Stitch 'n Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook (36 page)

S
IZE

Small (Medium, Large)

Finished circumference: 20 (21, 22)"

M
ATERIALS

Brown Sheep Company
Lamb’s Pride Bulky
(85% wool/15% mohair; 4 oz/125 yds)

A:
1 skein #M05 Onyx

B:
1 skein #M110 Orange You Glad

C:
1 skein #M155 Lemon Drop

D:
1 skein #M180 Ruby Red

US 10½ (6.5mm) knitting needles, or size needed to obtain gauge

G
AUGE

14 sts and 18 rows = 4" in k2, p2 rib, slightly stretched.

S
TITCH
P
ATTERN

K2, P2 RIB (MULTIPLE OF 4 STS)

All rows: *K2, p2; rep from * to end.

C
OLOR
P
ATTERN

4 rows D, 4 rows B, 4 rows C, 2 rows A, 2 rows C, 2 rows B, 2 rows D, 4 rows A, 2 rows D, 2 rows A, 2 rows B, 2 rows A, 2 rows C (size Small: work rem rows with C), 4 rows A, 2 rows C (size Medium: work rem rows with C), 2 rows A, 2 rows B (size Large: work rem rows with B).

D
IRECTIONS

With A, CO 56 (60, 64) sts.

Work 29 (32, 35) rows in k2, p2 rib foll color pattern.

SHAPE CROWN

Continuing color pattern: Row 1 (RS): *K2tog, p2; rep from * to end—42 (45, 48) sts.

Row 2 (WS): *K2tog, p1; rep from * to end—28 (30, 32) sts.

Row 3: *K1, p1; rep from * to end.

Row 4: *K1, p1; rep from * to end.

Row 5: *K2tog; rep from * to end—14 (15, 16) sts.

Row 6: *K2tog; rep from * to end—7 (8, 8) sts.

FINISHING

Break off the yarn, leaving a 20" tail. Thread the yarn through a yarn needle and thread needle through live sts, drawing them tight and sliding them off the knitting needle. With the RS of the hat facing you, and using mattress stitch, sew back seam invisibly from top to bottom. Weave in ends.

ABOUT ALEX

I live in Pittsburgh with my incredibly handsome dog, my chromatastic Honda Rebel 450, and obscenely large stashes of yarn and records. I learned to knit as a child and promptly forgot. Several years ago, on an ill-fated ski trip, I bought some Susan Bates aluminum needles and Red Heart acrylic and started all over again. In addition to being a fanatical knitter, I also (sporadically) publish the lo-fi knitting zine
Needle & Hook: Knitting Our Little Punk Rock Hearts Out
. My current works in progress include a lace shawl in a lovely cashmere/lambswool blend, fingerless gloves for every male friend I have, a queensized afghan in a purple colorway, and the “Vegas Bag,” which will combine knitting and glass beads and buttons for an exhibit at the Pittsburgh Glass Center. I also make felted handbags and handmade glass buttons, which are sold at Pool, a boutique in New York City, and can be seen on my Web site at
www.needleandhook.com
.

SONYA LASKA

People say this looks like an old-lady hat. I love old ladies, so I consider that the highest compliment. Oddly enough, the hat is also one of the few knitted items that has attracted male attention—men often stop me on the street to say, “Hey, cool hat!” Whether you want to be geriatric fabulous or have the boys follow you home, one thing’s for certain—you can never have enough shiny, sparkly clothing.

S
IZE

One size fits most, if not all (approx 24" around bottom end)

M
ATERIALS

Brown Sheep Company
Lamb’s Pride Bulky
(85% wool/15% mohair; 4 oz/125 yds), 1 skein #M120 Limeade

US 10 (6mm) double-pointed needles (set of 4)

US 11 (8mm) 24" circular needle or double-pointed needles (set of 4/5), or size needed to obtain gauge

Large sequins (paillettes)—these need to have a large hole in them, not the standard thread-sized hole

G
AUGE

13 sts = 4" in St st on larger needles

D
IRECTIONS

Before you even CO, thread the paillettes onto your yarn using a yarn needle. It’s okay if you put on more than you need. This example uses 90 sequins, but you could definitely use more or less.

Push the paillettes down on the yarn, then with larger knitting needle, CO 60 sts. Join, being careful not to twist the sts, then pm at rnd.

K 4 rnds.

ADD SPARKLE

Rnd 1: *P1 by inserting the needle into the st as to purl, pushing a paillette up as close to the needle as you can; then complete the st, catching the paillette in place. K3. Repeat from * for the entire rnd—15 paillettes.

Rnds 2–3: K.

Rnd 4: K2, *p1, k3; rep from * to last 2 sts, p1, k1—always catching a paillette in each p st. This staggers the paillettes so they’re not all in a row.

Rnds 5–6: K.

Repeat rnds 1–6 twice more.

CROWN DECREASES

Change to smaller dpns, k 1 rnd as you are doing this—3 needles holding 20 sts each.

K2tog at the end of each needle every rnd (each rnd will dec by 3 sts) until you are left with 6 sts on each needle. Cut your yarn, leaving a 10" tail. Using a yarn needle, thread through those last sts and pull them tog. At this point you could add one more paillette, for fancy!

Weave this tail, as well as the CO tail, into the sts on the inside of the hat.

Have fun!

ABOUT SONYA

Quilts, beading, clothes, costumes, collages, books, cookies—I love to make things. My whole family is pretty crafty: My mom does rug hooking, my dad is a welder, my brother is a furniture maker, my stepsister is a professional quilter, and Grandma does needlepoint. I always suspected I would love knitting, but it wasn’t until I took a class four years ago that it finally clicked.

Now, when I’m excited about a project, I knit every minute I can get—at home, on the phone, on the subway. I particularly enjoy hanging out with a bunch of pals, all of us knitting and exchanging tips and life stories. I also like making things that are a little goofy. Have you ever noticed how serious—in color and function—so many knitting projects are? Knitting is fun, and I think we should all be a little less serious about it. For would-be knitters who are interested and ask me if they can learn, I always say that if you have patience and can read directions, you (yes, you!) can make anything you want.

KITTY SCHMIDT

These hats are the bastard children of the Lil’ Devil Baby Hat that I featured on my Web site,
www.kittyville.com
. Kittyville is an online hodgepodge that I started in 1997 to present my somewhat off-center interests to the rest of the world. I love getting feedback and questions from faraway places, and I got so many requests for an adult version of the Lil’ Devil Baby Hat that I adapted it to fit grown-ups. It naturally evolved into the Kitty Hat, which is the official headgear for Kittyville. I like to imagine people wearing it to surf my site, like a kid putting on a Captain Video helmet to watch his favorite show.

You can omit the ears or horns and add your own kind of ornamentation: pom-poms, tassels, ponytails. Or just go minimal—with this basic hat shape, the possibilities are endless!