Make an Easy Loom Knit Hat

If you don’t already know how to knit hats using knitting needles, you might be a bit intimidated by them. Of course if you don’t want to mess with circular knitting needles you can always knit flat hats and sew up the side, but if you want a seamless hat with a knit look, a great way to go is to use a knitting loom.

Knitting looms come in various sizes to make different kinds of projects. They are usually made of plastic or wood and consist of a base with notched pegs sticking up from the top. You wrap your yarn around the one peg on the side to anchor it, then wrap the yarn twice around each peg, pull one stitch over the other and continue until your project is the size you want.

That’s the super abbreviated version, but if you need more details check out the pattern for loom knit hats from AB Crafty.

This project uses an adjustable loom, which is a fun thing to have because you can lock different pieces together to make different sizes and shapes for different kinds of projects. But you can do this with a standard sized round knitting loom as well (they come in different sizes for different sizes of heads).

This loom knit hat pattern calls for worsted weight yarn, and it shows making a stripe at the bottom, which you can do, or make it a solid color if you would rather. Once you have the basics of this easy knitting method down, you can add as many stripes as you want to make a full on stash busting project, or do a contrasting top or bottom section to make it a little more fun.

You can grab the free pattern from AB Crafty, and they have a loom knit hat sizing chart you can get when you enter your email address, which would be super handy to have if you plan on making a lot of loom knit hats.

[Photo: AB Crafty]

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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