Small: 20 1⁄2 in (52 cm) circumference Large: 23 1⁄4 in (59 cm) circumference
You’ll use 2. 63 ounces (75 g) of yarn for the small hat or 3. 44 (97 g) for the large size. This beanie is a great project if you’d like to use up some of your yarn stash since you won’t be using the entire skein of yarn.
If you’re unsure whether or not you’ve made a slip knot, keep pulling. The knot will come undone if you’ve successfully made a slip knot. If the knot tightens and doesn’t come loose, you didn’t make a slip knot.
Keep in mind that circular needles are usually easier for beginning knitters than juggling 4 or 5 double-pointed needles. Choose circular needles that are 47 inches (120 cm) long. While this might seem really big, the length allows you to bend them so you can make a magic loop. This way, you don’t have to use double-pointed needles at all!
This is called the magic loop method and it’s the simplest way for beginners to work projects in the round. This is because you don’t have to switch to double-pointed needles at any point. For example, if you’re making the small size, slide 36 stitches onto each needle. To make the large size, push 40 stitches onto each needle.
To make it easier to count rounds, you can slip a stitch marker onto this first stitch. Then, move the marker whenever you reach the end of a round. Before you knit the stitch to join the round, check that the working yarn is over the cable and not under it.
If you’d like narrower ribbing, work K1, P1 for all of the stitches instead of K2, P2.
It can help to keep a tally on a sheet of paper so you can keep track of how many rounds you’ve made. You can also find stitch or round counters at craft supply stores. Every time you finish a round, adjust the dial to advance the number so you can always see which round you’re working.
To measure, place the end of a ruler at your cast-on edge and measure the length of your knitted fabric. If you want the beanie to be slouchy, knit an extra 1 to 2 inches (2. 5 to 5. 1 cm).
The decreasing repeating pattern looks like this: K6, K2TOG, SSK, K6 If you’re making the smaller hat, you don’t need to work as many stitches, so follow this repeating pattern: K4, K2TOG, SSK, K4
When you reach the top of the hat, you won’t have many stitches left to work. For example, your last odd row has you K2TOG and SSK while the last row just has you K2TOG.
At this point, you don’t need the circular needles since your beanie is off of them.
You don’t need to weave in the excess yarn since the knot and tiny tail are completely hidden.
Although most beanies don’t have pom poms on top, feel free to make a soft pom pom with a long yarn tail. Use the tail to attach the pom pom to the crown of the hat and sew it to the inside of the hat.
