North Star Hat

North Star Hat

Much to my dismay, I recently discovered that my local yarn store was discontinuing the Berroco Vintage Chunky. So I immediately bought these three skeins, with the idea that I would combine them into as many items as I could. And the first thing I came up with is this fairly awesome hat, which uses mostly the main color yarn, and a few scraps of the other two. But let's get to the pattern already!

Yarn: Berroco Vintage Chunky (50% Acrylic, 40% Wool, 10% Nylon; 130 yards [120 meters]/100 grams); #6185 Tide Pool - 1 skein, #6123 Blush - 1 skein, and #6167 Dewberry - 1 skein

The finishing

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size 9, one 16" circular needle in size 10, and one set of double-pointed needles (dpns), also in size 10

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 14 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

Using your size 9 circular needle and your main color yarn (which in our case is #6185 Tide Pool), cast on 84 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Next, knit 4 rows in a k2, p2 ribbing, and then switch to your size 10 needles. Knit four rows around, and then it's time to begin the main pattern, which is the North Star Pattern from page 99 of Barbara G. Walker's A Second Treasury of Knitting Patterns. Please bear in mind that this is a slip stitch pattern, and yarn should be kept quite loose behind slipped stitches, especially when slipping multiple stitches together (this note goes double if you haven't knit many slip stitch patterns before - really, make it loose!). Oh, and before we get started, let's define the dip stitch as follows:

Dip stitch: Insert needle into middle front of stitch in the 3rd row below the next stitch, loop yarn around needle, and pull a loose loop through the stitch; next, slip the loop onto your left hand needle and k2 tog-b through your loop stitch and the next stitch on the needle

Row 1: Using your first accent color (for me, that's #6176 Dewberry), * k1, slip 3 stitches, k1, dip stitch; rep from *

Row 2: Still using your first accent color, * k2, slip 1, k3 *

Row 3: Using your main color, slip 1, * k3, slip 3 *, end slip 2

Rows 4 & 5: Using your main color, * k5, slip 1 *

Row 6: Using your main color, knit

Row 7: Using your second accent color, slip 1, * k1, dip stitch, k1, slip 3 *, end slip 2

Row 8: Using your second accent color, * k5, slip 1 *

Row 9: Using your main color, * k1, slip 3, k2 *

Rows 10 & 11: Using your main color, * k2, sl1, k3 *

Row 12: Using your main color, knit

Repeat rows 1 - 12 three times. Clip tails to both accent color yarns, as you're done with them. Complete two more knit rows in your main color, and then we'll begin the decreases, which go as follows:

Decrease Row 1: * k5, k2tog *

Row 2: * k4, k2tog *

You may want to switch to your dpns right about now...

Row 3: * k3, k2tog *

Row 4: * k2, k2tog *

Row 5: * k1, k2tog *

Rows 6 & 7: * k2tog *

Clip tail and thread through remaining 6 stitches. Pull tight, thread to inside of hat, and knot. Tuck in ends.