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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When I first started knitting again after a long absence from the craft (which has now been almost 25 years ago!) I really didn’t like garter stitch that much. I found it super boring, somehow even more boring than knitting stockinette stitch in the round, even though it’s exactly the same thing.

Over the years I’ve softened my opinion, and even grown to like garter stitch. There’s nothing wrong with being plain, and actually the texture of garter stitch is more interesting than stockinette.

Also there are fun things you can do with garter stitch to make it more interesting if you want to, such as adding stripes, working on the bias, or doing fun effects to change the look.

That’s the way with the Bernat Twist My Way Garter Knit Blanket. Using combinations of casting on and binding off creates what they call a Swiss cheese effect along two sides of the blanket. This is a lot of fun in the self-striping ombre yarn they chose for the pattern, but it would also be fun in a solid color or making your own stripes.

Despite the dramatic effect, this pattern is rated easy. It’s worked from side to side (if you consider the “cheesy” edges the top and bottom) and has an eight-row repeat that involves binding off and then casting on again to make the holes. They’re kind of like giant buttonholes.

Once you get the hang of it it’s a pretty easy repeat to remember, and it will be smooth knitting as big as you want to make it.

You can download this pattern from the Yarnspirations website for free, or you can buy a kit direct from them that includes the yarn you need (and knitting needles if you need those, too). Bernat Sport Ombre Twist, which is what is used in the pattern, comes in 12 self patterning colors and is a DK weight acrylic yarn.

[Photo: Yarnspirations]

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