It’s Time To Start Your BiCrafty Bootcamp First Knit…
We just wrapped up a full month of working on our first knit cowl. (See our Month Two BiCrafty Bootcamp Thoughts here!) How is everyone feeling?! You’re doing an awesome job. Now we’re ready to begin our next multi-week project: our first knit hat in the round.
How to Knit a Hat That Matches Your First Knit Cowl
We’re going to knit a hat that complements your first knit cowl. However, if you wanted to make a more matchy-matchy set, then you could also start your first knit hat right now.
Basically, here is what you do. You’d just need to calculate your gauge (how many stitches per inch is more important than rows per inch in this case).
Once you know how many stitches per inch you get, calculate a number closest to 20″ [51 cm] for average adult or 22″ [56 cm] for large adult. The biggest thing to remember is that your cast on number should be a multiple of both four and five. If you can only get one or the other, in the sections where the multiple changes you can either increase or decrease to get to the number you need.
Once you’ve cast on a good number of stitches, follow the stitch patterns for the knit cowl to start your hat. Because you don’t want your hat too long or too slouchy (is there such a thing?), I recommend only working each section util they measure about 1″ or 1.5″ [2.5 or 3.8 cm].
As a reminder those lessons were:
- How to Knit 1×1 Ribbing in the Round
- How to Knit Seed Stitch in the Round
- Double Moss Stitch Plus Extra Credit: Sl1pyb
- Seersucker Stitch and Long Slip Texture Stitch
So you would basically create a knit hat that begins with 1×1 ribbing, continues with seed stitch, etc. Then you would wrap up with some crown shaping. And that is where things get a bit different.
For the crown, I think I would go back to seed stitch and work decreases back down to as few stitches as possible and finish off the hat.
Matchy-Matchy BiCrafty Community Hat Pattern
Let me make this easy for you and give you numbers and a specific decrease.
MATERIALS
Yarn: Red Heart Chic Sheep by Marly Bird™ [Art. R170 100% Merino Wool available 3.5 oz (100 g),186 yd (170 m) balls]
Needles: 4.5mm [US 7] and 5mm [US 8] 16″ (40.5 cm); Set of 5 double pointed needles 5mm [US 8]
SPONSOR SHOUTOUT: JIMMY BEANS WOOL
Of course, you can use any brand of knitting needles that you want. This month, we’re going to showcase Jimmy Beans Wool knitting needles. We’ll start off working with the brand’s SmartStix Interchangeables. We’re excited to let you know what we think.
MEASUREMENTS
Gauge: 18 sts = 4″ (10 cm) in Seed Stitch pattern with larger needles, after blocking. CHECK YOUR GAUGE. Use any size needles to obtain the gauge
One size to fit average Adult.
NOTIONS
Stitch Marker (make your own), Tapestry needle to bury the ends (learn how here)
SPECIAL STITCHES / ABBREVIATIONS
Make 1 (inc): Insert lhn under horizontal strand between st just worked and next st, from the front to the back, knit through the back loop (1 st increased). (video help)
NOTES
I recommend adding a lifeline to your project at the pattern changes. Just to make sure you have a point to rip back to if something goes wrong. (video help)
PATTERN
Brim
With smaller needle, cast on 90 sts. Place marker on right hand needle to indicate the start of round, join round being careful to not twist cast on edge.
Round 1: Knit
Rounds 2-7: *K1, p1; repeat from * around.
Round 8: *(k1, p1) 4 times, make 1; repeat from * 10 times total, k1, p1 to end — 100 sts.
Body
Change to larger needles.
Follow along with the instructions for each of these sections BUT make each section only measure about 1″ or 1.5″ [2.5 or 3.8 cm] each.
- How to Knit Seed Stitch in the Round (multiple of 2)
- Double Moss Stitch (multiple of 4)
- Plus Extra Credit: Brick Stitch (Sl1pyb) (multiple of 5)
- Seersucker Stitch (multiple of 4 stitches)
- Long Slip Texture Stitch (multiple of 2)
Crown
Shape crown as follows, changing to double-pointed needles when work no longer fits comfortably on circular needle.
Round 1: *(p1, k1) 4 times, p2tog, k2tog, (p1, k1) 4 times; repeat from * 4 times more – 90 sts.
Rounds 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16: Continue in established seed stitch pattern
Round 3: *(p1, k1) 3 times, p1, k2tog, p2tog, k1, (p1, k1) 3 times; repeat from * 4 times more – 80 sts.
Round 5: *(p1, k1) 3 times, p2tog, k2tog, (p1, k1) 3 times; repeat from * 4 times more – 70 sts.
Round 7: *(p1, k1) 2 times, p1, k2tog, p2tog, k1, (p1, k1) 2 times; repeat from * 4 times more – 60 sts.
Round 9: *(p1, k1) 2 times, p2tog, k2tog, (p1, k1) 2 times; repeat from * 4 times more – 50 sts.
Round 11: *p1, k1, p1, k2tog, p2tog, k1, p1, k1; repeat from * 4 times more – 40 sts.
Round 13: *p1, k1, p2tog, k2tog, p1, k1; repeat from * 4 times more – 30 sts.
Round 15: *p1, k2tog, p2tog, k1; repeat from * 4 times more – 20 sts.
Round 17: *p2tog, k2tog; repeat from * around – 10 sts.
