Narrenkappe für Karneval

Langsam aber sicher fängt im Rheinland wieder der Karneval an - am Wochenende war sogar schon die Prinzenproklamation in Köln. Und darauf muss man - wenn man hier wohnt - vorbereitet sein.
An Karneval ist es meistens recht kalt, aber man ist trotzdem viel auf der Straße. Daher wollte ich eine karnevalistische Kopfbedeckung, die auch warm hält - und habe mir eine gestreifte Narrenkappe gestrickt.

An english version of this pattern is available here.
Eine englische Version dieser Anleitung gibt es hier.



Dieses Werk von Knitting and so on ist lizenziert unter einer Creative Commons Namensnennung - Nicht-kommerziell - Weitergabe unter gleichen Bedingungen 4.0 International Lizenz.






Material

• insgesamt ca. 40 Gramm 4-fädiges Garn in zwei Farben - da es sich um eine Karnevalsmütze handelt, die wahrscheinlich viel mitmachen muss, habe ich preiswertes Acrylgarn verwendet (Supersoft von Zeeman - bei Ravelry ist es als 4-fädiges Garn (fingering) aufgeführt, es fühlt sich aber dicker als 4-fädiges Garn an, weshalb ich dickere Nadeln verwendet habe)
• 4mm Rundstricknadel (bzw. eine Rundstricknadel, die zum Garn passt)
• 2 Maschenmarkierer
• eine dritte Nadel (etwa gleich dick) - für das Abketten mit drei Nadeln
• eine Stopfnadel zum vernähen
• eine Gabel und eine Schere für den Pompom an der Spitze

Größe und Maschenprobe
Die von mir gestrickte Mütze ist ca. 22 cm hoch. Am Bündchen misst sie ca. 46 cm (ungedehnt), was aber gedehnt locker um einen Kopf passt, der über 54 cm Umfang hat. An der oberen Kante ist die Kappe ca. 32 cm breit.
30 Reihen glatt rechts entsprechen 10 cm (Höhe) und 21 Maschen glatt rechts entsprechen 10 cm (Breite).
Die Anleitung ist allerdings so abgefasst, dass man sie leicht auf eine andere Größe anpassen kann.


Techniken und Abkürzungen

• Magischer Maschenanschlag: siehe die erste Technik in diesem YouTube Video von Sylvie Rasch - CraSy creative things. Anschließend werden die Reihen U-förmig um diesen Maschenanschlag gestrickt. 
• Maschenstich: siehe dieses YouTube Video von Sylvie Rasch - CraSy creative things
• Abketten mit drei Nadeln: siehe dieses YouTube Video von Sylvie Rasch - CraSy creative things
• Kleine Pompoms selber machen: https://youtu.be/I7NHCCl8MGc
• kfb: eine Masche verdoppeln, indem man vorne und hinten abstrickt (siehe dieses YouTube Video von nadelspiel * Stricken & Häkeln mit eliZZZa)
• Maschen aus dem Querfaden zunehmen - rechts und links verschränkt (1 M. re. verschr. zu. und 1. M. li. verschr. zun.): siehe dieses YouTube Video von Kathleen Engler.
• 2 M re. zus.: zwei Maschen rechts zusammen stricken
• ssk: zwei Maschen nach links geneigt zusammenstricken (siehe dieses Video von Drops)
• 2 M li. zus.: zwei Maschen links zusammen stricken
• 2 M li. verschr. zus.: zwei Maschen links verschränkt zusammen stricken
• 1 M. abh.: eine Masche wie zum linksstricken abheben
• MM: Maschenmarkierer auf die rechte Nadel heben
• drehen: Maschen liegen U-förmig auf dem Seil der Rundstricknadel. Es wird hin und zurück um das "U" gestrickt, d.h. in der Mitte der Reihe wird eine 180°-Drehung durchgeführt.

Konstruktion
Die Kappe wird in drei Teilen gestrickt - die ersten zwei Teile werden flach gestrickt, der dritte Teil in Runden. Man startet mit einem beidseitigem oder magischem Maschenanschlag (ähnlich wie bei Socken, die man am Zeh beginnt) und strickt anschließend flach (hin und her) in einer umgekehrten U-Form um den Anschlag herum. Davon sind jeweils die ersten und letzten 12 Maschen kraus rechts gestrickt, was das Bündchen ergibt. Die restlichen Maschen werden glatt rechts gestrickt - also eine Reihe rechts und eine Reihe links. Direkt über dem Bündchen und am Scheitelpunkt des Us wird zugenommen (Teil 1). Sobald die Mütze die gewünscht Höhe hat, wird am Scheitelpunkt nicht mehr zu-, sondern abgenommen; direkt am Bündchen wird jedoch weiterhin zugenommen. So entsteht oben eine gerade Kante (Teil 2). Wenn das Bündchen weit genug ist, dass es um den Kopf passt, werden die Maschen des Bündchens mit drei Nadeln abgekettet und Teil 3 beginnt. Die restlichen Maschen werden rund weitergestrickt - mit Abnahmen jeweils am oberen und am unteren Ende.
Das Bild unten zeigt diese Konstruktion schematisch.

Anleitung

Hinweis: Zu- und Abnahmen sind zur besseren Erkennung in Fettdruck angezeigt.

Teil 1
In Farbe 1: Schlage 2 mal 14 Maschen mit dem Magischen Anschlag an.
Auf der Vorderseite siehst du glatt gestricktes - auf der Rückseite eine erste krause Rippe. Drehe die Nadeln so, dass die Rückseite nach vorne zeigt.

Reihe 1 (Farbe 1, Rückseite): 1. M. abh., 11 M. re., Maschenmarkierer einsetzen, 2 M. links; drehen; 2 M. links, Maschenmarkierer einsetzen; 11 M. re., 1 M. abh.

Reihe 2 (Farbe 2, Vorderseite): 12 M. re.; MM; kfb; kfb; drehen; kfb; kfb; 12 M. re. stricken
Reihe 3 (Farbe 2, Rückseite): 1 M. abh. 11 M. re.; MM; li. M. bis zum nächsten Maschenmarkierer; MM; 11 M. re. 1. M. abh.

