Monday, February 14, 2011

Graduated Ribs Hat - a valentine freebie

It's not just about chocolate (even though it's mostly that) and flocked red or pink hearts exchanged by schoolchildren and young couples in love - for me, Valentine's Day is a colourful little day peeping out of the rest of the year when you can make not-quite-random acts of kindness just to say Thanks for being you.

My goal this year was to make little felted wool heart pins for all my friends far and near, but I ended up not having enough time (does this ever happen to you?), so instead I set aside a day last week to make this pattern.

Thank you for being you, and for sharing this blog with me!

 
It's pretty basic, but I liked knitting it - there's one setup row, and then you just go on doing what you did before until you're ready for the crown.

I did something a little different this time and put three sections into purl relief.

The neat thing about a hat like this is that it's reversible, and because it's not just an ordinary rib but a graduated one that gets wider and the narrower again, you do get a different look when you put it on the other way.

Even the crown changes.

I made this with Aran-weight yarn and bigger needles so it goes fast, and it's unisex, so it's got definite last-minute gift potential.  Just maybe not for this particular Valentine's Day.


Graduated Ribs Hat

Difficulty Level:
Beginner, but worked in the round

Materials:
Araucania Toconao (100% merino, 139yds/100g) 1skein #401 green blue
1 set 4.5mm/US 8 double pointed needles (dpns) or size to obtain gauge
1 stitch marker
darning needle

Gauge:
17 sts, 26 rows = 4" in stocking stitch after blocking

Sizing:
Adult Small (Medium, Large) - 16" (17", 18") around, 7" (7.25", 7.5") long - all sizes stretch significantly; size M is pictured on my 21.5" head.


Download .pdf of Graduated Ribs Hat

9 comments:

Unknown said...

Lovely pattern. Happy Valentine's Day! Your blog is the best way to start my day.

andrea said...

I love your blog and Happy Valentines day. I was wondering if it would be possible to knit this using either magic loop method or flat. dpn scare me.
thanks for the help

Mary Keenan said...

You can definitely do it with magic loop, and you can do it flat if you just add in 1 stitch for each side and knit them on both the right and wrong sides to use for a seam. Just make sure that for the body and the crown you do your pattern-setting and decreasing on the right side, and just work the sts as they appear when you're on the wrong side.

heklica said...

Happy Valentine's Day! And thanks for sharing the pattern :)

deebriese said...

Wow I am so glad I found your blog! I love to knit hats and Accesories..I live in Florida so I dont get much use of winter wear but some! I do donate alot! Thank you so very much for sharing!

Mary Keenan said...

I love green spaces Neicee but I think I'd find it hard to live in a warm place for just that reason - I really like wearing cozy woollies!

Unknown said...

Hello - I bought the 4.5 mm dpn and the package says US 7. So do I need to buy US 8?

Mary Keenan said...

Unknown, I would test out the needles you have with your yarn and see what stitch/row gauge you get with it. Depending on your personal stitch tension, you might be fine as you are, or you might need something bigger or smaller.

Unknown said...

Thank you - that's exactly what I did and my gauge was right at 4"! I can't wait to try this hat. Making one for my daughter, her husband and my grandson! :)