I’ve been trying to knit a simple hat for my son, but both times I began recent hats I ran out of yarn for the cast-on! I’m doing the German Twisted cast-on (I have linked to the YouTube video below) and it tends to use more yarn than I measure out for the Long tail cast-on. I keep misjudging amounts… Grrr…! So the hats have ended up being knit for me because my son has a big head!

How to Knit This Hat

I made this up myself and here is how I did it.

Cast on 102 stitches (this will make a loose hat) using the German Twisted cast on – SEE VIDEO BELOW, or a stretchy cast on. I used a size 10, 16-inch circular needle (and DPN’s) and ended up with a circumference of about 18.5 inches unstretched. My head measures around 22.5 inches, and it fits me well, but it is not tight at all. (It also fits my son fine… oh well, but he doesn’t like the colors.)

Knit one, purl one ribbing … for as long as you want. I made mine extra long because I was originally going to complete the hat in that stitch. I switched to knitting only (stockinette) for a couple rows and then began the “star” colorwork. I had to learn how to carry the yarn and create long floats for this. View my favorite YouTube video for this here.

102 stitches divides into 6 sections with 17 stitches in each. At the beginning of the round I knit 16 in gray (Mad Tosh Vintage in Antique Moonstone, I think), 1 in brown – around to BOR. On the next row I knit to one before the brown and added brown on each side – knit 15 gray, knit 3 brown.

I continued on this way until the whole top was brown (Anzula “rootbeer” yarn in “For Better or Worsted” – knitting a FREE cowl with this here). Then I began my decreases.

Decreases for top: Row 1: K4, k2tog, PM (place marker) around. Row 2 & even rows: knit around. Row 3 and odd rows: Knit to 2 stitches before marker and K2tog, around. Do this until only a few stitches remain and gather them up with the end of the yarn on a needle, and pull. Weave in ends, remembering that the brim will flip up!

Andrea Mowry and The German Twisted Cast-on

I watched many videos trying to understand the German Twisted cast-on, (which is also called the Old Norwegian Cast-on). The one I have linked to below is by far the best. She goes slow, but not too slow. It is very easy to understand, and use, once you practice.

By the way, Andrea Mowry is an awesome, and successful, knitwear designer. The link goes to Ravelry where her patterns are for sale. Or check out her website at Drea Renee Knits. I have not knit any of her patterns, only because I’m not yet sure I have the skills needed for most of them. Her Throwback cardigan is one of my favorites, but my next pattern may be the comfy looking Oxbow Cardigan.

Somewhat Related: Taking a Walk in Florida’s Winter

The photo below has nothing to do with this post, but I took it around the time I was knitting the hat and it is mixed in with the knitting photos on my phone. I thought I would share what I saw on a recent walk around my Florida neighborhood in the evening.

Getting exercise is necessary, and I tend to feel unwell when I just sit around and knit, or work online. It’s easy to become preoccupied with knitting, but I do get outdoors this time of year to stretch my muscles. It is a wonderful treat after suffering through the long HOT Florida summer.

Our climate in Florida is nearly opposite to the north, in my mind, because summer keeps me indoors. Except that the summers are worse because you truly cannot do anything much outside. At least in the northern winters there are good days. This is not true of Florida summers. It NEVER cools off.

December is one of the best months, weather-wise, in Florida. Nights are cool (40’s to 60’s), and days are warm (60’s and 70’s). There are few storms, no hurricanes, and very little rain. Evenings are especially nice and if you have a view of the west, the sunsets are gorgeous. I am not looking directly toward the West in my photo. The bright sunset colors are off to my right – through the trees – but that color spreads across the sky because it’s so flat here.

Anyway, this was a quick glimpse into a Florida winter evening. Happy knitting!