Reihe 4 (Farbe 1, Vorderseite): 12 M. re.; MM; 1 M. re. verschr. zun.; re. M. bis zu einer Masche vor dem Drehpunkt, 1. M. li. verschr. zun., 1 M. re.; drehen, 1 M. re.; 1 M. re verschr. zun., re. M. bis Maschenmarkierer, 1 m. li. verschr. zun., MM 12 M. re. stricken
Reihe 5 (Farbe 1, Rückseite): 1 M. abh. 11 M. re.; MM; li. M. bis zum nächsten Maschenmarkierer; MM; 11 M. re. 1. M. abh.

Reihe 6 (Farbe 2, Vorderseite): 12 M. re.; MM; 1 M. re. verschr. zun.; re. M. bis zu einer Masche vor dem Drehpunkt, 1. M. li. verschr. zun., 1 M. re.; drehen, 1 M. re.; 1 M. re verschr. zun., re. M. bis Maschenmarkierer, 1 m. li. verschr. zun., MM 12 M. re. stricken
Reihe 7 (Farbe 2, Rückseite): 1 M. abh. 11 M. re.; MM; li. M. bis zu einer Masche vor dem Drehpunkt; 1 M. li. verschr. zun., 1 M. li, drehen, 1 M li., 1 M. li verschr. zun.; li. M. bis zum nächsten Maschenmarkierer, MM; 11 M. re. 1. M. abh.

Reihe 8 (Farbe 1, Vorderseite): 12 M. re.; MM; 1 M. re. verschr. zun.; re. M. bis zu einer Masche vor dem Drehpunkt, 1. M. li. verschr. zun., 1 M. re.; drehen, 1 M. re.; 1 M. re verschr. zun., re. M. bis Maschenmarkierer, 1 m. li. verschr. zun., MM 12 M. re. stricken
Reihe 9 (Farbe 1, Rückseite): 1 M. abh. 11 M. re.; MM; li. M. bis zum nächsten Maschenmarkierer; MM; 11 M. re. 1. M. abh.

Reihe 10 (Farbe 2, Vorderseite): 12 M. re.; MM; 1 M. re. verschr. zun.; re. M. bis zu einer Masche vor dem Drehpunkt, 1. M. li. verschr. zun., 1 M. re.; drehen, 1 M. re.; 1 M. re verschr. zun., re. M. bis Maschenmarkierer, 1 m. li. verschr. zun., MM 12 M. re. stricken
Reihe 11 (Farbe 2, Rückseite): 1 M. abh. 11 M. re.; MM; li. M. bis zum nächsten Maschenmarkierer; MM; 11 M. re. 1. M. abh.

Reihen 4 bis 11 noch zweimal wiederholen.

Dann die folgende Sequenz starten.

Reihe 30 (Farbe 1, Vorderseite): 12 M. re.; MM; 1 M. re. verschr. zun.; re. M. bis zu einer Masche vor dem Drehpunkt, 1. M. li. verschr. zun., 1 M. re.; drehen, 1 M. re.; 1 M. re verschr. zun., re. M. bis Maschenmarkierer, 1 m. li. verschr. zun., MM 12 M. re. stricken
Reihe 31 (Farbe 1, Rückseite): 1 M. abh. 11 M. re.; MM; li. M. bis zu einer Masche vor dem Drehpunkt; 1 M. li. verschr. zun., 1 M. li, drehen, 1 M li., 1 M. li verschr. zun.; li. M. bis zum nächsten Maschenmarkierer, MM; 11 M. re. 1. M. abh.

Reihe 32 (Farbe 2, Vorderseite): 12 M. re.; MM; 1 M. re. verschr. zun.; re. M. bis zu einer Masche vor dem Drehpunkt, 1. M. li. verschr. zun., 1 M. re.; drehen, 1 M. re.; 1 M. re verschr. zun., re. M. bis Maschenmarkierer, 1 m. li. verschr. zun., MM 12 M. re. stricken
Reihe 33 (Farbe 2, Rückseite): 1 M. abh. 11 M. re.; MM; li. M. bis zum nächsten Maschenmarkierer; MM; 11 M. re. 1. M. abh.

Reihe 34 (Farbe 1, Vorderseite): 12 M. re.; MM; 1 M. re. verschr. zun.; re. M. bis zu einer Masche vor dem Drehpunkt, 1. M. li. verschr. zun., 1 M. re.; drehen, 1 M. re.; 1 M. re verschr. zun., re. M. bis Maschenmarkierer, 1 m. li. verschr. zun., MM 12 M. re. stricken
Reihe 35 (Farbe 1, Rückseite): 1 M. abh. 11 M. re.; MM; li. M. bis zu einer Masche vor dem Drehpunkt; 1 M. li. verschr. zun., 1 M. li, drehen, 1 M li., 1 M. li verschr. zun.; li. M. bis zum nächsten Maschenmarkierer, MM; 11 M. re. 1. M. abh.

Reihe 36 (Farbe 2, Vorderseite): 12 M. re.; MM; 1 M. re. verschr. zun.; re. M. bis zu einer Masche vor dem Drehpunkt, 1. M. li. verschr. zun., 1 M. re.; drehen, 1 M. re.; 1 M. re verschr. zun., re. M. bis Maschenmarkierer, 1 m. li. verschr. zun., MM 12 M. re. stricken
Reihe 37 (Farbe 2, Rückseite): 1 M. abh. 11 M. re.; MM; li. M. bis zum nächsten Maschenmarkierer; MM; 11 M. re. 1. M. abh.

Reihen 30 bis 37 noch dreimal wiederholen. Oder solange bis die Mütze die gewünschte Höhe hat.

Teil 2

Reihe 1 (Farbe 1, Vorderseite): 12 M. re.; MM; 1 M. re. verschr. zun.; re. M. bis zu drei Maschen vor dem Drehpunkt, ssk; 1. re. M., drehen, 2 M. re zus., re. M. bis Maschenmarkierer, 1 m. li. verschr. zun., MM 12 M. re. stricken
Reihe 2 (Farbe 1, Rückseite): 1 M. abh. 11 M. re.; MM; li. M. bis drei M. vor dem Drehpunkt, 2 M. li. verschr. zus.; 1 M. li., drehen, 1, M. li., 2 M. li. zus.; li. M. bis zum nächsten Maschenmarkierer, MM; 11 M. re. 1. M. abh.

