What is the best hat style for your current skill level?
The Basics
Skills Required: The Basics
- You should have a basic understanding of your machine.
- You've set up your machine and it's working properly
- You've identified a yarn that you like that works well on your machine
- You're familiar with plain knitting (Stockinette , k1 row, p1 row)
- Casting on and Binding Off
- Fixing Mistakes
- Finishing
Fast, plain knitting, minimal construction or manipulation
Challenge:
Use self-striping yarn or add stripes for interest
Shaping
Skills Required: Shaping
- The Basics Skills
- Increases and Decreases
- Swatching and Gauge
- Short Row Shaping
- How much Yarn
- with band or hem
- with band or hem
- with band or hem
- with band or hem
Add shaping with increases, decreases and short rows
Plan more time for a "hand-knit" hat look.
Stitch Patterns
Skills Required: Stitch Patterns
- The Basics
- Hems and Edges
- Bands
- Stitch patterning
- Any hat with automatic or manual stitch pattern
Choose any of the previous hat patterns and play with color and texture
Use punchcards, electronics or hand manipulation
Remember stitch pattern gauges are different than plain knitting, so swatch for bands and stitch pattern separately
Challenge:
Try a new-to-you technique.
If you find it difficult or tedious, a hat is a quick project to use as an experiment.
Consider lace
Ribber
Skills Required: Ribber
- The Basics and Shaping Skills
- Using your ribber
Have a ribber? Knit a single or double band for any pattern
Experiment with different needle arrangments 1x1, 2x2, 2x1
Knit a basic hat in a ribber stitch pattern
Get Creative
Skills Required: Get Creative
- The Basics, Shaing, Ribber and Stitch Pattern Skills
- Get Creative with custom charting. Mix 'n match band styles and crown finishing
- modified as a slouchy hat
Mix 'n Match bands Styles (hung hem, picot hem, ribbing, mock ribbing etc)
Try different crown shaping methods
Challenge:
Make any of the hat patterns "slouchy" by extending the body of the hat. Play with adding length based on your row gauge.