Inside Outside Hat

Inside Outside Hat
pictured in Child Large (I made it with lots of
room to grow for the kid!)

This hat was spawned with a variety of inspirations in mind; first and foremost, of course, I had to consider the yarn that my eldest son fell head-over-heels in love with at the store. And while I'm not usually a huge fan of a purled fabric, I do love the way it looks with a variegated fiber, which gave me the first clue about how to approach this hat. But since I didn't want it to be too basic, I also gave it the small detail of the knit stitches in the decrease to add that extra pop. All in all, I hope you'll appreciate this hat's pinwheel finish and sleek look, and super-appreciate the fact that it's also knit inside out, so you don't actually have to work all those purls!

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

Yarn: Debbie Bliss Rialto DK Print (100% Merino Superwash Wool; 114 yards [105 meters]/50 grams); #47014  - two skeins (two skeins; two skeins; two skeins; two - three skeins)

The pinwheel finish.

Needles: One 16" circular needle in size US 5, one 16" circular needle in size US 6, and one set of double pointed needles (dpns), also in size US 6

Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker

Gauge: 22 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

So let's make a hat, then! As I mentioned above, this hat will be knit inside out, so that the bulk of the work will be knitting rather than purling. With that in mind, then, and using your size US 5 needle, cast on 96 (100; 104; 112; 120) stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Then, purl roughly 1" (1"; 1.5"; 1.5"; 1.5") and transfer work to your size US 6 circular needle. And now, knit until piece measures roughly 5" (5.5"; 6"; 6.5"; 7") from purled band.

Once this is done, it's time to begin our decreases, as follows. I have written transition rows for each size first, and then the remainder of the decrease, which is shared by all sizes, below.

Transition Rows - Toddler

None; move straight to remainder of decrease, below.

Transition Rows - Child Small

Transition Row 1: * p1, k24 * (100 stitches)

Transition Row 2: * p2tog, k23 * (96 stitches)  

Transition Rows - Child Large

Transition Row 1: * p1, k12 * (104 stitches)

Transition Row 2: * p2tog, k11 * (96 stitches)

Transition Rows - Adult Small

Transition Row 1: * p1, k13 * (112 stitches)

Transition Row 2: * p2tog, k12 * (104 stitches)

Transition Row 3: * p1, k12 * (104 stitches)

Transition Row 4: * p2tog, k11 * (96 stitches)

Transition Rows - Adult Large

Transition Row 1: * p1, k14 * (120 stitches)

Transition Row 2: * p2tog, k13 * (112 stitches)

Transition Row 3: * p1, k13 * (112 stitches)

Transition Row 4: * p2tog, k12 * (104 stitches)

Transition Row 5: * p1, k12 * (104 stitches)

Transition Row 6: * p2tog, k11 * (96 stitches)

Knit all given transition rows for the size you're making. Then, continue the decrease as given below for all sizes.

Remainder of Decrease - All Sizes

Decrease Row 1: * p1, k11; rep from * (96 stitches)

Decrease Row 2: * p2tog, k10 * (88 stitches)

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

Decrease Row 3: * p2tog, k9 * (80 stitches)

Decrease Row 4: * p2tog, k8 * (72 stitches)

Decrease Row 5: * p2tog, k7 * (64 stitches)

Decrease Row 6: * p2tog, k6 * (56 stitches)

Decrease Row 7: * p2tog, k5 * (48 stitches)

Decrease Row 8: * p2tog, k4 * (40 stitches)

Decrease Row 9: * p2tog, k3 * (32 stitches)

Decrease Row 10: * p2tog, k2 * (24 stitches)

Decrease Row 11: * p2tog, k1 * (16 stitches)

Decrease Row 12: * p2tog * (8 stitches)

Clip yarn tail, thread through remaining 8 stitches, and pull tight. Knot and tuck in ends. Turn hat right-side out, and enjoy the magic you've just made with your hands!