Reihe 3 (Farbe 2, Vorderseite): 12 M. re.; MM; 1 M. re. verschr. zun.; re. M. bis zu drei Maschen vor dem Drehpunkt, ssk, 1. M. re.; drehen, 2 M. re zus., re. M. bis Maschenmarkierer, 1 m. li. verschr. zun., MM 12 M. re. stricken
Reihe 4 (Farbe 2, Rückseite): 1 M. abh. 11 M. re.; MM; li. M. bis zum nächsten Maschenmarkierer, MM; 11 M. re. 1. M. abh.

Die Reihen 1 bis 4 insgesamt viermal stricken.
Ab jetzt wird nur noch auf der Vorderseite an der Oberkante abgenommen.

Reihe 17 (Farbe 1, Vorderseite): 12 M. re.; MM; 1 M. re. verschr. zun.; re. M. bis zu drei Maschen vor dem Drehpunkt, ssk, 1 M. re.; drehen, 2 M. re zus., re. M. bis Maschenmarkierer, 1 m. li. verschr. zun., MM 12 M. re. stricken
Reihe 18 (Farbe 1, Rückseite): 1 M. abh. 11 M. re.; MM; li. M. bis zum nächsten Maschenmarkierer, MM; 11 M. re. 1. M. abh.

Reihe 19 (Farbe 2, Vorderseite): 12 M. re.; MM; 1 M. re. verschr. zun.; re. M. bis zu drei Maschen vor dem Drehpunkt, ssk, 1. M. re.; drehen, 2 M. re zus., re. M. bis Maschenmarkierer, 1 m. li. verschr. zun., MM 12 M. re. stricken
Reihe 20 (Farbe 2, Rückseite): 1 M. abh. 11 M. re.; MM; li. M. bis zum nächsten Maschenmarkierer, MM; 11 M. re. 1. M. abh.

Reihen 17 bis 20 solange wiederholen, bis das Bündchen (kraus rechts gestrickt) um den Kopf passt.

Teil 3

Die Mütze auf links wenden, die Nadelspitzen aneinander halten (Vorderseiten zusammen), so dass die beiden "kraus rechts"-Streifen aneinander liegen. Nun mit einer dritten Nadel die Maschen des "kraus rechts"-Bündchens zusammen abketten, also 2 mal 12 Maschen, bzw. bis zu den Maschenmarkeren - hierzu die Farbe der letzten gestrickten Reihe verwenden (also Farbe 2). Man kann die andere Farbe nach jeder Masche verkreuzen (also mitnehmen) oder alternativ dieses Garn abschneiden und wieder anfügen, wenn mit ihr gestrickt wird.

Einen Maschenmarkierer entfernen und das Strickstück wieder auf rechts wenden. Der zweite Maschenmarkierer markiert den Anfang der neuen Runde. Während der ersten Runde kann der zweite Maschenmarkierer an der Oberkante (am Drehpunkt) eingesetzt werden.
Ab jetzt wird in Runden gestrickt - und jeweils in jeder zweiten Runde sowohl an der Oberkante als auch an der Seite abgenommen. Die erste Masche auf der Nadel sollte diejenige sein, die vom Abketten mit drei Nadel übrig geblieben ist.

Runde 1 (Farbe 1): 1 re. M., 2 M. re. zus., re. M. bis drei vor Drehpunkt, ssk, 1. re. M., MM, 2 M. re. zus.; re. M. bis zwei vor Rundenende, ssk
Runde 2 (Farbe 2): alle M. re.
Runde 3 (Farbe 3): 1 re. M., 2 M. re. zus., re. M. bis drei vor Drehpunkt, ssk, 1. re. M., MM, 2 M. re. zus.; re. M. bis zwei vor Rundenende, ssk
Runde 4 (Farbe 2): alle M. re.

Runden 1 bis 4 solange wiederholen bis nur 6 oder weniger Maschen übrig sind. Garn abschneiden und den Faden auf eine Stopfnadel fädeln, durch die noch übrigen Maschen führen und zusammenziehen. Fäden innen vernähen.

Einen kleinen Pompom aus dem Garn herstellen und an der vorderen Spitze der Mütze befestigen.

Fertig!

Hanabi Potholder

Quite often my knitting ideas just do not work out the way they were planned - usually they are then frogged and started again in a slightly different manner - or abandoned completely :) But just once in a blue moon something - even though it did not go to plan - turns out to look just lovely.
And that's what happened with this piece. I had planned to knit a potholder with a star with 6 points ... or 8 points at most. But due to an error, I ended up with slimmer points than planned. Plus the points did not look as I had planned.
However, I continued knitting it and I grew to like it. So it was finished and here is the pattern for it. As with many of my small potholders it is started with a provisional cast-on, constructed with short rows and intarsia and finished by grafting in garter stitch.
The piece can be used as a potholder, washcloth or coaster.

This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.






Materials

• about 40 grams of Aran weight yarn in 2 colors - I used dark blue as color 1 (C1) and light yellow as color 2 (C2)
• 3mm kntting needles
• scrap yarn and a crochet hook for provisional cast on
• a tapestry needle for grafting and to weave in ends

Techniques and Abbreviations

• Intarsia: Changing colors with the intarsia technique - as shown in this YouTube video by knitwithpat; or this YouTube video by Francoise Danoy. That way you don't have to carry long strands on the WS. The picture below shows the RS and WS of the piece.
  Throughout the pattern, the following notation will be used: "C1 (k2); C2 (k3, w&t, k3); C1 (k2)" means "knit 2 sts with C1; change to C2 and knit 3 sts with C2, wrap and turn, knit another 3 sts with C2, then change back to C1 and knit 2 sts with it". I.e. color is indicated before the knitting instructions for that yarn. the knitting instructions for that yarn are given in brackets after the color and color changes are indicated by a semicolon.
• Provisional CO: My favorite method for a provision CO is the crochet provisional CO - it is shown in this Youtube video by New Stitch a Day.
• Short rows with wrap and turn (w&t) - as shown in this YouTube video by Very Pink Knits.
• Grafting in Garter Stitch: A technique to get an invisible (knitted) seam - this technique is shown in this YouTube Video by knittinghelp.com.

