Hats off to kids

I knit this hat to go with the scarf that DD Kimmi knit. It is for Stand Up For Kids, which helps homeless teens living on the streets.

I saw a hat similar to this somewhere, but don't remember where. I liked it, so I just came up with my own pattern.

Since the yarn was from a huge stash that I acquired at a garage sale, I don't know what yarn it is. But it is worsted weight.

I cast on(provisional cast-on) enough stitches to make the 'cuff' four inches wide, using single strand of yarn. I guess that you could say that this cuff is knit sideways. Slipping the first st on each row, knit it in garter st until it was long enough to go around my head(about 20 to 21 inches). I grafted the ends together, then joined the scarf yarn(held 2 strands together) and picked up 80 sts all around on circular needle. Place marker at beginning of round and slip it to right needle as you go around. I knit every round until the stockinette part was about 4 and a half to 5 inches from the 'pick-up' round. I just used my own head to test how much stockinette to do, your mileage may vary.

To decrease, knit 8 sts, knit 2 sts. together all the way around. On subsequent rounds knit 1 less st before the knit 2 tog. Contiue in this manner until there are just 8 sts left on needle. You may switch to dpns if that is easier for the decreasing. Cut yarn and run thru last 8 sts, fasten off. Work in the other yarn ends and fold up the 'cuff'. You now have one warm hat for you, or someone you care about. Please consider donating a hat to charity. There are many worthy causes out there, if you need help finding one or would like to send one or more to Stand Up For Kids, please just ask and I will help you out, if I can.

You can adjust this hat simply by knitting a shorter or longer cuff and then adjust the number of 'picked up' stitches to suit the size of y our cuff. I have not given needle size or gauge because I just used my own head and unknown yarn for mine. The reason that I double stranded the crown was because that yarn was not as heavy as the cuff yarn. Using the same size yarn would be easier, but I was trying to match and co-ordinate with a scarf that Kimmi had alaready made. In future, I will be likely to use the same yarn on both sections. Although, it really wasn't a problem to do it this way and I would feel comfortable about doing it again if need-be.

If you try this and have any questions, feel free to ask, I'll be happy to try to help and would welcome the chance to fix any mistakes that I might have made in typing the pattern up.

Please do not sell this hat or this pattern, the copyright belongs to me and I freely allow you to use it and the resulting hats for your own personal use, for gifts and for charity purposes. Please be kind. DJ