Every time ski season rolls around, I get an overwhelming urge to knit hats.  Ironically, now that I’ve got a helmet, I can’t even wear hats when I ski.  This isn’t something I took into consideration when I bought the helmet, but I figure safety trumps cute headwear.

The hat below was knit a couple of weeks ago to match the scarf, which I knit last year.  Originally, I envisioned a hat with a folded ribbed brim, but I didn’t like the look of it so I wear it more as a slouchy hat.

 
The yarn is Debbie Bliss Cashmerino Chunky in light teal, which is one of my favorite yarns.  There is really no pattern for the hat–I cast on 76 stitches on size 9 double pointed needles.  I knit the ribbed pattern for about 3 inches, then switched to stockinette in the next round, increasing 1 stitch every 19 stitches (80).  I continued in stockinette for about 2 1/2 inches.  For the top shaping, I did a decrease row (knit 8, knit two together, repeating until the end of the round), followed by a regular round.  Next decrease row was knit 7, knit two together, repeating until the end of the round, followed by a regular round.  And so on, until there were 8 stitches left on the needles.  Break the yarn, put it on a tapestry needle, and run it back through your stitches, pulling tightly.  Weave in your ends, and Voila!  You have a hat.

For the scarf, I used my trusty Big Book of Knitting Stitch Patterns.  I highly recommend this book, or a book like it, because it is filled with loads of patterns that you can mix and match to add detail to your designs.  In this case, I used a basic cable stitch down the middle and some twisted cables on either side.  Forgive me, I knit this scarf over a year ago and I don’t remember exactly what stitches I used.  No matter–if you want to knit a scarf like this, create your own unique design.

I have a few more hats I’ll be posting in the next few days.  Please try to contain your excitement!