Susan's Slouch Hat

Susan's Slouch Hat
(even though Hedwig is wearing it)

As you can probably guess from the name in the title, this hat was designed with a specific person in mind. And in fact, I've been meaning to knit this person something for some time, but it wasn't until autumn descended and I saw her seasonal red jacket that I realized EXACTLY what she needed (to be fair, she also told me she wanted something in the white/natural color family and tried to get knitting tips before I stole the project right out from under her and told her I'd come up with something instead). What was I saying? Oh right, Susan's Slouch Hat will be your go-to head covering since it knits up quickly in chunky weight yarn and has a simple but elegant design. (Oh, and let's keep our fingers crossed that it becomes Susan's go-to head covering as well, or the whole thing is a monumental failure!)

Yarn: Malabrigo Mecha (100% Pure Merino Superwash Wool; 130 yards [120 meters]/100 grams); #063 Natural - one skein

A close-up of the detail that takes this hat from
blah to boo-yah (yeah, nobody says that)!

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 8, one 16" circular needle in size US 10.5, one 5 or 6 mm crochet hook, one set of double pointed needles (dpns) in size US 10.5, scrap yarn measuring roughly 24"

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 14 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette on size US 10.5 needles

So let's make a hat! Using your size US 8 circular needle, then, cast on 72 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Then, we'll work some ribbing, as follows:

Ribbing Row: * k1, p1; rep from * until end of round

Work ribbing until piece measures roughly 2.5". Then, we'll add a bunch of stitches that we'll later use to work the circle thing at the top of the ribbing. Once we add them, we'll simply hold them all on a piece of scrap yarn running around the outside of the hat. So, to that end, work these two transition rows:

Transition Row 1: * knit front and back of stitch (kfb); rep from * until you have one stitch left in round. On final stitch, knit the front of the stitch, clip the yarn tail (leaving roughly 18" - also, this part is important, don't forget to clip!), then rejoin yarn and knit the back of the final stitch (144 stitches) (and yes, all of these stitches will be difficult to fit on your needle, but you should be able to just squeeze them on)

For the next row, knit onto your size US 10.5 needle (you're done with your size US 8 one, but it would be unnecessarily difficult to transfer your work without knitting it at the same time). So continue as written in Transition Row 2 below, using your larger needle. Oh, and you can also find a video demonstrating Transition Row 2 below the written-out part, but don't get confused if you notice that I'm not knitting onto my larger needle. The hat looks silly if you don't transition needle sizes at this row, which is what I realized after I made this video on my smaller needle and had to rip back (but had no time to record a new demonstration). So don't make my mistake, and definitely use your bigger needle now! Anyway, continue working like so:

Transition Row 2: thread your tapestry needle onto your scrap yarn; then, * transfer next stitch to scrap yarn purlwise, k1; rep from * until end of round (72 stitches on needle; 72 on scrap yarn) (and yes, you can basically just ignore those extra stitches for now - I'll let you know when we get back to them!)

Complete transition rows 1 & 2. Knit in stockinette until piece measures roughly 9" (or longer if you want more slouch). Transfer work to your dpns. Then, work the following decrease rows:

Decrease Row 1: * k2tog * (36 stitches)

Decrease Row 2: * k2tog * (18 stitches)

Decrease Row 3: * k2tog * (9 stitches)

Complete decrease rows 1 - 3. Clip yarn tail, thread through remaining 9 stitches, and pull tight. Thread to inside of hat and knot. Then we'll go back to those held stitches at the top of the ribbing. At this point, it's probably easiest just to watch the video below (you can find an attempt at written instructions below that). At any rate, either watch the video or read my written instructions in order to complete the detail above the ribbing!

Here's my attempt at the written, if you don't want to suffer through my video: beginning at the beginning of the round, insert your crochet hook through the first stitch, tugging the scrap yarn out of it at the same time. Hook your hook through the second stitch and pull it through the first, again tugging your scrap yarn out at the same time. Continue in this fashion until you reach final stitch, which should be loose since you cut the yarn tail at that point. Tug stitch out enough to determine exactly where that yarn tail is coming from and insert your needle into the hole. Tug stitch out completely, leaving needle in place, and use your crochet hook to pull the stitch through the first stitch in the round (so it becomes part of the pattern). Thread the yarn tail onto the tapestry needle that's still holding its place, and pull the yarn through to the wrong side of the hat to move the stitch into place.

And now, as long as you've finished the top-of-ribbing detail, it's time to tuck in your ends and, if desired, block!