Instructions

The piece is started with a provisional CO, knitted in 10 wedges of short rows to complete a circle and then finished by grafting.

With scrap yarn do a provisional CO of 21 sts and knit row 0
Row 0 (WS): C2 (k7); C1 (k14)
Ridge 1 (RS/WS): C1 (k12); C2 (k6, w&t, k6); C1 (k12)
Ridge 2 (RS/WS): C1 (k10); C2 (k5, w&t, k5); C1 (k10)
Ridge 3 (RS/WS): C1 (k8); C2 (k4, w&t, k4); C1 (k8)
Ridge 4 (RS/WS): C1 (k6); C2 (k3, w&t, k3); C1 (k6)

Ridge 5 (RS/WS): C1 (k4); C2 (k2, w&t, k2); C1 (k4)

Ridge 6 (RS/WS): C1 (k3); C2 (w&t); C1 (k3)

Ridge 7 (RS/WS): C1 (k2); C2 (k16, w&t, k16); C1 (k2)

Ridge 8 = Ridge 6
Ridge 9 = Ridge 5
Ridge 10 = Ridge 4
Ridge 11 = Ridge 3

Ridge 12 = Ridge 2

Ridge 13 = Ridge 1

Ridge 14 (RS/WS): C1 (k14); C2 (k7, turn, k7); C1 (k14)

Repeat ridges 1 to 14 8 more times.
Then knit rigdes 1 to 13.
Cut yarns but leave tails long enough for grafting.

Graft 14 sts in C1 and 7 sts in C2.
Use the C2 tail to close the hole in the middle of the piece.
Weave in ends.


Chart

In addition to the written instructions above, here's also a chart that shows how one wedge is knitted.
The number written in blue is the number of stitches with skein a of C1, the number written in black is the number of stitches knitted with C2.

Chart - click to enlarge

Here with my current favorite Oat Cookies - here's a link to the recipe (in German)

Last Minute Christmas Tree

When my Dad was still alive. we used to have a real Christmas tree. Ever since he died, we didn't. So when I went shopping a couple of days before Xmas last year and saw a packet of really small discounted baubles, I thought that I might as well knit a small tree. It took me less than an afternoon and the project got me a bit into a Christmas mood.
This Christmas tree is knitted sideways and in garter stitch. It is constructed with short rows and finished using a three-needle BO. Afterwards it is decorated with surface crochet and by sewing on baubles.

The instructions below are the knitting pattern for the tree on the left - the one with the baubles. The one I knitted is about 17 cm high. For the smaller trees on the right you can find the free pattern here.



This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.





Materials

• green yarn - I used (really) old DK weight yarn
• golden yarn
• small christmas baubles - the ones I used have a diameter of about 1.5 cm
• knitting needles that are slightly smaller than what the yarn calls for, I used 3 mm dpns
• a third needle for the three needle BO 
• scrap yarn for provisional CO
• a crochet hook for provisional CO and for the surface crochet
• a tapestry needle to sew on the baubles

Techniques & Notation

• Provisional Cast on (pCO): My favorite method for a provision CO is the crochet provisional CO - it is shown in this Youtube video by New Stitch a Day.
• Short rows with wrap and turn (w+t): as shown in this YouTube video by Very Pink Knits.
• Surface Crochet: Using a crochet hook, you make slip stitches through your knitted fabric. Here's a video and here's a tutorial that both explain surface crochet.
• Three Needle Bind Off: https://youtu.be/Ph93jWSzTa0
  The picture below shows how the piece looks before the three-needle BO.

Instructions

Do a provisional CO of 42 sts

With green yarn:
Setup row: k all
Ridge 1: k all, turn, sl1, k all
Ridge 2: k30, w+t, k to end
Ridge 3: k 10, w+t, k to end
Ridge 4: k 39, w+t, k to end
Ridge 5: k 5, w+t, k to end
Ridge 6: k 20, w+t, k to end
Ridge 7: k 10, w+t, k to end
Ridge 8: k 35, w+t, k to end
Ridge 9: k 25, w+t, k to end
Ridge 10: k 8, w+t, k to end
Ridge 11: k 15, w+t, k to end
Ridge 12: k 3, w+t, k to end
Ridge 13: k 22, w+t, k to end

Repeat ridges 1 to 13 four times.

Now you have a piece that looks like a piece of pizza.

Put the stitches from the provisional CO on a knitting needle. Hold the piece rights sides together and do a three needle bind off. Bind off 15 stitches with green yarn, and 15 stitches with white yarn. Afterwards, turn the piece right sides out. Use a pen or something similar to get into the top.

With golden yarn and crochet hook:
Starting from the lower edge work your way up with surface crochet in a spiral - until you reach the top of the tree.

If the yarn you used was rather soft, you might want to stabilize the tree. You can do this by cutting out a piece of paper or soft cardboard in the shape of a 90° pizza slice (similar to the tree before the three needle BO) and insert it into the tree.
The yarn I used was stiff enough that there wasn't any need for stabilization.

As a further decoration I put a small star on the top.

Hat for a Friend

In January or February this year, I promised a friend to knit him a hat for winter. Unfortunately, I didn't have any good ideas what exactly to knit for him, but I felt sure that I'd have an idea in due course ... It turned out that this optimism was misplaced. Even in autumn - when I was reminded of my promise - I still didn't have an idea. I first tried something with a construction a bit out of the ordinary (see this Instagram photo), but it didn't work out the way I had planned. Then I decided on a sideways construction ... and since I still didn't have an original idea that would look good on a man, I decided to search Ravelry for an appropriate pattern. And I found Tychus.

Tychus is a hat pattern by Brooke T. Higgins that is available for free via Ravelry or directly on knitty.com. Currently, there are more than 1600 projects listed for this pattern on Ravelry. It is knitted sideways with a short-row construction.

