Sneaky Slouchy Hat for Men

I find gift giving for men so challenging.  They are pickier than women, more utilitarian.  As a general rule, they like to keep things simple.  Take shopping, for instance.  When then need, a shirt let's say, they go to a store and buy one.  No meandering around a store, let alone go to more than one store!

I wanted to knit something for my grown daughters boyfriend who is particular.  I offered up a scarf, fingerless gloves or a slouchy hat.  She felt he wouldn't like any of them.  She did say he needed a new hat.  Mostly because she hated the hat he has been wearing.  A beanie type.  I saw this hat, by Susan B. Anderson and sent her a photo.

She thought he would go for this "sneaky slouchy"!  I love that....sneaky slouchy.  I also love Susan's patterns.  When reading this one, she uses two strands of fingering together or one strand of worsted.  I knit mine using worsted.

And, they turned out great! 

I happend to be in a Hobby Lobby and found this new yarn they put out.

And I had some skeins of Knit Picks in my stash.

A tweedy one in black.

A gray one.

And a blue(ish) one.

This blue(ish) one is I Love This Yarn Colors in Cappadocia.  Blues, grays, browns and a bit of cream. I had quite a bit leftover and might get one more hat from the yardage.  Super soft acrylic, machine wash and dry.

Still from Hobby Lobby....Yarn Bee Glowing Naturals in Naturals.  Grays, black and a silvery color.  

You can only get one hat from this skein.  Soft, machine wash acrylic.

They all look SO much better in real life.  The boyfriend, Drew, is getting all three and fingers crossed that he will like them all!

Find Susan's pattern on Ravelry!

Have a very Merry Christmas,

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

No ruler handy?  Did you know that your pinky finger is about one inch from knuckle to knuckle?

Baby Slouchy Hats Pattern!

 

I'm a big fan of Bohoknits Sockhead Hat pattern.  It's my go-to pattern for traveling, adult gift giving and knitting-to-relax.  I decided to write a pattern for babies and toddlers as I often need a baby shower gift.  Also, a new mom will get plenty of blankets at the party.  

It's a relatively quick knit and a great project for your left over sock yarn.  The 2 x 2 rib makes for a very stretchy band to fits lots of wee noggins!

The yarn for this one is by indie dyer Abi Grasso.  You might know her from her fabulous picture yarns she has in her Etsy shop.  This particular yarn is Sparkly Sock Yarn in Nebula Cloud.  You can get quite a few hats from one skein as it is 460 yards/420m.  This would make for a fun adult hat too!

 This yarn is one skein of Madeline Tosh Merino Light in Cosmic Wonder Dust.  I love this one as it reminds me of a cupcake.  How cute would this be if you presented it in a little cupcake box?  

This box has little cupcake toys in it.  I have found these boxes in Hobby Lobby, Sur Le Table, Walmart and Michael's.  You can find my pattern for the cupcakes in my pattern stores.  The link is at the top of my blog page or below, at the end of this post.

The pattern includes instructions for making a hat from baby to child size.

Here's the information for the hats:

I would rate this as a advanced beginner or better knitter. You need to know how to knit in the round on circular needles and use double point needles. Increase and decrease skills are also needed. 

Knit up these cute little slouchy hats for a baby, toddler or child. All three sizes provided. Great project to use up your sock yarn.

Complete instructions are included along with yarn brands and shop links needed to complete as pictured.

Mix and match all your leftovers and make stripes!

This is a copyright pattern. Selling, copying or distributing this pattern in any form is prohibited. 

*******Selling the finished product is permitted*******

 Now, a little info about the display.  I have always found it difficult to photograph baby hats on something other than a live baby.  My "baby" is 22 years old and does a great job as my model for adult wear, but what to do about baby hats?

To the rescue....Tamara Kelly of Moogly fame.  Just LOOK at her great idea below and the very cute hats!  Her pattern is free, too!

I adore her idea I first saw on Instagram and contacted her right away.  She explained to me that she used pieces of a olive oil container she has had for some time.  Off to the stores I go!

I found these at Hobby Lobby.  The container on the left is from the craft side of the store where they have glass containers.  The one on the right is from the floral department.  I just took the lid off the jar and put the "fishbowl" on top of it, bottom side up.  I used a little sticky tack to keep the two pieces together.  I think it worked out great! 

Here's a little better photo, before I photoshopped the lines out, of the two pieces together.  

Well, that's it for this week.  Thanks for stopping by,

Sheila

Find my Slouchy Hats for Baby in my pattern stores

Etsy

Craftsy

Ravelry 

Purls of Wisdom:

I find that giving a simple hat as a gift a little uninteresting.  To make it special, it's all in the box.  Think out of the box, so to speak.  Use a cupcake box, like the one above or...

 

look at this sweet Mary Engelbreit hat box.  And this faux tree log box below.  I found all of them at a thrift store for $2.00 each.  The tree log box had potpourri in it.  So, when you run across a container that looks interesting, take it home!

More Sockhead Hats

I don't know what it is, but I love knitting Sockhead Hats!  Maybe it's the one skein project I love.  Or, maybe, it's the fact that it's great for anyone.  It also could be the mindless knitting that we all love, or the need for a small take along diddy.  Of course, I think it's all of the above.

To be honest, I have been knitting these for the last few weeks as 3 deaths have been on my mind and mindless knitting was the medicine of choice.  

