David’s Black Hat

David was blessed with a large head from my Grandpa and my Dad, and does not like hats that have extra ribbing or length. As he works outside in North Carolina, his hats need to breathe, and his construction work creates all sorts of interesting debris that can get caught in an intricate cable design, so he asked me to knit him the simplest black hat ever. Knitters don’t like simple, so I designed this hat specifically for him.

For supplies you will need:

  • 90 to 100 grams worsted weight yarn – Knit Picks Chroma
  • Size 8 needles
  • Scissors
  • Measuring tape
  • Sewing notions – needle and stitch markers as needed

With your size eight needle cast on 102 stitches.

Remember this hat is for a very large head, so it is an incredibly large hat.

Watch your stitches to make sure they are not twisted and join your work to start knitting in the round.

The ribbing pattern for this hat is a simple *knit 4, purl 2* around.

David does not like a wide brim, so I only did eight rows of ribbing. If you want more, just keep knitting.

Switch to plain knitting for about six inches. This is also when you can customize the hat to be deeper. David likes his hats to fit snug on the top of his head, but if you want a baggy hat just add a couple inches and then start the decreases. There are 14 decrease rows, so plan your hat accordingly.

The decrease rows are as follows:

Knit 8 stitches, knit 2 stitches together, repeat around. On the last four stitches knit four together. (90 stitches remain)

Knit one row.

Knit 7 stitches, knit 2 stitches together, repeat around. (80 stitches remain)

Knit 6 stitches, knit 2 stitches together, repeat around. (70 stitches remain)

Knit one row.

Knit 5 stitches, knit 2 stitches together, repeat around. (60 stitches remain)

Knit 4 stitches, knit 2 stitches together, repeat around. (50 stitches remain)

Knit one row.

Knit 3 stitches, knit 2 stitches together, repeat around. (40 stitches remain)

Knit two rows.

Knit 2 stitches, knit 2 stitches together, repeat around. (30 stitches remain)

Knit 1 stitch, knit 2 stitches together, repeat around. (20 stitches remain)

Knit one row.

Knit 2 stitches together around. (10 stitches remain).

Cut the yarn leaving a six inch tail. Thread the yarn onto your sewing needle and pull it through the remaining stitches. Weave the end through on the inside of your hat.

 

As soon as I finished this hat for David, Mr. MVP insisted he needed one too, so I casted on another one. I’m surprised at how lovely this ridiculously simple, black hat truly is.

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