Knitting

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How to Knit Two Hats at the Same Time

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How to knit two hats at the same time on the same needlesKnitters are so darn clever sometimes I just can’t get over it.

Tammy Lyons, who blogs at Eclectic Technique, was thinking about that fact that it’s possible to knit two socks at the same time on the same needles, one inside the other, and wondered if she could use the same technique to knit two hats at the same time on the same needles.

The answer was of course, and it’s really cool to think about and look at even if you never do it yourself. But should you ever have to knit hats for twins you can have them done at the same time.

She outlines the technique in three posts on her blog (the first is linked here) but you can also get all the details in a PDF from Ravelry.

Admittedly this is a fiddly process that involves lots of moving around of yarn. But it’s kind of a great parlor trick, and, again, if you needed two hats done at the same time for any reason, you would have them. It might be fun to try just once, to say that you had done it.

Is this something you would try? I’d love to hear your thoughts!

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[Photo via Tammy Lyons.]

Comments

  1. It looks cool but I would never do it. It is way too fiddly and would take me SO much longer than just knitting 2 hats separately. I do knit 2 socks at a time magic loop and I think it saves me a little time because I don’t have to measure to make sure I am making them the same length, etc, but I would never do one inside the other, whether hats or socks or whatever!

  2. I’m a two circular items on 2 circular needles kind of gal. In fact, over the summer I knit 3 identical hats for our 3 daughters at the same time on 2 circular needles. Can’t do that with double knitting!

  4. I found a pattern similar to this one, but the hats were worked so it ended up being one reversible hat. I made it for my husband and he said it’s the warmest hat he has ever worn. Now it’s the only one he wears. It is a little more time consuming but well worth it.

Have you read?

Pencil Knitting Patterns

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.