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| Lollipop Beanie |
The story behind this hat is mostly just a story about the yarn; I first spotted this perfect color in my local yarn store back in Madison, and, though I wanted to buy it about 1,000,000 times, I never did. Why? Well, because I have a tendency to psych myself out when trying to design with yarns I really love, and I never quite figured out exactly what I'd do with the skein. Then, of course, I moved to Switzerland, where I can no longer buy Malabrigo at my local yarn store, and I finally had to face the facts. I missed the brand, and wanted this exact skein. So I ordered the fiber online just a few weeks ago, and, this time, I knew exactly what I'd do with it as soon as I touched the stuff. Specifically, I decided to make a hat that looks good enough to eat, aka the Lollipop!
Yarn: Malabrigo Worsted (100% Merino Wool; 210 yards [192 meters]/100 grams); #12 Very Berry – one skein
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| A better look at the cables. They're lollipop-esque, no? |
Notions: Tapestry needle, stitch marker
Gauge: 16 stitches = 4 inches on size US 9 needles in stockinette
So let's make a hat then! Using your size US 8 needles, cast on 80 stitches loosely, place marker, and join in round. Then we'll work the ribbing as follows:
Ribbing Row: * k1, p1; rep from *
Knit this ribbing row until piece measures roughly 2". Transfer work to your size US 9 circular needle, and then we'll knit one transition row, as follows:
Transition Row: * k1, p1, k1, (k1, p1, k1) in next stitch, k1, p1, k1, kfb * (110 stitches)
Knit this transition row, and then we'll begin the main pattern. To do it, you'll need the following notation:
cable twist (ct): slip next 6 stitches to cn and hold in back; k3; then, slip first 3 stitches from cn back on left-hand needle and move cn to front of work; k3, k3 from cn (and there's a video of this technique right below, if you'd rather watch that instead!)
And once you've gotten that straight, proceed like so:
Rows 1 & 2: * k9, p2 *
Row 3: * ct, p2, k9, p2 *
Rows 4 - 8: * k9, p2 *
Row 9: * k9, p2, ct, p2 *
Row 10 - 12: * k9, p2 *
Knit rows 1 - 12 four times and then knit rows 1 - 8 again. Transfer work to your dpns. Then we'll move to the decrease, as follows:
Decrease Row 1: * k9, p2, slip next 6 stitches to cn and hold in back; k3tog; then, slip first 3 stitches from cn back on left-hand needle and move cn to front of work; k3tog, k3tog from cn, p2 * (80 stitches)
Decrease Row 2: * k2tog * (40 stitches)
Decrease Row 3: * k2tog * (20 stitches)
Decrease Row 4: * k2tog * (10 stitches)
Knit decrease rows 1 - 4. Clip yarn tail, thread through remaining 10 stitches, and pull tight. Thread to inside of hat and knot. If desired, make pompom and affix to top of hat. Block, if you're in the mood, and pray for cold weather so you can wear it soon! :)
beautiful hat!!
ReplyDeleteThank you!!! :)
DeleteFun hat! What a bummer your Swiss LYS doesn't carry Malabrigo. I think I might go into withdrawal if I couldn't go fondle it at the store every once in a while. BTW I really enjoy your blog even if you did ditch us Wisconsinites ;-)
ReplyDeleteWell I'm glad to hear you still like my site even though I abandoned the great state of Wisconsin! :) And my LYS is one of the things I miss the most - I had an awesome place about 2 minutes from my house back in Madison. Now the best store I've found is about 1/2 hour away on the tram, and it's good, but it's no WI Craft Market!!!
DeleteLove the hat. I'm making it for my daughter. But a little confused about what to do on the transition row. I dont understand how to increase to 110 sts
ReplyDeleteHi there! Glad you like the hat!!! :) And the increases happen when you (k1, p1, k1) in one stitch - then, of course, one stitch turns into to three!
