If you happen to drive by our shop on the first Tuesday night of each month, you'll see the lights on bright- that's because we're knitting up here! On our charity nights, Craft Happy opens it's door for a good cause. The first Tuesday of the month we devote to Chemo Caps, a worldwide organization with chapters, well, almost everywhere! We knit hats for local cancer patients, and once we have a basket full of cute, soft hats, we take them to the hospital and make a large donation. Want to join us? Grab your knitting, because we'd love to have you!
I often get asked about a hat pattern. There are a lot of patterns out there, some easier than others, but I'm here to tell you-- Yes, you CAN knit a hat without using circular needles, and I'll show you how! This is my easy-breezy hat pattern, cobbled together from several patterns I've run into through the years. This is my go-to pattern: to complete this hat all you need to know how to do is knit, purl, increase and decrease, and you, yes, you, can knit a Chemo Cap and help give back to our community!First, choose a soft yarn (the more natural the fibers, the better). I usually start with size 10 needles, but use whatever size seems to work best with your yarn of choice.
Cast on between 42-50 stitches. This hat is going to fit a regular-sized head. Of course, you can go fewer or more stitches, depending on the final size you want to achieve.
Knit one, purl one for about 8 rows, or until the band measures about 2 inches wide.
Once the band is the width you want, we will begin the cap portion, beginning by knitting 5, increase by 1, knitting 5, increase by 1, all the way across.
Purl the next entire row.
Here's where we begin the stockinette stitch (knit one row, purl one row), until the cap portion is again about 3 inches.
Now we begin decreasing! Knit 5, decrease by 1, all the way across.
Purl the next row.
Knit 4, decrease by 1, all the way across.
Purl.
Knit 3, decrease by 1, all the way across.
Purl.
Knit 2, decrease by 1, all the way across.
Purl.
Knit 1, decrease by 1, all the way across.
Purl. Cut a long tail when you get to the end here. Thread that tail into your darning needle, and put the needle through the remaining stitches you have left on your needle. Pull the thread tight, taking the stitches off your needle, and you should have the top of the cap all done!
Sew down the side of the cap (wrong-side out) and weave in the ends. Turn your cap right-side out and marvel at your new hat!
Feel ready to make your first easy hat? Join Craft Happy the first Tuesday night of every month for Chemo Caps, and help us give back to our community. We start around 6:30pm and knit until whenever. We absolutely can't wait to have you here!
