Long time no blog ~ Free hat pattern Op.18

Dear knitters,

So sorry that I have been occupied by work and homework and couldn't manage to blog and share my long-finished pattern....Op. 18...Why the dinosaur?  er.......... I like the contrast in color....er...

By the way, it's 2014 already.  How're you guys doing?  I hope the warm weather doesn't stop you from knitting.  (Well, it's always cold in SF so I can actually knit throughout the seasons)

Last November  I used some leftover yarns in diverse textures to knit a children's hat.  I would call it uni-sex, so it fits  either boy or girl under 6 years old.

Here is a reward for all your hard work last year: the  Op. 18 toddler's hat pattern.

Please note that the Mochi Plus I used is in rainbow color way.  By chance it is red when I knit Op. 18.  You may want to replace with solid red yarn.  Red does look good in this section though.

Material:

Yarn A ~ Lamb's Pride Worsted ~ Colorway 17 (Heather Grey) ~ 22 yards
Yarn B ~ Mochi Plus ~ Colorway 555 ~ 15 yards
Yarn C ~ Rowan  Felted Tweed Aran ~ Colorway 720 (Pebble) ~ 60 yards
Yarn D ~ Malabrigo Wosted ~ Colorway 27 (Bobby blue) ~ 30 yards

Tools:  US #7 (4.5mm) double-pointed needles
           US #8 (5.0mm) double-pointed needles

Size:  32 (34)cm head size

Gauge:  20 stitches X 27 stitches = 10cm X 10cm

Skills Needed:
Circular knitting, knit, purl, slip with yarn in front, knit 2 together, Bind off

Abbreviation:
K             = Knit
P              = Purl
K...          = Knit for the whole round
K2tog      = Knit 2 together
wyif         = With yarn in front
Slip          = Slip a stitch

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Instruction:

Cast on 60 stitches with Yarn A in round.

Repeat the following  pattern for 5 rounds:

<K2, P2> X15

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Change to  Yarn B

Repeat the following  pattern for 4 rounds:

<K2, P2> X15

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Change to Yarn C and start knitting with US #8 double-pointed needles

Repeat the following pattern for 15 rounds:

K...

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Repeat the following pattern for 2 times:

Round 1: <wyif, sl1, K> X30
Round 2: K...
Round 3: <K, wyif, sl1> X30
Round 4: K...

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Repeat the following pattern for 7 rounds:

K...

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Change to Yarn D
Start the decreasing section:

Round 1:    K...
Round 2:    <K2, K2tog, K2, P3, K2, K2tog, K2> X4          
Round 3:    <K5, P3, K5> X4                                                  (52 stitches)
Round 4:    <K5, P3, K5> X4
Round 5:    <K1, K2tog, K2, P3, K2, K2tog, K1> X4          

Round 6:    <K4, P3, K4> X4                                                   (44 stitches)
Round 7:    <K4, P3, K4> X4
Round 8:    <K4, P3, K4> X4
Round 9:    <K4, P3, K4> X4
Round 10:  <K1, K2tog, K1, P3, K1, K2tog, K1>X4

Round 11:  <K3, P3, K3> X4                                                   (36 stitches)
Round 12:  <K3, P3, K3> X4
Round 13:  <K3, P3, K3> X4
Round 14:  <K3, P3, K3> X4
Round 15:  <K2tog, K1, P3, K1, K2tog> X4

Round 16:  <K2, P3, K2> X4                                                    (28 stitches)
Round 17:  <K2, P3, K2> X4
Round 18:  <K2, P3, K2> X4
Round 19:  <K2, P3, K2> X4
Round 20:  <K2tog, P3, K2tog> X4

Round 21:  <K1, P3, K1> X4                                                    (20 stitches)
Round 22:  <K1, P3, K1> X4
Round 23:  <K1, P3, K1> X4
Round 24:  <K1, P3, K1> X4

Bind off all 20 stitches.

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I hope you guys like this pattern.

HAPPY KNITTING

Op. 11 Hat Pattern

Yo Ho Knitters,

I'm so kind I finally finish this cute hat with an very interest pattern.  

The one you see in the picture is actually no. 2 of it.  I did something differently with the top, and ended up knitting with 3 balls of yarn.   Still, it was not very satisfying.   So I just kept it subtle and started it all over again.  

If you are a fast knitter, you can probably finish this hat within a day.  Learning from my own experience, I would recommend you to count the number of stitches for every row.  I know it's annoying.  But trust me.  It definitely worth spending the time.  

Skills needed for knitting Op. 11 hat are: knit, purl, psso, M1, k2tog, yo, sl 1, knitting in round, cast on, bind off.  I will soon do a tutorial for psso for your convenience.  

Although this hat knitted with Bobby Blue color, Op. 11 is suitable for both boy and girl.  

Op. 11 hat pattern is now available on Ravelry and Etsy.  

HAPPY KNITTING

Bobby Blue 100% Merino

Hi Knitters,

I'm so happy to have a chance to try my hands on the very popular Malabrigo yarn.  This skein is a 100% merino yarn.  So SOFT..... Now I know why people love this yarn so much.

The softness of this yarn makes me decide to knit on a stitch pattern that I didn't do before, something suitable for intermediate knitters, requires k2tog, yo, sl1, and psso....Sounds chanllenging?  I promise you will totally immerse yourself into knitting with this yarn.  

Among the various choices of color, I picked the one I love so much, Aqua.  But the yarn company  cutely name it Bobby Blue. Funny.

But before knitting, I need to make the skein into a ball.  Honestly, I hate doing it!!!!!

Almost forgot to mention:  This yarn is kettle dyed.  
Anyway, Op. 11 hat is on the go! Go go Bobby!!!

HAPPY KNITTING