The Blake Hat

The Blake Baby Hat Knitting Pattern

The Blake Hat is a soft and warm knit hat for babies.  The one right here was knit for my baby grandson who isn’t even born yet!  I’m going to make a matching one for his 2 year old brother.  The Malabrigo Rios yarn that I am using is to die for.  It has great stitch definition and feels really good in my hands.

Yarn

The yarn is Malabrigo Rios.   In this example I am using the colors Bobby Blue and Cape Cod Gray.  Malabrigo Rios yarn is a superwash yarn that can go in the washing machine but is recommended to air dry.  That’s why I like to make hats with it.  The wool in the yarn makes a nice warm hat but it is also easy for an occasional wash.

Needles

The needles I am using for this project are my absolute favorite for hat knitting.  They are from Etsy and are the Knitters Pride Ginger 16″ “Special” Short Tip Interchangeable Knitting Needle Set.  I’ll admit they are a bit pricey.  But I think they are worth every penny when trying to knit a small project.  I don’t need to use DPN’s until the very end when decreasing.  It’s a timesaver for sure!  And they come in a gorgeous case.  I love to knit and decided to treat myself and never regretted it.  I use them constantly!

Pattern

Terms:

Ktbl = Knit through the back loop

k2tog = Knit 2 together

Need help?  Can’t live without this great book if you are a knitter.

Gauge: 4.5 stitches per inch

Using a long tail cast on, using a 16″ circular size 8 needle (or whichever needle will give you the correct gauge) cast on 52 stitches with gray.

Purl one row, place marker and join to knit in the round.

Begin Ribbing:

Rows 1-6: K1 tbl, P1 for 6 rows

Row 7: Knit 1 row, increasing by 4 stitches evenly throughout the row so there are 56 stitches on the needles.

Rows 8-11: Change to Blue and knit

You will see at the change of colors there will be a little ‘jog’ at the beginning of each row.  There is an easy technique that isn’t necessary but if it bothers you (like it does me) here is how to fix the jog.

Rows 12 and 13: Knit with gray

Rows 14 and 15: Knit with blue

Rows 16 and 17: Knit with gray

Rows 18 and 19: Knit with blue

Row 20: Knit with gray

Now you will begin simple fair isle knitting.

Row 21: K1 blue, k1 gray

Row 22: Knit with gray

Then:

Change to blue: Knit 4 rows

Change to gray: Knit 1 row

Change to blue: Knit 4 rows

Next row: K1 gray, K1 blue

Knit 4 rows blue

Change to gray and knit 1 row

Begin decreases:

Here is where you will need to switch to Double Pointed Needles or use the Magic Loop technique because there will not be enough stitches on the needle to knit in the round.

Knit 2, k2tog
Knit
Knit 1, k2tog
Knit
K2tog
Knit
K2tog
Knit

Continue until there are 12 stitches on the needles.

Cut the yarn and weave through the remaining stitches.  Leave a long tail to help sew on a pompom.

Weave in your ends.

Time to make a pompom!  I use the clover pompom maker.

Here is how to use this nifty little gadget.

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