Scarf Hat Knitting

Scarf Hat Knitting

An ideal winter time gift for anyone on your list is a matching scarf and hat set to keep them warm on those cold days.  Find scarf and hat knitting patterns that are ideal for you by narrowing down your choices.

Wool is always a favorite yarn for outdoor wear, as its unique fiber characteristics hold in heat and, in ordinary conditions, will shed rain and snow without soaking through. Lighter and softer yarns such as cashmere and angora are also warm and comfortable, and will wear well when not subjected to heavy outdoor use. Acrylic yarns can also be durable and attractive. These items will be worn close to the skin, so shop carefully, or take your scarf and hat recipient with you to your local yarn store to choose something that will be comfortable day in and day out.

Perhaps the simplest hat pattern begins at the top with just a few stitches - perhaps six - distributed evenly on double pointed needles. There are several different ways to perform increases to make the diameter of the hat knitting pattern larger: "Knit front and back" (also called a bar increase), "make one", or "yarnovers" are just a few.  Add increases every other row, evenly around the edges of the hat until it's the correct diameter for the head it will go on. Then continue with a simple garter stitch or ribbing for several inches - enough to roll the brim up on the hat. Complete with a nice stretchy bind off - try Elizabeth Zimmermann's "sewn cast-off" or the "invisible bind off".




If you want a thicker, warmer hat, try doing a double-layer hat - start small, work the increases, work evenly for several inches, then decrease in a mirror image of your beginning. At the finish, turn half the hat inside-out within the other half and tack the two "tops" together.

A matching scarf for a hat knitting pattern is even easier, of course - cast on the number of stitches for the desired width, choose a stitch to complement the hat, and away you go until the scarf is the right length (or you get tired of working on it)! Remember that stocking/stockinette stitch will curl no matter what you do to it - if you really want to work in stockinette, use a circular needle to work it into a hollow tube, and flatten and add fringe after completion.