A lovely girl I went to Jr. High, high school and college with, passed away after fighting liver cancer.  Her struggle was long and difficult often times enduring this all on her own.  Never has there been a sweeter person.  A few of us girls from high school will be attending the memorial this Thursday.  I popped over to Michaels and picked up single, purple flowers, one for each of us to lay on her memorial table.  Purple and white are the colors of our high school.

The second was fellow blogger Wink.  I'm sure you have all read about this sad event from social media.  So sad.  I "talked" to her a number of times on her blog and felt like I knew her just the same as if I did in person.

The third was the death of the homeowner who lives in a house I owned located in Des Moines, Iowa. Very tragic.  

Anyway, enough with the sad and on with the good!  Life does go on no matter what and so knitting has helped me move forward.  Thanks for "listening". 

Back to the hats.....

They make a great graduation gift. Perfect for all those long walks on campus to class.

I love the all day comfort with great style.

I used 

Fiesta Baby Boom in Painted Desert for the band, and

Fiesta Baby Boom in Taos for the hat portion.

I've misplaced the yarn band for this one, sorry.

This one is Patons Kroy in Rusty Stripes.

Here's the link to my Ravelry page

and

here's the link to the pattern designer

Thanks for stopping by, 

Sheila

Purls of Wisdom:

If you have difficulty joining in the round and keeping your stitches from twisting after the cast on, here's what I do.  I knit back and forth for a few rows then join to knit in the round.  I sew up the little gap it makes with the cast on tail.

Sockhead Hats

 

I LOVE making Sockhead Hats!  Super easy and a great way to use your sock yarn skeins.

Here are some I finished up last month.

I used needle size US 2.5 (3.00mm) for all of them.

The one above uses:

James C Brett Moonlight Sonata DK

 

This is one skein of

KnitPicks Hawthorne Fingering in Ladd's Addition

 Knit Picks Hawthorne Fingering in St. Johns

Knit Picks Stroll Fingering in Mocha Tonal

You can find more information and the free pattern link on my Ravelry project page.

If you are using Patons Sock Yarn, I would suggest using a US 3.0 or 3.25.  I found that using the needle recommended in the pattern made for a too tight hat.

Best,

Sheila

Yarn tip:

Don't have a complete skein for a Sockhead Hat?  Gather all your leftover sock yarn and make stripes instead.

New Blanket Pattern, Prada Headband Pattern and a Sockhead Hat

 My latest blanket pattern is listed!  Yay!  Super easy to crochet with video links and loads of photos.  Here's the info from my Etsy shop:

I have included two edging options, loads of photos, video links for the blanket stitch and the popcorn edge so you can see how to crochet both of those.

I have included the brand names, colors and amounts of yarn needed for both the blankets in the photos above. The yarns are variegated so the color changes automatically....no need to change colors as you go!

Easily make it larger or smaller to fit your needs. Pattern is worked from the corner out to desired width, then decreasing to the end.

Skill level: easy: basic stitches, minimal shaping, simple finishing. I'm always available to help you along the way!

Abbreviations given for American and United Kingdom terms.

Materials needed:
*280 yards/256m (each skein), medium weight (4) {aran weight for my overseas friends}
* 7 skeins for 46” square (117cm) blanket with popcorn edge 
* 4 skeins for 33.5” square (85cm) baby blanket with a single crochet edge

*crochet hook size H/8 5.00mm for the body of blanket 
*crochet hook size G/6 4.25mm for the edging. This eliminates a ruffled edge.

Measurements:
Blue blanket: 46” square (117cm) blanket with bobble edge 
Autumn blanket: 33.5” square (85cm) baby blanket with a single crochet edge

Popcorn edge

Generous size

Simple single crochet edge for the baby blanket size included

I've updated the photos for my Prada Inspired Headband Pattern.  

Here's the listing info for that pattern:

This was inspired by the Prada Fall Fashion Show 2010. Every model was wearing one!

This pattern looks very intricate and difficult. I assure you that any advanced beginner knitter will be able to easily follow this pattern! You will need to know how to knit and crochet as both are used in this pattern. You can omit the crochet edge portion if you wish! The results will still be fabulous! Also, you will need to be familiar with cables.

When completed, it measures 19" around x 2 3/4" W. 

Straight needles make it easy to knit, the chunky yarn gives this headband great fullness! Any light colored yarn shows off the pattern beautifully! Black is classic and can never be wrong!

GREAT STOCKING STUFFER, TEACHER GIFT OR SECRET SANTA! DON'T FORGET YOUR BOSS, HAIRDRESSER, MAIL CARRIER, BABYSITTER AND NEIGHBOR!

**Selling the finished product is permitted**

Now, this Sockhead Hat pattern is free from Boho Knits!  Really fun and a great project for those one skein sock yarns in your stash!

I knit this using Knit Picks Hand Painted Imagination in Castle Walls.  Fingering weight (1) 440 yards total.

Find all my pattern links at the top of this page or in my 

Etsy shop

Craftsy shop

Ravelry shop

That's it for this week!  It's still very hot here in the midwest....over 90 degrees every day.  I must say, I do love warm weather but long for cooler days, cozy shawls, hot cups of tea and watching our beloved college football team the University Of Nebraska in Lincoln Cornhuskers!  Go Big Red!

Best,

sheila

Yarn tip:

When knitting cables, keep your yarn color light and solid (non variegated) to show off the cable pattern.