Little Tent Hat

Little Tent Hat

I'm paying the piper with this pattern - and, by "the piper," I mean my eldest son, who has learned that he only needs to bat his sweet little eyes at the yarn store to get almost any fiber he wants (I draw the line at novelty). So, he picked the yarn, and then we picked the pattern together; something whimsical and fun, but that would suit both children and adults. Speaking of which, I've designed this hat in four sizes, which should cover everyone from about 18 months to adult (because - scarily enough - there really isn't that much of a difference in head size). If you need any additional guidance choosing a size, just let me know in the comments! :)

Sizes: Toddler (Child; Teen/Small Adult; Large Adult)

Yarn: Cascade Yarns 128 Superwash (100% Superwash Merino Wool; 128 yards [117 meters]/100 grams); #1952 Blaze - one skein plus a little scrap white for the pompom (oh, and if you're making the adult large hat, you may need 2 skeins to complete the pompom)

A closer view of the little tents

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

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 14 stitches = 4 inches on size 10 needles 

And now that we know what we're working with, let's get started! Using your size 9 circular needle, then, cast on 60 (66; 72; 78) stitches, place marker, and join in round. Then we'll knit some ribbing to get started, as follows:

Ribbing Row: * k1, p1; rep from *

Knit ribbing row until piece measures 1.5" (1.5"; 2"; 2"). Transfer work to your size 10 circular needle. Then we'll knit one transition row, as follows:

Transition Row: knit

And once that bad boy is done, we'll move on to our main pattern, which is a variation on Little Tent Pattern from page 103 of Barbara G. Walker's A Treasury of Knitting Patterns, and goes as follows. Also, while I've written out a description of the stitch used to create the little tents, I also made a video. You can find it below as well. :)

So we'll work like so:

Row 1: * k3, p3 *

Row 2: * slip 3 stitches with yarn in front (sl3 wyif), k3 *

Row 3: * k3, p3 *

Row 4: * k1, insert needle up behind loose strand and knit next stitch, pulling stitch to front out from under the strand, k4 *

Knit rows 1 - 4 until piece measures roughly 6.5" (7"; 8"; 9") and you've just finished row 3 of the pattern. Then, we'll begin our decrease rows, as follows. Before you begin, though, you'll want to transfer work to your dpns (all sizes) since this is a quick one! Oh, and I'm also including a bonus picture at this point. My other son is sporting the Double Pom Earflap Hat, in case you're dying to make that hat too. 

Anyway, we'll proceed as follows:

Decrease Row 1: * k1, insert needle up behind loose strand and knit next stitch, pulling stitch to front out from under the strand, k1, slip 2 stitches together knitwise-k1-pass 2 slipped stitches over (sl2-k1-p2sso) * (40 stitches (44 stitches; 48 stitches; 52 stitches))

Decrease Row 2: knit

Decrease Row 3: * sl2-k1-p2sso, k1 * (20 stitches (22 stitches; 24 stitches; 26 stitches))

Decrease Row 4: knit

Decrease Row 5: * ssk * (10 stitches (11 stitches; 12 stitches; 13 stitches))

Decrease Row 6 (sizes Toddler & Small Adult): * ssk * (5 stitches (--; 6 stitches; --))

Decrease Row 6 (sizes Child & Large Adult): k1, * ssk * (-- (6 stitches; --; 7 stitches))

Clip yarn tail, thread through remaining stitches, and pull tight. Thread to inside of hat, knot, and tuck in ends. Make pompom, if desired, and affix to top of hat.