11th Hour Hat - Bulky Weight

Finished Size:
20”- 22” around

Yarn:
Knit Picks Twirl (69% Superfine Alpaca, 28% Wool, 3% Nylon; 73 yards/100 grams): Fog (MC), 2 hanks and Cream (CC), 1 hank.

Needles:
Size 10.5: 16” circular needle.
Size 10.5: set of 4 DPN
Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain correct gauge.

Notions:
Yarn needle
Stitch markers
Waste yarn

Gauge:
3 sts = 1” worked in stockinette stitch on size 10.5 needles.
Check your gauge before you begin.

Directions:

Brim
With waste yarn and size 10.5 needles, cast on 9 stitches using a provisional cast on so that you can easily graft the band together. Knit 2 rows. Attach CC and knit in garter stitch, until band measures 21” or desired head circumference.

Leave stitches on needle and cut yarn leaving a generous tail. Carefully unravel waste yarn and place live stitches on size 10.5 dpn. Use directions below to graft the two short ends of the garter stitch strip together. Weave in all ends.

Grafting for Garter Stitch
Step 1: Thread 12” tail through yarn needle. Put the yarn needle in the first st on the front knitting needle knitways and pull the yarn through. Do not drop this st off the knitting needle. Next, put the yarn needle into the first st on the back knitting needle purlways. Pull all the way through. Do not drop this st off the knitting needle.
Step 2: Put the yarn needle into the first st on the front knitting needle purlways and pull the yarn all the way through. Drop this st off the knitting needle.
Step 3: Put the yarn needle knitways into the next st on the front knitting needle and pull through. Do not drop this st off the knitting needle.
Step 4: Put the yarn needle knitways into the first st on the back knitting needle and pull through. Drop this st off the knitting needle.
Step 5: Put the yarn needle into the next st on the back knitting needle purlways and pull through. Do not drop this st off the knitting needle.
Repeat steps 2-5 until you have worked all of the stitches on both needles.

Top of Hat
With the MC and using the size 10.5 circular needle, pick up and knit about one st for each garter ridge along the top of the garter stitch brim. Place marker after the last stitch that you pick up, this will mark the beginning/end of each round. Knit these stitches in the round for 3-4” (or until you feel the hat is long enough).

Top of Hat Decreases
Round 1: *k8, k2tog; repeat from * around
Round 2: Knit all the stitches
Round 3: work as for round 1, but with one less stitch in between thek2togs (k7, k2tog; repeat from * around)
Round 4: Knit.

Continue in this fashion (decreasing the number of stitches between the decreases) and switching to dpn when necessary, until you have 5 stitches left, then break the yarn and use the yarn needle to thread the end through the remaining 5 stitches. Switch to dpn when necessary. Tighten, and weave in the ends.

Voila! This basic hat can be modified in several different ways – add a color or texture pattern in the straight area, add horizontal stripes, a slip stitch pattern, lace, or embroidery on the cuff or crown. It can also be modified for size – simply knit more or fewer rows of garter stitch and pick up the appropriate number of stitches around for the crown. The cuff itself can also be made wider or narrower by simply casting on more or fewer stitches in the beginning.

11th Hour Hat - DK Weight

Finished Size:
20”- 22” around

Yarn:
Knit Picks Merino Style (100% Merino Wool; 123 yards/50 grams): Butternut (MC), 1 ball and Harvest (CC), 1 ball.

Needles:
Size 7: 16” circular needle.
Size 7: set of 4 DPN
Adjust needle size if necessary to obtain correct gauge.

Notions:
Yarn needle
Stitch markers
Waste yarn

Gauge: 20 sts = 4” using size 7 needles in stockinette stitch.

Directions:
Brim
With waste yarn and size 7 needles, cast on 15 stitches using a provisional cast on so that you can easily graft the band together. Knit 2 rows. Attach CC and knit 158 rows in garter stitch. You will end up with 79 garter “ridges”. Leave stitches on needle and cut yarn leaving a generous tail.

Carefully unravel waste yarn and place live stitches on size 7 needle. Use directions below to graft the two short ends of the garter stitch strip together. Weave in all ends.