I didn't keep to the pattern, but made a few modifications - especially since I had started with yarn of a different weight. Here's what I did differently:

• I started with a provisional CO and ended by grafting in garter stitch, because wanted the hat to look seamless.
• I did a (provisional) cast on of 56 stitches (more than the original pattern), due to the yarn I used. 
• I only worked the first halves of the wedges as described in the original pattern - and then I started again. In the end I knitted seven half-wedges to get the hat circumference that I wanted.
• In the original pattern a half-wedge consists of 8 ridges of short rows. Since I had thinner yarn, I did 12 ridges per half-wedge. (In fact, during a first attempt, I did 16 short rows per half-wedge - ending up with a piece of the right circumference, that was far too pointy. So, I had saved myself the work of knitting a swatch by knitting a bigger swatch ... as usual :/ ).

Little Snowman

I like knitted Christmas ornaments. This year I wanted to knit a snowman. I first tried it with a sideways garter stitch construction that I had used before (e.g. Xmas trees or little Xmas Gnomes), but I didn't get the shaping right (see this photo on Instagram). So I decided  to do a stockinette, bottom-up construction. After finishing, the snowmen also got little hats and scarfs.

Please note, this is fiddly work - esprecially the cast on and the first few rounds, but the resulting snowmen are really cute.

This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.





Materials

• white yarn - I used approximately 15 grams of (probably) worsted weight yarn
• leftover orange yarn - I used old (probably) sports weight yarn
• leftover black yarn - I used old (probably) worsted weight yarn
• leftover yarn of a different color for hat and scarf (less than 5 grams of fingering weight yarn)
• 2.25 dpns and 2.5 dpns - I used needles that were too small for the given yarn weight
• a stitch marker to mark the end of the round
• stuffing - to give them some stability I even put a couple of pebbles right into the bottom of the lower half of their body
• a tapestry needle

Size and Variations
The snowmen wearing stocking caps are knitted exactly to the instructions (with 2.5mm needles) and are about 10 cm high.
The one wearing a top hat is knitted with thicker yarn and with 3.25mm needles. Here I left out rows 24 - 28 (k all rows in the middle of the body) - so he's a bit rounder and shorter in proportion.

Instructions

Carrot

With orange yarn CO4 sts and join in round
Knit 4 rounds - increasing by 1 st every round - now you have 8 sts on your needles
Knit 4 rounds - increasing by 1 st every other round - now you have 10 sts on your needles
Bind off.

Leave the tail of your bind off - it will be used for stitching the carrot on later.
Stuff the tail from your CO into the carrot.


Snowman

You can stitch face and the (coal) buttons after you've finished, but I've done it while knitting - and that is how it is described in the pattern

With white yarn CO8 and join in round
Round 1: * kfb repeat from * to end
Round 2: k all
Round 3: * k1, kfb repeat from * to end
Round 4: k all
Round 5: * kfb, k2 repeat from * to end
Rounds 6 and 7: k all
Round 8: * k2, kfb, k1 repeat from * to end
Rounds 9 - 11: k all
Round 12: * k4, kfb repeat from * to end - you now have 48 sts on your needles
Rounds 13 - 28: k all
Round 29: * k2, ssk, k2 repeat from * to end
Rounds 30 and 31: k all

With black yarn and tapestry needle stitch on 3 coal buttons. Start to stuff the body.
Continue knitting with white yarn.

Round 32: * ssk, k3 repeat from * to end
Round 33: k all
Round 34: * k1, ssk, k1 repeat from * to end
Round 35: * ssk, k1 repeat from * to end
Round 36: k all

Round 37: * k1, kfb repeat from * to end
Round 38: k all
Round 39: * kfb, k2 repeat from * to end
Rounds 40 - 44: k all
Round 45: * ssk, k2 repeat from * to end
Round 46 - 48: k all

With the tail of the carrot, stitch on the carrot. Make sure to align it on top of the coal buttons.
With black yarn stitch on two coals for the eyes and 5 coals as a mouth.
Fill in stuffing. You can use the blunt end of a pencil to make sure that the stuffing gets everywhere.

Round 49: * k1, ssk repeat from * to end
Round 50: k all
Round 51: * ssk repeat from * to end

Fill in a bit more stuffing.
Cut white yarn and thread the tail into a tapestry needle. Catch the remaining 8 stitches with the needle and pull tight. Fasten off and weave in ends.


Hat: Stocking Cap
CO4 and join in round.
Knit in rounds increasing by 1 st per round - until the hat fits over the head of your snowman.
(I knitted until I had 32 sts on my needles).
Finish with 4 rounds of ribbing (either k1p1 or k2p2).
BO in ribbing pattern.

Attach a small pompom to the top of the hat. (I used this method and a dessert fork to make a pompom - but it still was a big too big.)
Weave in ends


Scarf
CO8 sts
Knit the same ribbing you did for the hat - either k1p1 or k2p2 - until your scarf measures about 25 cm (or until it is long enough to fit around the snowman's neck).
BO and weave in ends.


Alternative: Top Hat
CO8 and join in round
Round 1: * kfb repeat from * to end
Round 2: k all
Round 3: * k1, kfb repeat from * to end
Round 4: k all
Round 5: * kfb, k2 repeat from * to end
Round 6: p all
Round 7: * k1, ssk, k5 repeat from * to end
Rounds 8 to 16: k all
Round 17: * k4, ssk, k1 repeat from * to end
Round 18: k all
Round 19: * k1, kfb, k1 repeat from * to end
Round 20: k all
Round 21: * k3, kfb repeat from * to end
Round 22: k all
Round 24: * kfb, k4 repeat from * to end
BO and weave in ends.

Tipsy Toe Socks 2.0

For a KAL I wanted to knit another pair of socks - but something that wouldn't bore me and something that would bring out the colors of self-striping yarn. I had always thought that my Tipsy Toe Socks were interesting at the start (the toes) but slightly boring for the rest of the pattern. That's why I wanted to continue a pattern of wedges for the whole sock. It took me a while to a) get it right and b) choose the right yarn for the pattern. But now that they are finished I really like them.
These socks are knitted toe-up, but unlike the original Tipsy Toe Sock pattern (where I used German short rows for the wedges, but not the heel) I used only Shadow wrap short rows here. For me these short rows looked neater than any other type that I had tried to knit in the round.

This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.






