A Simple Hat with a Handful of Purls

I am not generally a person who minds doing a bit of ribbing at the beginning of a project. Whether it’s a cuff up hat or top down socks, a little bit of ribbing sets the stage and often plays an important role in ensuring a project fits right and stays where it’s supposed to.

But not all ribbing is essential, and sometimes a curled hem on a stockinette stitch project is a wanted touch, not a frustration.

Still, a little bit of purling can give a project a bit more personality, as it does in the Purl Joy Hat from Kamaca Champion. With just six purl stitches per round, this hat gets a fun wedge shape that continues into the decreases at the top of the hat.

It’s a cool effect that works well if you wear the hat with the stockinette side or the reverse side out.

The hat is worked in worsted weight yarn, and as shown uses only about 50-80 grams of yarn, or 108-135 yards, 99 to 123 meters. You could definitely make it with some leftovers from another project, or throw in stripes or color blocking if you want to use more of your leftovers.

If you check out the project gallery on Ravelry you’ll see that it looks pretty great in a multicolored yarn, too. You might even grab a couple of lighter weight yarns to hold together for a totally different look. So many options!

The pattern is available on Ravelry.

If you’re looking for more hat patterns to knit for that colder weather that you know is going to be here before we know it, I actually did a whole roundup of hat knitting patterns using worsted weight yarn leftovers (though of course you can start them with a fresh ball, too, if you’ve got one handy).

[Photo: Kamaca Champion]

Bucket Hat Knitting Patterns

Knitting Patterns that are Full of Heart

Hat Knitting Patterns Using Sock Yarn

Getting ready for back to school makes me think about pencil crafts, so let’s take a look at some pencil themed knitting patterns!

I recently made a pencil on a circular knitting machine, and it was a fun, quick, easy project that uses little bits of leftover yarn (and if you don’t have yellow you can make it a colored pencil using whatever color’s your favorite). And if you want to make a bigger version check out this pattern from Orange Olive Road on Etsy.

If you want to knit a pencil pillow by hand, check out Sketchy, available on Ravelry from Shana S. Cohen. This one uses worsted weight yarn and has two size options and the choice to make a pencil with an eraser or a colored pencil.

Pencil scarves seem to be the most popular kind of pencil knitting pattern, and there are lot of cute ones. This one from Cosy Craft UK mostly uses garter stitch, with some welts to add texture and what looks like an I-cord edging. It calls for DK weight yarn.

If you want to go all garter stitch try this version from Emsley Co Creations, which uses five colors of DK weight yarn and just a little shaping to make the point of the pencil.

There’s also this fun, mostly stockinette so it looks like it curls a bit, pencil pattern that looks like it’s worked in chunky yarn from Little Knits Studio. This one uses just a little garter stitch and easy shaping for the point.

If you don’t want a pencil scarf, how about some pencil socks? The No. 2 Pencil Socks from The Yarn Enabler are available from Ravelry and use five colors of sock yarn. They feature wide ribs to mimic the texture of a pencil and have options to be worked from the top down or the toe up.

Needs Sharpening by Alexander Walker is a free pattern on Ravelry that uses five colors of sock yarn to make a sort of shortie sock. The little bit of black at the tips of the toes inspired the name. These, too, can be worked in either direction and are available in three sizes.

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