DeleteI just found your pattern online today. I have never been to Wisconsin or Switzerland. Hope you are enjoying Switzerland. I'm sure it is beautiful. I was born and raised in West Virginia. Then after college I moved to Pennsylvania, about 30 miles south of Lake Erie. I was there for 9 months. Then I was transferred to 50 miles south of Tulsa, Oklahoma. I found a man who I dated for just 3 short months and married him. Yes, it lasted longer than most people thought. It lasted 23 1/2 years before he walked out on me. I would have moved back to West Virginia except my children wanted to stay in Oklahoma and the economy in West Virginia was much, much worse. I do not like the hot, hot summers of Oklahoma. You would think I would because I have fibromyalgia and cold weather makes my muscles ache more. Regardless, I stay in and try to do some crafting of some kind. My 3 year old granddaughter lives with me and me son, her dad. I bought her a bright, hot pink jacket for this winter. I brought home some variegated yarn that hot pink in it. She immediately asked me to make her a hat. So, I must do that. She hasn't seen me knit a hat yet, so she has quite an imagination to come up with that idea. Thank you for the Lollipop Beanie pattern. I'm sorry you have to go so far to fondle new yarn. I'm sure life is an adventure with your little ones - blessings to you and your family.
ReplyDeleteHi there!
DeleteThanks so much for your comment - I love to hear about people's experience and crafting!!! :) And I've never been to West Virginia or Pennsylvania, but I drove through Oklahoma once (on a road trip from Colorado to Florida and back again). I'm no good in the heat either, but you gotta do what the kids want, most of the time! :)
Anyway, let me know if you have any questions about the pattern, and enjoy!!! :)
hello, want to make this gorgeous hat for a friend, but the size needs to be about 24 inches around, how can I increase the size but keep the pattern right please? thanks MTS
ReplyDeleteHi there!
DeleteYou can basically work the pattern as written with the following changes: cast on 96 stitches instead of 80 stitches, and then your transition row will give you 132 stitches instead of 110. Then you should be able to work everything the same until the decrease, where the rows will all be the same but you'll have 12 stitches at the end rather than 10. Oh, and as a side note - you may want a 24" circular needle to work the hat on instead of a 16". It's going to get crowded with all of the extra stitches you need for cabling!!!
Thanks very much Gretchen. Now I'm having trouble with the transition row, because then the stitches do not seem to work right with the pattern, I am not getting the smooth finish across the cables from the start, some are purl rows where I'm sure they should be knit rows, I don't know what I'm doing wrong? thank you MTS
DeleteHi again!
DeleteSo, the transition row should take 8 stitches worked in your (k1, p1) pattern and turn them into 11 stitches - the first 7 of the pre-transition stitches will turn into the 9-stitch cable (so, once you add your stitches, you'll have a knit from the ribbing lining up with the first, third, seventh, and ninth stitches of the cable), and then the last purl will turn into the 2-purl rib between the cables. I don't know if I'm making any sense here, but if you look at the pictures you'll see that the ribbing transitions into the cables not totally seamlessly (because it is a ribbing, not just knit!), but that it still lines up. Is yours not lining up at all? You can always email me a picture at ballstothewallsknits@gmail.com if yours doesn't seem to be lining up like mine does! :)
The town I live in only has a Hobby Lobby / Joann's where I can buy yarn , any ideas what I could substitute for the yarn in this pattern.
ReplyDeleteThanks
From looking on the Hobby Lobby website, this might be the best choice: http://www.hobbylobby.com/Yarn-Needle-Art/Yarn/10-Ivory-I-Love-This-Wool!-Naturals/p/37605
DeleteAnything that matches gauge and is at least partially wool (higher percentages are better) should work though!
Hello Gretchen,
ReplyDeleteI love knitting your hats patterns! I wonder what is the size of this hat in inches? Will it need adjustments if the size needed is 21 1/2 inches around? Thank you very much :)
Hi there! Glad to hear you like my patterns! :) And because this hat is cabled it is very stretchy and good for different sizes - it would definitely work for a head 21 1/2 inches around! :)
DeleteHey! I adore this pattern, and I'm making it for my beau (in red, not pink lol). Could you post a step by step with pictures for the cable twist? I am a little unsure of exactly how to do it.
ReplyDeleteThis is the third pattern of yours I've made - my Austrian block and banded cable beanies both turned out beautifully and I'd like to do this one justice as well!
Hi Victoria!
