I started with the light pink/gold pairing:

Makes a Rolled Edged Hat

I really like how the two yarns held together look:

Glistening Yarn

Here is the closing of the top with the blunt tip needle:

Thread the Tail Through the Sts on the Knitting Needle

Then remove sts from knitting needle and pull tight:

Pulled

Here is the basic hat completed:

Completed Basic Hat

I had two done by this point:

Cutie Hats

The darker pink hat yarn is Bernat Softee Baby in Soft Red held together with the same Vanna's Glamour as the light pink hat.  

My finishing touch on these hats will be a crocheted puffy heart that I will dangle off the top with a crochet chain.  I got the puffy heart crochet pattern off the internet with a video from YouTube.  They are so cute!

I Heart Puffy Heart

That puffy heart was not as easy as it looked!  It took me for-ev-a to do it right.  I'm just not a crocheter and I was using a steely hook that was a size 1.  I was very relieved that it finally did work out.

Lots of Love Hat

I only did one puffy heart for the blog.  It took me so long to do that one, that I will have to start fresh again another day on the other one.