Easy Earflap Hat

I had been trying for a while to work out how to use shortrows to fashion earflaps for this hat which I had in my head. Somehow I couldn't quite get my brain to come up with something that actually worked. I happened to be browsing through Elizabeth Zimmerman's Knitters Almanac and I found her Maltese Fishermans Hat. Now this particular hat didn't do anything for me, as it's rather pointy, and I don't really like pointy, and the decreases spiral around the hat, making it even more pointy-looking. However, she has used shortrows to shape the earflaps and I realised that one needs to work them at the same time, before you work the body of the hat, joined to some of of neck shaping, rather than as part of the body of the hat (don't ask, it looks even worse than it sounds-which is why my prototypes never saw the light of day).

I made this hat to fit a 3-ish year old, or someone with a head circumference of 48-ish cm.

I used 8ply yarn and 4.5mm needles, and my gauge is 20st to 10cm. This hat is worked flat for the earflap portion, then is joined in the round to work to the crown. You will need a circular needle, with a long cable if you use the magic loop technique, or a 40cm cable and a set of dpns to finish the crown if you don't.

Yarn: any 8ply or DK

gauge: 20st to 10cm

needles:4.5mm

Instructions.

Cast on 56st.

Row 1: Sl1, kfb, K to last 2 st, kfb, K1.
Row 2: Sl1, K to end.

Rpt rows 1&2 5 times (66 st)

Work 4 rows K, slipping the first st of each row.

Work short rows as follows:

K15, turn, Sl1, K to end
K13, turn, Sl1, K to end
K11, turn, Sl1, K to end
K9, turn, Sl1, K to end
K7, turn, Sl1, K to end
K8, turn, Sl1, K to end
K10, turn, Sl1, K to end
K12, turn, Sl1, K to end
K14, turn, Sl1, K to end

Knit one row.

Repeat short rows as above.
Work 3 rows knit, slipping the first st of each row.


Next row: Sl1. K 25, kfb 4 times, K26, cast on 20. (90 st)

Join to work in the round.

Work in stst until the body of the hat measures 10 cm from the front cast-on stitches. You may work a garter st band over the front 20 cast on stitches for 3 or 4 rows to prevent rolling, or you may prefer the rolled look.

When the hat measures 10 cm at the front commence decreases as follows:
Place marker at centre back. Change to dpns when required, if not using magic loop method.

Round 1: *K7, k2tog* rpt from *to *
Round 2: K to end
Round 3: *K6, k2tog* rpt from *to *
Round 4: K to end
Round 5: *K5, k2tog* rpt from * to *
Round 6: K to end
Round 7: *K4, k2tog* rpt from * to *
Round 8: K to end
Round 9: *K3, k2tog* rpt from *to *
Round 10: K to end
Round 11: *K2, k2tog* rpt from * to *
Round 12: K to end
Round 13: *K1, K2tog rpt from * to *
Round 14: K to end
Round 15: K2tog to end

Cut yarn with a long tail. Use a darning needle to thread end of yarn through live stitches on needles. Slip stitches off needles, pull yarn tight to close the gap and weave in end securely.

If you make one, why not make 2 and send one to Winterwarm? click the button on this page.

I'm back

Well, that didn't take long at all. The Garden continues to take precedence over the knitting (how did that happen?). I seem to be able to grow anything leafy and green. I'm not so successful at stuff that grows under the ground.

My new mulberry tree, well away from the washing line. Note the new Chicken Prison in the background.

Kale. Tuscan and Russian. Kale makes me happy.

My knitting obsession continues to be socks. It's almost like I need to knit all the socks that are in me before I can move on. I have some ideas as to what I can do to break this sock problem. A little bit of Rowan, a little bit of Nature Wool...things like that.

If there's trouble to be had...

...then FooFoo's having it. If anything looks alarming in the backyard then she's behind it. Breaking down the Chicken-Proof Fence and eating defenceless seedlings, leading (yes, leading) the others up over the chicken house and on to the back fence for a sneaky getaway up the street, climbing the swing set to find another exit over the grumpy neighbour's fence...everything except laying an egg. Contrary bird.

This Saturday it's WWKIP day. That's World-wide Knit in Public Day to all the Muggles out there. Prepare yourselves for random Knitter sightings. Cold snap has come in in the nick of time, if you recall last year's WWKIP day it was gale force winds and freezing temperatures, it looks like the tradition is continuuing.

Foo Foo the Snoo

And then there were 4. Foo Foo joined our happy flock last week, and seems to be settling in fine. A new computer is in the works so full transmission should be resumed shortly.

Still Alive

Yep, I'm still here. New computer arriving any time soon. At least without the distraction of the internet my knitting has been progressing apace.
Garden news is positive, winter greens are at seedling stage. BIG NEWS. Chickens have arrived. Blackie, Blossom and Flowers are happily eating up the yard. Photos to follow :)

The wind, it blows. The sock, it bites.

As you can see, the wind returned. It blew my corn sideways. I'm not sure it's going to recover. I'm getting a bit sick of this stormy weather, things are getting very tatty in the garden. And that dinosaur? Beyond all hope I believe.



On to more serious things. The sock curse remains. I thought I had it broken. I even got a little cocky and was feeling extremely pleased with myself towards the toe. But then I finished the knitting, and moved straight onto grafting without even a short break for refreshments. Yep. the sock bit me. Some extremely disturbing *stuff* happened during grafting involving strangely broken yarn, and an inablity to ungraft it without using a pair of scissors to assist the process. The sock is currently resting with some scrap yarn holding the live stitches. Oh, and to add insult, the sock pulled out the scrap yarn early this evening forcing me to express myself in interesting language and use a crochet hook to save the life of this very ungrateful item.

Pumpkin patch

Yesterday I forgot to post pics of my pumpkin patch - my big pumpkin patch, not the little butternut patch. And my rhubarb, of which I am especially proud. The rhubarb came courtesy of my neighbour's garden and all I did was transplant it. It's not big enough to pick yet, I am still taking liberties with the neighbour's for eating purposes. The pumpkin leaves were a little floppy here, it was the end of a very hot day. Rest assured they perked right up again when the cool change came through.