How to Add the Tassel to The Doublemassa Hat

Making a tassel is not difficult, and I was looking forward to making the one for my Doublemassa. But there was a problem. How is a tassel added to this type of knitting project?

I have now assembled the tassel (and it’s far from perfect looking). But, my big problem is how to add it to this hat. Ordinarily, when finishing up a hat, you have an underneath, or wrong side, where the yarns are pulled through and tied off under the crown. The Doublemassa is knit in a way that the underneath can’t be accessed. It is completely closed up. The pattern is no help.

Tassel Making Video

It was hard to envision tassel making in the Hat’s On book where the Doublemassa pattern is found. This video on YouTube was very helpful. However, I still must figure out how to add the tassel to my finished hat.

One of the Doublemassa knitters mentioned opening up the top of the hat and making a big knot to tuck through. Then, she closed up the top again. I ended up doing this, but a little differently.

My Tassel

I wrapped both yarn colors 60 times around a six inch cardboard. I tied two strands of yarn around the top and then braided the 4 strands. I wish I’d used more strands for this.

Next I wrapped the blue yarn around the tassel.

I do not have a bodkin (Amazon paid link), which is a special flat “needle” which is used by the woman in the video. My larger sized embroidery needle worked fine. This is used to wrap the tassel and tuck the yarn down inside.

After my washed hat was dried, I noticed that two stitches at the very top were loose and not bound off! Somehow they did not unravel (wool is so awesome). It left a small opening.

Adding the tassel was a challenge, but I simply did as one of the other knitters mentioned. I made a big knot and pushed it through the top. My dropped stitches mistake turned out to be the thing that saved me. Then I used the two yarns, one blue and one off-white, to close up the top tightly. I wove the ends down through the hat and cut the yarn.

A Better Way to Attach The Tassel

Now that I have done it, I feel lucky that it worked out. And I know that there is a better way to achieve this. The pattern simply says make a tassel and attach it – which is very unhelpful.

My advice is this: When knitting the last rounds of the crown, do NOT close up the top of the hat. Leave a tail and tuck one tail down inside the hat. Put the open stitches onto plastic holders, or waste yarn, for washing.

Make the tassel and wash the hat.

Once the hat is washed and dried, open the top and tuck the knotted end of the tassel braid down into the hat. Use the remaining yarn tail to close up the top.

Alternatives

A few of the Doublemassa hat knitters decided to begin knitting the hat with the colorwork. By using a provisional cast on, the lining of the hat could be knit last. This would do away with the need to begin the hat with a tiny disappearing loop cast on, and magic loop knitting.

It also makes adding the tassel easier. Then, the tassel would be washed along with the hat. I’m not sure how that would work. It could take a while for a tassel to dry.

Have you knit this hat, or one like it? Do you have ideas about adding the tassel?

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