Here is the ultimate beginner knit hat. It was road tested by the lovely new knitters in Knit Club.

Blue Bell Knit Hat

Abbreviations:
K2tog = knit two together
K = knit
Supplies:
Hometown USA Lion Brand
Needle 16″ size 11 circular
Gauge:
10 st/4″
Note: the gauge and the needle size are tighter and smaller than the label on the yarn indicates. (That makes for a better hat.) Please check and do a gauge swatch to make sure your hat will fit.

Pattern:
Cast on 44 stitches. Join in the round being careful not to twist.
Knit 6″ (measured with the roll in it. That was 21 rows for my hat)
*k2tog, K 2* all the way around (32)

K one round
*K2tog K 2* around (24)
K1 round (24)
*K2tog K1*K1 (18)
(At this point, it is getting too tight to continue on 1 16″ circular. Either move to double points or K12 onto 1 circular needle and 12 onto a second circular)This is the plain K round
*K2tog K1* (12)
*K2tog* (6)
Cut the yarn leaving at least 12 inches of tail. Thread the yarn through a tapestry needle, and run the needle through the remaining 6 stitches, taking them off the needles. It should be a beautiful star/flower at the top of the hat now. Run the yarn through the loops in the same place one more time for extra strength, then weave in the end on the inside of the hat. On the bottom edge, weave in the tail. Note here that you want to weave in the tail on the KNIT side of the project, because the roll bottom makes the purl side the right side. Weave the tail in, hiding it in the knit stitches.

Here is K. What a triumph! She called her grand mother in Sweden and told her she knew how to knit now. YEAH!

Copyright 2015 Susan Cornish JustCraftyEnough.com
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