Materials

• 50 to 80 grams of fingering weight yarn - depending on how long you like your sock cuff; for the rainbow colored ones I used Lang Yarns Twin Soxx (color 909, here's a link to the yarn's Ravelry page) and for the blue-purple one Vendita Sockenwolle (bought at Aldi's a few years ago - here's a link to the yarns Ravelry page).
• 2.5mm needles - I used Addi CrasyTrio, but you can use dpns or a circular needle (with Magic Loop method) as well
• 2.25mm needles - to knit the ribbing
• 2 different stitch markers - one to mark the end of round (called "end marker") and one to mark the middle of the round (called "middle marker")
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

Techniques

• Judy's Magic Cast-On is a technique that gives you live stitches on both sides of your needle - it is generally used for toe-up socks (e.g. in this pattern), but it can be used for other purposes as well. Here's a written description (from Knitty) and here's a YouTube-video by Cat Bordhi and another YouTube-video by Very Pink Knits.
• Shadow Wrap Short Rows - used throughout the pattern: as shown in this YouTube video by Lee Meredith. A video by Miriam Felton that shows how to do a heel with shadow wraps can be found here on YouTube. However, the heel knitted here is knitted slightly different because here there are two rounds between the two parts of the heel, i.e. there won't be any triple stitches.
• Knitting the Shadow Wraps: In a knit row (i.e. you're knitting on the outside of your socks), you knit up to the stitch where you want to turn, and then knit into the stitch in the row below, i.e. you insert the right hand needle from the front into the stitch below the next stitch and pull your working yarn through. Then you put the loop onto the left hand needle (creating a double stitch from the stitch below) - keeping the yarn on the back. Then you turn and your yarn is now in front, tighten it to make sure that all stitches have the same size and start to purl in the opposite direction. This sequence (knitting int the stitch below and turning) will be called kbelow in the pattern.
  If you're in a purl row, you purl into the stitch of the row below, i.e. insert the right hand needle from the back into the stitch below and draw your yarn through and put the stitch onto your left hand needle - creating a double stitch. The yarn is in front while you're doing this. Turn your work. The yarn is now on the back of your knitting. Make sure that the stitch is as tight as the other stitches on your needles and start knitting in the opposite direction. This sequence will be called pbelow in the pattern.
• Knitting the double stitch.: When you come to a double stitch you can simply knit / purl it as one. This looks well when you're working it in the same direction it was created (i.e. the double stitch was created in a purl row and is also worked in a purl row). However, when you have to knit a double stitch that was created in a purl row, the following sequence made the result look a bit neater. I slipped the first loop of the double stitch to the right hand needle, turned the second loop so that the front leg was now in the back and put the first loop back facing the same way (i.e. the former front leg was now in the back). Then I knitted both loops through the back loop.

Gauge and Sizes
When I knitted these 19 rows of stockinette gave 5cm in height and 16 sts (stockinette) gave 5 cm in width. But If you've knitted socks before, you'll know which total stitch count to aim for. Here's the table that shows you the usual amount of stitches you need for your shoe size. Furthermore, it shows over how many stitches you're going to knit the heel (after some increases) and how these stitches are distributed, i.e. how many stitches are used for short rows at each side.
E.g. for size 36 you work the heel over 34 stitches, i.e. you do short rows for 11 stitches on both sides and 12 stitches in the middle are knitted normally.

shoe size	total number of stitches	heel stitches (after increasing)	distribution of heel stitches
32-35	56 = 2x28	28 + 4 = 32	11 - 10 - 11
36-39	60 = 2x30	30 + 4 = 34	11 - 12 - 11
40-43	64 = 2x32	32 + 4 = 36	12 - 12 - 12

Instructions for sizes are given as follows: sizes 32-35 [sizes 36-39, sizes 40-43]. I.e. the instructions before the brackets are for sizes 32 to 35 and in brackets first for sizes 36 to 39 and then for sizes 40 to 43.

Instructions

First Sock

Toe
Do a magic CO of 2x10 sts [2x10, 2x12]
Round 1: k8 [k8, k10], kfb k1, place marker ("half marker"), k1 kfb k8 [k8, k10], place marker ("end marker")
Round 2: k1, kfb, k to 2 bef half marker, kfb, k1, slip half marker, k1, kfb, k to 2 bef end marker, kfb, k1
Round 3: k to 2 bef half marker, kfb, k1, slip half marker, k1, kfb, k to end
Repeat rounds 2 and 3 four more times. (Now you have 2x26 [2x26, 2x28] sts on your needles)
For sizes 36-39 and 40-43 repeat round 2 once more.

Now you have 2x26 [2x28, 2x30] sts on your needles

Round 12 [13, 13]: k all
Round 13 [14, 14] = Round 2
Round 14 [15, 15]: k all
Round 15 [16, 16] = Round 3

Now you have 2x29 [2x31, 2x33] sts on your needles (i.e. 1 too much for the stitch count you're actually aiming for) - and the short row wedges will be started.

Wedge 1
Round 16: k to 4 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 4 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 17: k to 8 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 8 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 18: k to 12 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 12 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 19: k to 16 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 16 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 20: k to 20 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 20 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 21: k to 24 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 24 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end

Round 22: k1, ssk, k to 3 bef end marker, k2tog, k1
Round 23: k to 2 bef half marker, kfb, k1, slip half marker, k1, kfb, k to end

Wedge 2
Round 24: k to 6 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 6 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 25: k to 12 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 12 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 26: k to 18 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 18 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 27: k to 24 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 24 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end

Round 28: k1, ssk, k to 3 bef end marker, k2tog, k1
Round 29: k all

Wedge 3 = Wedge 1 (i.e. Rounds 16 to 21)

Now you've finished the toe and 2x28 [2x30, 2x32] sts on your needles.

