Knobbie Hat for Zero

This was a fun project. Knit with scraps (two strands of worsted weight yarn--gray throughout. Some call em tendrils... I call em knobbies... Zero says the hat is really comfortable and warm. The next one I think I will make the knobbies longer and perhaps have a longer band.

My handsome granddog Marvin... modeling the Knobbie hat

MY NOTES (WARNING: THIS IS NOT A PATTERN…THESE ARE JUST NOTES AND NOT SET IN STONE PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK)

For this one I just grabbed some scrap worsted weight yarn, a 5mm circular needle, cast on 80, 2X2 ribbing for about 1 1/2 inches in main color (gray), then knit 2 row stockinet. Place a marker.

Pick up the second color (in this case yellow).

Knobbie row: Holding the two strands together (gray and yellow) k2 and make a Knobbie. Repeat all the way around to the marker.

HOW TO MAKE A KNOBBIE? Cat Bordhi’s Knit-as-you-go Tendrils 

I call mine Knobbies because they are made with 2 strands of worsted weight yarn held together and are squatty—ish.

The Knobbie I made for this hat were pulled about 3 inches (remember the Knobbie is made from 2 strands of yarn held together as one) and twisted 7 times.

Next row: stockinet with the yellow only (1 thread of yarn). Each stitch will be a 2-thread stitch {gray and yellow} . When you reach the marker you will have a row of 1-thread stitches (yellow) and then you will pick up the gray to make another Knobbie row of gray and yellow.

Stagger the Knobbies. If you started the last Knobbie row with a Knobbie, then knit 2 and Knobbie. CLEAR AS MUD HUH?

The body of the hat consists of 4 stripes of contrasting yarn colors—yellow, orange, green, and blue.

Stripe:

1 row of Knobbies (2 strands of yarn)

1 row of stockinet (1 strand of yarn – contrasting color)

Repeat 4 times for each stripe. (CONFESSION--I am aware that the orange stripe has and extra row of Knobbies... but in my defense... I was knitting this on the way to pick up my Studio knitting machine and NO I wasn't driving...)

How to reduce stitches evenly: The Knitting Fiend

I started decreasing after the orange stripe and only on the stockinet rows*

Zero has a small head, but a load of curly hair. I wanted this hat to fall around his eyebrows without the need to “fold-up” the band. You may want to start decreasing earlier or later depending on the length of hat you want.

Decrease from 80 to 70 stitches (k6, k2tog) 10 times

Knobbie Row

Decrease from 70 to 60 stitches (k5, k2tog) 10 times

Knobbie Row

Decrease from 60 to 50 stitches (k4, k2tog) 10 times

Knobbie Row

Decrease from 50 to 40 stitches (k3, k2tog) 10 times

Knobbie Row

Decrease from 40 to 30 stitches (k2, k2tog) 10 times

Knobbie Row

Decrease from 30 to 20 stitches (k2, k2tog) 10 times

Knobbie Row

Decrease from 20 to 10 stitches (k2tog) 10 times

Cut yarn, run through last 10 stitches (twice) and draw up and secure

 *You have to eyeball where to put the Knobbies after decrease rows to even out the appearance of the hat.