Holiday Hats

Get into the festive season spirit with this quick and easy knitting pattern for Holiday Hats.
I designed the pattern using our Aran Single wool and mohair blend yarn. But you could easily whip it up with some bits and pieces from your stash. Combine a couple of fingering or sport weight skeins to get the right yarn weight. Or make a scrappy version and use up all those bits and bobs.

MATERIALS:

1 x 100g skein of Aran Single in a multi-colour or solid
5mm circular knitting needles or double pointeds if you prefer
Darning needle for finishing the ends
Cardboard and scissors or a pompom maker for the pompom

GAUGE:

14st and 20rows to 10x10cm / 4 inches
Measured over stocking stitch in the round

KNITTING INSTRUCTIONS:

Using the longtail cast-on cast on 64 stitches. This is my go-to cast-on method. But you can use whichever cast-on you prefer for hats.
Join your stitches to work in the round.
Knit until your work measures approximately 20cm / 8inches

Work your decreases as follows:
Split your stitches so you have 32st on each needle (if you are using the magic loop)
R1: (K2tog, knit to end of needle), repeat on the other needle
R2&3: Knit
Repeat these 3 rounds nine more times until you have 42st
Then decrease on every round until 20st remain.
Keep knitting until your yarn tail is approximately 20cm long or until you’re happy with the hat length.
Thread the tail into a darning needle and pull it through all the stitches then stitch around a few times to secure it tightly.
Use the remaining tail to sew on your pompom.

If you want the pompom in the same colour yarn make it first. That way you don’t have to work out how much yarn to leave at the end.
I quite like the contrast colour pompom, but that’s up to you.

FYI … I deliberately used a k2tog decrease on both sides. It creates a bit of a twist in the hat as you decrease which adds a jaunty angle that I like.
If you prefer, use an SSK on the second needle decrease.
And the hat is reversible, so choose whether you prefer the knit or purl side before you stitch the pompom on!

ABBREVIATIONS:

K – knit
St – stitch
K2tog – knit the next two stitches together, one stitch decreased
SSK – slip 1 knitwise, slip 1 knitwise, transfer these two stitches back to the original needle and knit them together through the back of the loop, one stitch decreased

Being someone who likes to re-use stuff I had a collection of bells in a drawer. Truth be told I collect them every time I receive a Lindt chocolate bunny, or if I see someone else eating one. As the bunnies usually have a ribbon around their necks with a bell on it. They were perfect for a bit of a festive jingle, so each hat has a couple stitched into the pompom.

Ho, ho, ho!
Happy knitting …