Grafting for Garter Stitch

Step 1: Thread 12” tail through yarn needle. Put the yarn needle in the first st on the front knitting needle knitways and pull the yarn through. Do not drop this st off the knitting needle. Next, put the yarn needle into the first st on the back knitting needle purlways. Pull all the way through. Do not drop this st off the knitting needle.
Step 2: Put the yarn needle into the first st on the front knitting needle purlways and pull the yarn all the way through. Drop this st off the knitting needle.
Step 3: Put the yarn needle knitways into the next st on the front knitting needle and pull through. Do not drop this st off the knitting needle.
Step 4: Put the yarn needle knitways into the first st on the back knitting needle and pull through. Drop this st off the knitting needle.
Step 5: Put the yarn needle into the next st on the back knitting needle purlways and pull through. Do not drop this st off the knitting needle.

Repeat steps 2-5 until you have worked all of the stitches on both needles.

Top of Hat

With the MC and using the size 7 circular needle, pick up and knit 80 stitches around the long edge of the brim. This will end up being about one stitch for each garter ridge. Place marker after the 80th stitch, this will mark the beginning/end of each round.

Knit the 80 sts in the round for 3-4” (or until you feel the hat is long enough).

Top of Hat Decreases

Round 1: *k8, k2tog; repeat from * around
Round 2: Knit all the stitches
Round 3: work as for round 1, but with one less stitch in between the k2togs (k7, k2tog; repeat from * around)
Round 4: Knit.

Continue in this fashion (decreasing the number of stitches between the decreases) and switching to dpn when necessary, until you have 5 stitches left, then break the yarn and use the yarn needle to thread the end through the remaining 5 stitches. Switch to dpn when necessary. Tighten, and weave in the ends.

Voila! This basic hat can be modified in several different ways – add a color or texture pattern in the straight area, add horizontal stripes, a slip stitch pattern, lace, or embroidery on the cuff or crown. It can also be modified for size – simply knit more or fewer rows of garter stitch and pick up the appropriate number of stitches around for the crown. The cuff itself can also be made wider or narrower by simply casting on more or fewer stitches in the beginning.

Spinner's Socks

I dearly love spinning, but sometimes in the winter, it's a challenge - I can't wear socks or my feet slip on the treadles, but it's too cold to go without. These socks are short, but very warm, and have leather attached to the bottoms to prevent slipping. They would be too thick (and probably too warm) to wear with shoes, and the leather on the bottom rules that out anyway. They're also a good way of using up smallish amounts of handspun yarns - especially luxury yarns, because the socks won't be getting a whole lot of abrasion. The yarn I used for mine was a 75% wool/ 25% mohair blend in blues and greens. It was roving, and came in two separate balls - one entirely green and one blue and green mix. I spun them separately and plied them together to produce a green yarn with flashes of blue. I used about 70g of the yarn - at 12 or 13 wpi.


Final Size
8.5" around the ball of the foot
8.75" long (ladies size 8, but easy to lengthen)

Materials
~70g heavy fingering weight handspun
3.0mm 32" Circular Needle (I knit my socks using magic loop, but feel free to use dpns or two circulars if you prefer)

Gauge: 25 stitches/4 inches in Stocking Stitch

Pattern Stitches:
Broken Rib
Row 1 - *K1, p1; repeat from *
Rows 2 & 3 - Knit.

Twisted Rib
Row 1 - *K1tbl, p1; repeat from *

Using your toe-up cast on of choice (I like Judy's Magic Cast On), cast on a total of 20 stitches over two needles. Knit one round.

Round 1 - Knit 1, m1, knit to 1 before end of first needle, m1, k2, m1, knit to one before end of second needle, m1, k1.
Round 2 - Knit

Work these two rounds until you have a total of 48 stitches total, or 24 on each of the two needles. Begin working in Broken Rib stitch and work 18 repeats (54 rows) or until your sock is your foot length - two inches.

Work short row heel as follows:
Knit 23, w&t
Purl 22, w&t
Knit 21, w&t
Purl 20, w&t
continue to
Purl 10, w&t
Knit 10, pick up next wrap and knit together with stitch, w&t
Purl 11, pick up next wrap and purl together with stitch, w&t
Knit 12, pick up two wraps around next stitch and knit together with stitch, w&t
Purl 13, pick up two wraps around next stitch and purl together with stitch, w&t
continue to
Knit 22, Knit 12, pick up two wraps around next stitch and knit together with stitch, knit 24.

Ribbing - work 24 rows of twisted ribbing (on the first stitch of the first row hide the two wraps from the heel, then continue working around the stitches normally). Or, work the twisted ribbing until you run out of yarn.