Make Your Hat Extra Cozy with Felting

September 11, 2023 by Sarah White Leave a Comment

I don’t write about felting your knitting all that often, which is weird because my first book was all about felting. It’s one of those things that I think was popular for a while maybe like 10 or more years ago and its time hasn’t come around again yet, but felting is a great way to make knitting warmer, more durable, thicker and more protective from the elements.

A great way to try felting is on a small project like the Felt Tip Toque pattern from Kiyomi Burgin. This simple wool hat is worked in super fine yarn and has a long brim that can be folded over once or twice to give different looks. cx

The pattern has three sizes, which come out after felting to something around 20, 21.5 and 23 inches, which should fit a range of kids, teens and adults. Of course you can always felt your hat a little more or a little less if you happen to have the head you’re trying to fit handy so that you can get just the size you’re looking for.

Using lightweight yarn means that even after felting this hat will still be lightweight and have a bit of flexibility, which is why the brim can still be folded and adjusted once the felting is done. It’s worked in the round from the bottom up and you can also adjust the pre-felting length if you like.

It also has a little bit of I-cord at the top, which adds a bit of cuteness.

Head to the project page on Ravelry to see different sizes of hats worn on the same head so you can decide how you would like to knit it for yourself. It also gives a lot of suggestions for yarn you can use (it needs to be animal fiber and not superwaash, of course) and recommends felting by hand.

You can get the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Kiyomi Burgin]

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Use Your Sock Yarn Scraps to Knit a Colorful Scarf

Using your yarn stash is important to me throughout the year, but as I start to feel the end of the year coming on I get more excited about using things I already have in the house. Maybe that’s because I don’t want to go to a store in the thick of holiday shopping times, or I like the idea of having a little space in my stash when the new year rolls around.

It’s super satisfying to use up all the little odd balls you’ve made over the year (or years), and I have several stash busting blankets I work on when it’s cold and will maybe finish someday.

If you’d like to start a stash busting project that’s perfect for using up odd balls, check out the Soukish pattern from Neisha Abdulla. This pattern is made for fingering weight/sock yarn, and it’s worked in a tube with allover color work.

This is great for a couple of reasons. You don’t really have to weave in your ends when you can hide them in a tube (this is one time you might even get by just tying a knot when you change colors!) and you can change colors whenever you run out of yarn and it will look good.

Of course the pattern is made with blocks where the designer changed colors, but you can change yours more or less often as you need to make it work for your stash. You can use blank charts to design your own color combinations, or even your own stitch patterns if you like. You can also adjust the length of the scarf as needed or turn it into a cowl based on the amount of yarn you have.

This project looks like a lot of fun and would be a great thing to have on hand to stitch up and then to wear during the cold, gloomy months.

You can get a copy of the pattern on Ravelry.

[Photo: Neisha Abdulla]

Another Way to Use Up All Your Sock Yarn Scraps

Gather Your Scraps for a Fun Wrap

A Scrappy Shawl Knitting Pattern to Use All Your Odd Balls

Use All Your Yarn Scraps on This Great Cardigan Knitting Pattern

Next Pattern:

Have you read?

Leave a Reply