Foot
Round 1: k all

Wedge 4
Round 2: k to 4 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 4 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 3: k to 8 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 8 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 4: k to 12 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 12 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 5: k to 16 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 16 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 6: k to 20 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 20 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end
Round 7: k to 24 bef half marker, kbelow, p to end (and without changing direction) p to 24 bef half marker, pbelow, k to end

Round 8: k all
Repeat Round 8 once [twice, three times] more

Wedge 5
Round 10: k to half marker,
    k4, kbelow, p8, pbelow
    k12, kbelow, p16, pbelow
    k20, kbelow, p24, pbelow
    k28, kbelow, p32, pbelow
    k36, kbelow, p40, pbelow
    k44, kbelow, p48, pbelow
    k to end

Round 11: k all

Wedge 6
Round 12: k to half marker,
   k to 4 bef end kbelow, p to half marker p to 4 bef end, pbelow,
   k to 8 bef end kbelow, p to half marker p to 8 bef end, pbelow,
   k to 12 bef end kbelow, p to half marker p to 12 bef end, pbelow,
   k to 16 bef end kbelow, p to half marker p to 16 bef end, pbelow,
   k to 20 bef end kbelow, p to half marker p to 20 bef end, pbelow,
   k to 24 bef end kbelow, p to half marker p to 24 bef end, pbelow,
   k to end
Round 13: k all
Repeat Round 13 once [twice, three times] more

Wedge 7
Round 14: k4, kbelow, p8, pbelow
    k12, kbelow, p16, pbelow
    k20, kbelow, p24, pbelow
    k28, kbelow, p32, pbelow
    k36, kbelow, p40, pbelow
    k44, kbelow, p48, pbelow
    k to end

Knit in rounds until you have to start the heel.

Heel
If you want to knit a short row heel (e.g. shadow wrap heel, as described here) you usually start it when you're about 5 cm short of the total foot length.
But I like to make my heels a bit bigger, so I do a few increases at the sides of the "heel" half and I start a bit earlier, about 6 to 6.5 cm short of the total length.

Round 1: k to half marker, slip half marker, kfb, k to 1 bef end marker, kfb,
Round 2: k all
Repeat rounds 1 and 2 once more - now the heel part of your socks has 4 (=2x2) more stitches than the other part

And now for the real heel - this is worked only over the stitches after the half marker:
Round 5:
(a) k to one stitch before end marker, kbelow
(b) slip shadow wrap stitch, p to one stitch before half marker, pbelow
(c) slip shadow wrap stitch, k to one stitch before the last shadow wrap, kbelow
(d) slip shadow wrap stitch, p to one stitch before the last shadow wrap, pbelow
Repeat (c) and (d) until the remaining (knitted) stitches are only one third of your heel stitches.
k to end of row (making sure to pick up the shadow wraps, i.e. to knit the twin-stitches as one stitch) and mk1l (this last increase is to avoid a hole at the gap)

Round 6: k to half marker, slip half marker, mk1r (also to avoid a hole), k to end (also making sure to pick up the shadow wraps) - now the heel part of your socks has 6 (=4+2) more stitches than the other part
Round 7 and 8: k all

Round 9: k to half marker,
(a) k two thirds of the heel stitches, kbelow
(b) slip shadow wrap stitch, p one third of the heel stitches, pbelow
(c) slip shadow wrap stitch, k up to and including the twin-stitch, kbelow
(d) slip shadow wrap stitch, p up to and including the twin-stitch, pbelow
Repeat (c) and (d) until the twin-stitches on both sides are one stitch away from the markers (end marker and half marker),
k to end of row and mk1l

Round 10: k to half marker, slip half marker, mk1r, k to end  - now the heel part of your socks has 8 (=6+2) more stitches than the other part
Round 11: k all

Now the extra stitches for the heel (four per side) must be decreased again.
Round 12: k to half marker, slip half marker, ssk, k to 2 bef end marker, k2tog
Round 13: k all
Repeat rounds 12 and 13 three times more.


Cuff
Knit rounds 1 to 11 of the Foot rounds, i.e. wedges 4 and 5.
If you want longer cuffs you can also go on and knit rounds 12 to 14 of the Foot rounds as well (wegdes 6 and 7).

End with about 10 rounds of k2p2-ribbing - knitted with the 2.25mm needles.
Bind off loosely in ribbing pattern.

Second Sock
Knit toe and foot like the first sock, but start the heel on the opposite side, i.e. when knitting the first sock, the instructions told you to start the heel after the half marker (second half of the stitches), so for the second sock you should start it right at the beginning of the round (over the first half of the stitches).

Stjernevanter - Zimtsterne Fingerless Gloves in Danish

Marianne Holmen from strikkeglad.dk has written a Danish translation of the Zimtsterne Fingerless Gloves pattern. Thank you very much or rather "mange tak"!
Here is a link to the Danish version of this pattern on strikkeglad.dk.
The original (English) version can be found here.

A list of all translated versions of my patterns can be found in this blogpost.







This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Sternchen - Star-Shaped Ornament

Now that we're in the middle of November, Christmas decorations are starting to be seen again. To get into the right mood, I tried to a knit small 3-dimensional star. And once I finished one, I couldn't stop and did quite a few more - because they really look cute and it's fun knitting them.
Even though these stars are 3-dimensional they are knitted flat. They have six points, are constructed of short rows and knitted (nearly) all in garter stitch. They come in four sizes and can be used to decorate your house for Christmas.
As to the name, "Sternchen" is the German word for little star.

The pattern is available as a PDF

• via Ravelry 
• via Loveknitting and
• via Payhip

The pattern PDF contains

• a written pattern for all four sizes
• a chart for two sizes
• photo illustrations for various stages of star

Skills
In order to knit one of these stars, you need the following knitting skills:

• Provisional CO
• Short rows with wrap and turn - there is also an explanation how to adapt it to use german short rows
• Grafting in garter stitch
• Grafting in stockinette
• kfb and ssk

Materials

To knit these stars you need

• yarn - leftovers will do, when using fingering weight yarn, I used about 5 grams of yarn to knit a bigger star, with Sports weight it was about 10 grams
• straight knitting needles - I used a size that was a bit too small for the yarn to get a tight texture
• crochet hook and scrap yarn for provisional CO
• stuffing - I used old yarn ends that I had collected from my last knitting projects
• a tapestry needle for grafting and to weave in ends
• one stitch marker

The Right Yarn for the Right Pattern

For #socktober I wanted to knit a pair of short row socks - with a similar toe construction to the Tipsy Toe Socks, but with a bit more of a short row pattern for the main part. At first I wasn't quite sure about the effect I wanted to achieve. That's why I tried it a few times - and with different yarns. But once I had roughly settled for a pattern (or rather a pattern idea), I found out that not every kind of variegated yarn worked for it and - as a general rule - how important it is to choose the right yarn for the right pattern.