DeleteHow about I make a video? I'll try to post one today sometime. :)
Okay, video added! Let me know if you have any other questions, and happy knitting. :)
DeleteThank you so much!!! I thought I was doing it correctly but the confirmation via video was great. Also, just gushed to my boyfriend about you adding the video for me because it made my day (I seriously love your patterns lol)
DeleteHa! I'm glad to hear it. :) And you definitely caught me on the right day - Friday is my "work from home" day, so I can do the video setup without my two-year-old yelling at me and trying to disassemble the tripod. Don't get me wrong - he's a sweet child, as long as I'm doing exactly what he tells me to. ;)
DeleteOn the transition row is it correct on the 4th stitch of pattern you do k1 p1 k1 and in the 8st you knit in the front and back of the stitch?
ReplyDeleteYes, that's correct! :)
DeleteDo you need to p2 after the last k3tog?
ReplyDeleteHi there! Are you looking at decrease row 1? If so, I believe that this is correct. I'll update the pattern!
DeleteYes, decrease row 1 - thank you!! I’m onto my second one! Thanks for sharing!!!
DeletePerfect! And yes, it looked like I forgot what I was doing partway through writing it! 😂
DeleteHi Gretchen, I love your patterns! I too moved away from Madison, but to Duluth, MN where it is much colder so though I love your lacy hats, I’m attracted to this one because it is thick and warm (so good for Duluth winters). I also love cables! I have some remnant beautiful “bulky” (though not too bulky) merino that is a beautiful variegated grey from Three Irish Girls yarns (Superior WI) and I came out with the same gauge you did, 16 stitches = 4”. When I saw that you used 210 yards I was a little worried since I have 196 yards total but in thinking about the measurements I should be okay. I’ve now knit 3 hats and the one I made for my brother I ran out of yarn so it’s too short for his head, so now I’m convinced I have to have plenty of yarn for everyone’s hats! I’m assuming you had yarn left over, yes? Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi there!
DeleteWe took a trip to Duluth a few years ago - it's beautiful! And I ate a very delicious sandwich at a place downtown. Anyway yes I had leftovers, I remember because I used them to trim a pair of mitts. You can also just skip the pompom if you run short... :)
Hi Gretchen, I'm nearing the end of this hat and will have plenty of yarn but have decided (with the current polar vortex) that I am going to skip the pompom mostly so that it will be easy to wear under the hood of my parka when necessary. So that makes me look at the decrease and since it is only 4 rows, I'm wondering if this hat won't look a little pointy without the pompon, compared to other patterns where you have the decrease over 8-10 rows. What do you think about spreading out the decreases by inserting a non-decreasing row between each? Or do you have a different suggestion? Thanks, Mary Kay
DeleteHi Gretchen, I'm nearing the end and am very happy with how it's going, but (maybe it's the current polar vortex cold!) I've decided to do it without the pompon so that it will be better for wearing under the hood of my parka! But then I look at the decreases and I wonder if it won't be rather pointy shaped without the pompon, compared to other beanies you've done where the decreases are spread over 8-10 rows. What do you think about adding in a non-decreasing row between each of the decrease rows? Or, do K2, K2TOG to spread them out? Or do you have a different suggestion? I definitely want the cables to continue to the end as yours do now. Thanks!
DeleteHi there!
DeleteIn my experience, decreases usually end up pointy when you add too many rows (especially with fewer stitches!). In this case, the cable also really draws the fabric together. Long story short, I think you'd be fine to follow the pattern as written. :) If you'd like to add rows, though, of course you can do that too!
Hi Gretchen, I followed your instructions and it turned out perfect! My husband said it's perfect for him but I am not going to give it to him, tee hee. Thank you, thank you, for your wonderful patterns.
DeleteWonderful! Glad it turned out well. :)
Deletehello Gretchen,
ReplyDeleteI love this pattern, but am so so confused - I cast 80 stitches, no problem - the transition row is confusing me -
I did exactly as instructed on the increases, 80 stitches becomes 100 stitches not 110 st. I repeatedly pull the yarn out and try again, did that 3 times, only can reach to 100 st after the transition row. 100 does make sense because there are 20 st increase in that transition row as there is 8 st repeats in this pattern. Perhaps the cast on should be 88 st instead of 80st???
can you kind explain to me?
thank you kindly.