Finishing
Cut yarn leaving at least 6” (15.24 cm) of tail and use yarn needle to thread tail through each remaining st knitwise. Pull tail tight to close top (like a drawstring). Weave tail in on wrong side of hat to secure.
What’s Different With the First Knit Hat vs Knit Cowl
Here are the things that we’ll be doing a little bit differently with our first knit hat:
- We’re working with both circulars and DPNs. We’ll start the knit hat form the bottom up working on circular needles. Then we’re going to switch to DPNs when we get closer to the top of the hat. Learning to knit on DPNs is going to be the biggest new lesson in Month 3 of BiCrafty Bootcamp.
- We’ll work with needles in different sizes. Therefore you’ll learn how to move from a Size 7 to a Size 8 in the same project.
- We’re learning shaping. We’ll start at the bottom of the hat. Then, in order to get that beautiful hat shape, we’ll learn decreasing towards the top of the hat. This is Month 3’s other big skill.
Materials for First Knit Hat in the Round
As aforementioned, we’ll be using multiple knitting needles in this project. Therefore, you’ll want to get:
- Size 7 16″ circular needles
- Size 8 16″ circular needles
- Size 8 DPNs
When you purchase your DPNs, try to find a set of five. They come in sets of four or five, depending on the brand. If you can only find sets of four, then you should get a second set in each size. Alternatively, some companies sell the extra ones individually.
We’re going to continue working with worsted weight yarn for this project. You might want to use the same yarn that you did for your cowl. Ideally, you’ll have several colors of yarn. That’s because we’re going to practice some colorwork techniques on this first knit hat. However, we’ll have options, so if you’re limited to a single color, it’s okay.
Crocheter’s Edge
As a crocheter, you’re going to have an edge up on other newbie knitters because you’ll understand the basic concept of decreasing to shape a hat. For example, you know how to stitch two together in crochet to begin decreasing. More importantly, you know WHY you’re doing that. As a result, learning decreasing for your first knit hat should make a lot of sense.
Knitters Tips for Crocheters
The biggest tip from the knitters right now is not to be scared of those DPNs. Hopefully you’ve watched all of the BiCrafty Bootcamp videos. If so, then a few weeks ago you saw us showing what DPNs are and how to use them. Although you’re working with four or five needles, you’re actually only using two at a time. You already know how to do this! So don’t get scared; this is going to be easier to learn than you think!
BiCrafty Community Complementary Hat Pattern
MATERIALS
Yarn: Red Heart Chic Sheep by Marly Bird™ [Art. R170 100% Merino Wool available 3.5 oz (100 g),186 yd (170 m) balls]
Needles: 4.5mm [US 7] and 5mm [US 8] 16″ (40.5 cm); Set of 5 double pointed needles 5mm [US 8]
MEASUREMENTS
Gauge: 18 sts = 4″ (10 cm) in Seed Stitch pattern with larger needles, after blocking. CHECK YOUR GAUGE. Use any size needles to obtain the gauge
One size to fit average Adult.
NOTIONS
Stitch Marker (make your own), Tapestry needle to bury the ends (learn how here)
PATTERN
Brim
With smaller needle, cast on 90 sts. Place marker on right hand needle to indicate the start of round, join round being careful to not twist cast on edge.
Round 1: Knit
Rounds 2-7: *K1, p1; repeat from * around.
Round 8: *(k1, p1) 4 times, make 1; repeat from * 10 times total, k1, p1 to end — 100 sts.
Body
Change to larger needles.
Knit 1 round.
Over the next few weeks we will be adding different stitch patterns in this section for you to add to your hat.
Additional Videos and Patterns to Try
At this stage of BiCrafty Bootcamp, you might want to check out these videos:
- No Cuss Cast on for Double Pointed Needles. Although you don’t need this to start the hat, watching the video might help make DPNs a bit less intimidating.
- Absolute Beginner Chunky Knit Hat
- How to knit Honeycomb Cable and Fair Isle Capriciously Chic Hat
And these patterns:
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this hat match my cowl exactly?
Honestly… yes! You totally can make a super matchy-matchy set. You’ll just need to figure out your gauge and make sure your cast on number is a multiple of both four and five. Then, just work each stitch pattern section for about 1″ to 1.5″ before moving to the next.
What needles do I need for this hat project?
So here’s the thing… you’ll need a few different sizes! Grab your 4.5mm (US 7) and 5mm (US 8) circular needles in a 16″ length, and then a set of five 5mm (US 8) double-pointed needles. It sounds like a lot, but we’re learning some new skills here!
I’m a crocheter… is knitting a hat going to be super hard?
Yes! Actually, you’ve got a bit of an edge because you already understand how decreasing works to shape things like hats. Learning to knit decreases for your hat should feel pretty familiar, and way easier than you might think!
What’s the biggest new skill I’ll learn with this hat pattern?
Well… there are a couple of big ones! We’ll be working with both circular needles and double-pointed needles (DPNs), which is a new technique. Plus, we’re going to learn how to shape the hat by decreasing stitches towards the top, which is a super useful skill to master!
Can I use a different yarn than the Red Heart Chic Sheep?
You know… you absolutely can use any worsted weight yarn you like! The Red Heart Chic Sheep is just what’s recommended for this pattern. If you have some other yarn in your stash, go for it!
When and where will you be going live? I am in Massachusetts.