If you like the colorful, laid-back look of reggae fashion, why not learn how to knit a Rasta hat? With their traditional colors of yellow, green, red and black, Rasta hats make fun berets for any hair style, any sex. And if you use an eye crochet hook to knit your Rasta Hat, you won’t even have to become a knitting expert. It’s easy and fun, so take a walk on the wild side of fashion and learn how to knit a Rasta Hat for you or a friend.
Hold the yarn to create a small loop between your thumb and forefinger. Next wrap the yarn on the right around the base of the loop 1.5 times. This will create a ring around the base of your loop. Now slip the yarn through this ring from the top, then tighten. This creates a sliding knot, one that moves along the thread. This is called an eye. Place the eye over the crochet needle, hook yarn on the tip and pass it through the eye a chain made of 2 eyes. No knit a third eye and join them into a circle to knit the center of the Rasta hat.
Second row.
Knit 3 more eyes and join them into the first row by first looping yarn onto the crochet hook, then slipping the hook through the first row eye immediately below. Now, hook yarn again and pull through the eye, then hook yarn a second time and pull through to reduce the eyes on the crochet hook into a single one. This is called a half-double crochet. Repeat this step 5 times, going in a circle. After the 5 time, do not join to the eye below.
Just as you did in step 2, now knit 12 half-double crochets that will connect to the eyes below. As you knit the Rasta hat a circle will gradually emerge.
Fourth row.
Slip a different color yarn through the last eye to serve as a marker for the row start. Knit half-double crochets as before, but this time knit two into each eye, so that as you knit the Rasta hat it will become thicker from this point on. Knit 3 rows of the Rasta hat, then change yarn color. The row start marker will continue to guide you as to when each row ends.
Popcorn stitch (optional).
To add pizzazz to your Rasta hat, knit balls (popcorns) every 5 stitches. To form a popcorn stitch knit a half-double crochet 5 times into a single eye. This creates a fun little ball of yarn.
Seventh row.
Now knit the Rasta hat more widely to create the beret effect. Simply knit a half-double crochet and then knit another eye to increase the bulk of the Rasta hat. Followed with 2 half-double crochets inserted into the same eye and once again knit another eye onto the crochet hook. Continue until you reach your beginning marker.
Eighth row.
Knit a half-double crochet with an eye increaser for the entire row.
Ninth row.
Change the color again to knit a Rasta hat in true Reggae style. Knit a half-double crochet with an eye increaser, then knit 2 half-double crochets with an eye increaser. Repeat this step for the entire row. Feel free to replace some of the double crochets with popcorn stitches to knit a Rasta hat with fun bulbs of yarn here and there.
At this point start customizing the Rasta hat to your head size. Decide if you want to continue with eye increases or if it’s time to start decreasing the width of the hat to fit it snuggly over your forehead.
Decrease rows.
To knit a reduction in the width of the Rasta hat, knit half-double crochets every second eye for the entire row. For a gradual reduction, knit the following row to match, then reduce again on the third. For a rapid reduction, which will mean that you will knit a Rasta hat that is fairly baggy, knit a reduction every line until you are happy with the size of the hat.
Finish.
Close the last eye to finish knitting the Rasta hat.
Reference:
WonderHowTo.com: “How to Make a Reggae Rasta Slouch Popcorn Cap”
