Beginner’s Easy Knitted Hat
Before I worked at Fabric Magic, I had always dreamed of learning to knit – lots of people had tried to teach me but their efforts were in vain! I just could not get my head around the wrapping yarn or even differentiating each stitch on the needle, but after seeing all the lovely yarns we had and all the patterns, I was determined to master this craft.
I sat down with a “snood in a ball” and a free pattern and looked up each stitch on YouTube, it took me three days, but I was determined! Eventually, it was like that scene in My Fair Lady (a favourite movie of my Mum’s) – “I think she’s got it, by George, she’s got it!”
Ever since then I have knitted several garments and accessories, and always have something on the go. I am a crafter who tends to learn the basics and then dives deep into it, underestimating how complicated a project is but ultimately being rewarded by the finished product. Sometimes, it is just nice to pick up a simple project and knit away to my favourite shows.
When we received our delivery of Katia Easy Hat, I knew it was perfect for an easy project. The ball is a cake yarn, the inner yarn is an off white and the outer yarn is colourful. It has a free pattern made for the yarn, you just follow the instructions and then voila…. a hat!!
The pattern is worked in the round – this is a knitting technique that some may find daunting but honestly once you get going it is super easy and smooth. You are never working on the back, so when you are knitting stocking stitch you don’t have to purl. Just knit knit knit all the way round! Though, if you want to you can knit this hat on the flat.
You start on the outside using the off-white yarn and knit your rib as the pattern indicates. Then snip it and join on the coloured yarn from the middle instead. You then knit the main part of the hat, decreasing in the last few rows. The coloured yarn has flecks of the off-white, creating a fairisle effect. Once you have finished off decreasing you cut the yarn and thread it through the stitches. With the leftover off-white yarn, you can make your pom pom and attach it to the top. Simple!
I enjoy using chunky yarn; projects grow so quickly, and it is so satisfying when you can start and finish a project in one evening. It makes a good break from that never ending cardigan you have been knitting for months. Now I have made the basic hat, I am hoping to experiment with different stitch patterns – if anything the free hat pattern included with the yarn is a great building block pattern which is easy to alter. I am hoping to keep knitting hats until I have one to match every outfit!