Here's how it went for me when trying to knit these socks:

• Upper Left - 1st Attempt: This was my first attempt and done with Lang Yarns Twin Wash - the yarn worked beautifully for the shape I had in mind - especially with the longer dark yarn between the lovely rainbow color changes, but I hadn't quite fixed how exactly the socks were supposed to look. I tried once with a shadow wrap heel and once with a sweet tomato heel, but I wasn't quite happy with both. So in order to save this yarn (i.e. not to frog it too often) I tried the same shape with different yarn. 
• Upper Right - 2nd Attempt: For the 2nd try I used yarn from years ago (to be exact from the second pair of Pieces of Eight Mitts) - a beautiful autumnal dark-green, red and yellow combination of Schoeller+Stahl Fortissima Mexico. When trying the socks with this yarn, I found out that the color change was a bit too long to look nice. I finished the sock anyway, just to frog it later on. But at least I figured out, the actual pattern I wanted to knit.
• Lower Left - 3rd Attempt: So I tried again, with a yarn that had much shorter color changes: a Regia Mosaik Color colorway I bought this year on holiday. The yarn is beautiful, but the lack of longer strands of one color results in a lack of color blocks that you usually get from short rows and therefore the shape wasn't quite visible. But while knitting the tip of this sock, I finally figured out, how to best do the short rows in the round (hint: with shadow-wraps). 
• Lower Right - 4th Attempt: I then dived into my stash again and found some of last year's cheap Aldi yarn. Since I knew what socks pattern and what heel I wanted to knit (plus I had figured out a way to do nice looking short rows in the round), it worked a treat - and I finished a pair of them and I am really happy with the look.

Since the pattern also fits the first yarn I tried it with, I have started another pair with my Lang Yarns Twin Socks yarn. I guess I will also write and publish the pattern for it.

As an aside, this sock was the first time, I tried to use shadow-wrap short rows for something other than a heel - and I really liked how neat they looked.

Finished Objects or Good Train Knitting

Time spent on public transport - especially over longer distances - can be quality knitting time. But when you knit on a train you need a knitting project that is suitable for the environment. For me, a suitable project usually has to fulfil the following criteria:

1. only one skein of yarn is needed
2. the yarn weight is quite light (fingering or below) so
3. no additional knitting accessories are needed (e.g. cable needles, stitch holders ...)
4. the pattern is not too complicated or - even better - it's so easy that you don't need the pattern

Basically the same criteria apply, when I'm knitting something that I have designed myself on the train. But then it must also be so easy that I do not have to take notes while knitting on the train. But in order to have a good self-designed train project, you need some inspiration.

This year, I ran out of inspiration quite a few times - and unfortunately, this coincided with the times I went on longer train journeys. So I had to fall back on knitting somebody else's patterns.

In June - when I went to Zurich, i.e. 2 x 5 hours on the train - I decided on knitting Garnomera's Durkslag (free pattern available on Ravelry).  It's a gorgeous shawl, in half-circle shape with many small holes - so that it looks like a colander (or durkslag in Swedish). I had seen photos of it on instagram a few years ago and loved the look of it. Even though I was quite reluctant to knit something that wasn't designed by myself, I was quite happy once I had started. Plus it beautifully matched the yarn I had (Puk Puk by Bilum).

For my holidays in September I needed something even bigger because I planned to go to the North Sea (about 2 x 6-7 hours by train) and afterwards again to Switzerland. Plus, I wanted to knit something multifunctional, i.e. something that can be worn as a poncho, shrug or scarf - using a skein of Wollmeise Lace (300 grams, about 1500 meters). I bought the pattern for Smooth Sailor by Strickmich (Martina Behm) - a paid pattern available on Ravelry. I did the cast on and the first rows (the part where you actually need the pattern) at home and knitted the rest (really, REALLY easy) during my holidays. I changed the last rows a bit by not knitting a ruffle (as suggested in the pattern) but a garter stitch edge. The piece has a great construction and I love wearing it.

Since both of these projects are knitted with Lace weight light yarn they took quite a while to finish. But I am really happy with both finished objects - and I highly recommend both patterns!
How do you choose which projects you take on a journey?

Pointy Hat

Ever since I went to a Discworld convention a long time ago and saw so many people dressed as wizzards and witches, I wanted a pointy hat. At the time, I couldn't get one and later I didn't have many occasions where a pointy hat would have been useful :-)
But lately I thought about it again and decided that I would knit such a hat for myself - to wear on Halloween and also during carnival.
This pointy hat is really easy to knit and adjustable to your head circumference. The hat knitted top-down and in the round - starting with a cone in plain stockinette and ending with a brim in stockinette with some purl rows (but not quite garter stitch).

This work by Knitting and so on is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.




Materials

• yarn - I used about 80 grams of worsted weight yarn
• knitting needles (dpns or circulars to knit in the round) - I used 2.5 mm circular needles, in any case, use smaller needles than your yarn calls for to get a stiff texture of fabric
• 4 stitch markers
• a tapestry needle to weave in ends

The pattern is written in a way that you can adapt it to any yarn weight. It is important - however - to use needles that are smaller than the yarn usually requires in order to get a very tight fabric. This is necessary to get a hat that supports itself.

Instructions

Cone

CO 6 stitches and join in round. Place a stitch marker to mark the beginning/end of a round.
From now on until the hat fits around your head, you need to increase by one stitch per round at a random point in the round. I used kfb's to increase, but you can use any increase you like.

To get a better distribution of the increases, I did divided the number of stitches into 4 parts (with stitch markers) and would increase in the 1st part in one round, in the 2nd part in next, then in the 3rd, then the 4th and then start again with increasing once in part 1.

Repeat until the hat has a circumference that fits around your head.
Knit about 10 rows without increases and then continue with brim.


Brim

Round 1: * k2, kfb repeat from * until there are fewer than 3 stitches left, k to end
Round 2: k all
Round 3: p all
Round 4: k all
Repeat rounds 2 - 4 three more times or until the brim is as wide as you'd like, then BO.

Cut yarn and weave in ends.

Since the texture is very stiff, the hat stays in shape without any help.
The "hat band" that you see in the photos is actually made up from two lifelines I put in when I was still deciding how to knit the brim (and expecting that I'd have to frog it at least once :). In the end, I quite liked the look so I kept them in.