This is the final step before wearing the hat: actually loom knitting it! The pattern will follow in short order. But let’s review some things before you start. You need the small blue round Knifty Knitter loom or a loom that’s the size of the hat you want to make. You need two strands of worsted weight yarn, regardless of whether you take them from one ball or skein, or two. You may find a row/round counter and some sort of peg marker helpful for your starting peg. And you need scissors and a yarn needle.
You either have or will cast on using the double e-wrap cast on, and you need to know how to do double stitch, flat stitch, and purl. You’ll end with the gather bind off method for the top of the hat.
So without further ado, here’s the pattern. It’s written for a baby hat, but you can make it any size you want by repeating rounds. Note that the cast on round does not count as a round; round one is the first round after the cast on round.
Rounds one and two: Double stitch all the way around the loom.
Round three: Purl all the way around the loom.
Rounds four and five: Double stitch all the way around the loom.
Round six: Flat stitch all the way around the loom.
Repeat rounds one through six until the hat measures 3.5 to four inches from the cast on edge for a small preemie, 4.5 to 5.5 inches from the cast on edge for a larger preemie, and 5.5 to six inches from the cast on edge for a full-term newborn.
You can make this hat any size by using a different size loom and measuring the length to fit the person the hat is for. The outside of the hat has bumps every so often, caused by the purl stitches.
You can also vary the stitches to create other patterns. If you flat stitch one round and purl the next, this is called garter stitch. If you flat stitch the odd pegs (1, 3, 5, etc) and purl the even pegs on each round, it will create a ribbed look. Or, since the blue Knifty Knitter has 24 pegs, you can do a 2×2 rib by flat stitching two pegs and purling two all across the round. For a very simple hat, choose to either flat stitch or e-wrap all rounds. Be aware, however, that this will create a rolled brim–which most people think looks best on girls rather than boys. Finally, for a nice cozy hat, double stitch all rounds.
As mentioned before, for a rolled brim, either flat stitch until it rolls to your satisfaction, or e-wrap. You can also do double stitch for a warmer brim. These stitches cause curling if you don’t alternate them with the purl stitch.
For a flat brim that you can roll up if desired, make sure you alternate flat or e-wrap stitches with purl stitches across the rounds and in consecutive rounds. For instance, knit ribbing for the brim, or garter stitch, etc. Throwing in purl stitches with the others prevents curling.
Hopefully you have fun with this hat and its variations! Granted, there are both easier and more complicated hats to loom knit. But the easier ones often don’t look very appealing or attractive, and the more complicated ones aren’t especially good for beginners. With some practice, loom knitting this hat will become much faster and more fun!
Sources
Phelps, Isela. Loom Knitting Primer. St. Martin’s Press, New York: 2007.