Hi there!
DeleteIf I had to guess, I would suggest that maybe you're missing the kfb at the end of the repeat in the transition row:
Transition Row: * k1, p1, k1, (k1, p1, k1) in next stitch, k1, p1, k1, kfb * (110 stitches)
The (k1, p1, k1) of course adds two stitches, but the kfb adds one as well. Then you've added 3 stitches in every 8, which will come to 110. :)
I love way this pattern looks but I am finding that it is really hard to do the CT pattern. The yarn just seems so tight on the needles that it is really tough to do. The pattern looks like it is coming out right so any thoughts on how I could get it to loosen up a bit to make the knitting of those 9 stitches easier?
ReplyDeleteHi there!
DeleteMy suggestion is to add a yarn over somewhere in the middle of the 9 stitches on the row before you cable. Then drop the yarn over when you actually make the cable; it should give you a little more yarn to work with, and the twist should be easier. :)
Hi there I am trying to do this hat but the twist cable to the back is OK but when I look at my work I don't gave the same nice twist stitch you have in pictures I have fonec2.6 patterns and looks nothing like yours do you need to do a ct to the front on row 9 rather than to the back.
ReplyDeleteHi there! The instructions should be correct - did you watch the video? :)
DeleteHi, Can you please share this pattern on straight needles using size 6 needles
ReplyDeleteI’ve converted the pattern below. In order to adapt it to your yarn gauge (I’m assuming 22 stitches = 4 inches), cast on 114 stitches to begin and add length as needed. The decrease isn’t long, so you’ll want your hat to be at length before you begin.
DeleteSo let's make a hat then! Using your size US 8 needles, cast on 82 stitches loosely. Then we'll work the ribbing as follows:
Ribbing Row 1 (wrong side): p1, * k1, p1; rep from *, end p1
Ribbing Row 2: k1, * k1, p1 *, end k1
Knit this ribbing row until piece measures roughly 2" and you’ve just finished a wrong side row. Transfer work to your size US 9 needles, and then we'll knit two transition rows, as follows:
Transition Row 1 (right side): k1, * k1, p1, k1, (k1, p1, k1) in next stitch, k1, p1, k1, kfb *, end k1 (112 stitches)
Transition Row 2 (wrong side): p1, * k2, p9 *, end p1
Knit these two transition rows, and then we'll begin the main pattern. To do it, you'll need the following notation:
cable twist (ct): slip next 6 stitches to cn and hold in back; k3; then, slip first 3 stitches from cn back on left-hand needle and move cn to front of work; k3, k3 from cn (and there's a video of this technique right below, if you'd rather watch that instead!)
And once you've gotten that straight, proceed like so:
Row 1 (right side): k1, * k9, p2 *, end k1
Row 2: p1, * k2, p9 *, end p1
Row 3: k1, * ct, p2, k9, p2 *, end k1
Rows 4, 6 & 8: p1, * k2, p9 *, end p1
Rows 5 & 7: k1, * k9, p2 *, end k1
Row 9: k1, * k9, p2, ct, p2 *, end k1
Row 10 & 12: p1, * k2, p9 *, end p1
Row 11: k1, * k9, p2 *, end k1
Knit rows 1 - 12 four times and then knit rows 1 - 8 again. Then we'll move to the decrease, as follows:
Decrease Row 1 (right side): k1, * k9, p2, slip next 6 stitches to cn and hold in back; k3tog; then, slip first 3 stitches from cn back on left-hand needle and move cn to front of work; k3tog, k3tog from cn, p2 *, end k1 (82 stitches)
Decrease Row 2: p1, * p2tog *, end p1 (42 stitches)
Decrease Row 3: k1, * k2tog *, end k1 (22 stitches)
Decrease Row 4: p1, * p2tog *, end p1 (12 stitches)
Knit decrease rows 1 - 4. Clip yarn tail, thread through remaining 10 stitches, and pull tight. Thread to inside of hat and knot. Seam from bottom edge. If desired, make pompom and affix to top of hat.