Gift-Making: Lightweight Hats
It's here! The season some of us love, the season that makes some of us panic, but the season that pushes all of us to think about making gifts for those we love. For the crowd that loves it and actually begins making things now (as opposed to the people like me who briefly think about it and then decide there are still WEEKS left until Christmas and who worries about this now anyway), this post is for you. We have curated a collection of beautiful knit and crocheted hats of which you will enjoy every tiny little stitch, and the lucky recipient will want to wear every day.
Oslo, Mohair Edition by Petiteknit
A strand of Sunday and a strand of Sensai are held together to create a soft, warm cloud on the head. The doubled brim combine with the body of the hat to make 3 layers of cozy fabric over the ears. We have loads of great Sunday/Sensai color combinations, or you could choose Brooklyn Tweed Loft with the Sensai for a tweedy, more rustic look. (We would be happy to help you match up colors over the phone or via email if you can't make it into the shop, don't hesitate to reach out!). If you would prefer this hat without the fuzz, give the original Oslo Hat pattern a look....You could use a single strand of delicious Double Sunday for that pattern to achieve a less ethereal looking hat. Both patterns are available on Ravelry.
Decision Fatigue by the Stix Chix
Can't decide if your giftee wants a green hat or an orange hat? Ribbing or stockinette? Too many decisions and you just can't handle the pressure?!? We have got you covered with this hat. It features a simple stockinette side as well as a ribbed side; it's completely reversible for whatever mood strikes the wearer.
The design begins with a provisional cast on for the stockinette side, which you later unravel to place your stitches back on the needle to complete the ribbed layer. No seams, no wrong decisions, no worries! We used Sunday for both layers of our hat, but you could choose Isager Alpaca 2 for one or both of the layers if you'd like to add a bit of extra warmth. You'll need one ball of each color. As a gift to you, when you purchase 2 balls of Sunday for the hat, you can put this pattern in your cart as well and use the code DECISIONFATIGUE in the checkout and the pattern will be free!
Wexford Hat by Anne-Michelle Phelan
This crochet hat will be a wardrobe staple for your giftee. It features an unusual center-insert single crochet stitch, which makes for a squishy fabric that slightly resembles knit stockinette stitch. Working loosley is VERY important in mastering this stitch. I found it to be a bit of a challenge, so don't stress too much if you don't find it enjoyable to work. You could substitute regular single crochets and the hat will turn out just as adorable and functional as this one; it will just look a bit different. No one will know but you and your crochet hook and hooks are known for not giving away your secrets. Again, we used Sunday for our hat, but other great choices would be Sisu, Loft, Isager Alpaca 2 or any of our lovely locally dyed fingering weight yarns. The pattern is available on Ravelry.
Louise by the Stix Chix
Delicate and fuzzy, this hat is fun and easy to crochet and goes quickly even thought it uses tiny yarn. For the hat pictured above, we held a color of Sensai throughout, and alternated each row 2 shades of Alpaca 2 for the stripy shells. It is lovely with just one shade of Alpaca 2 and Sensai as well.
The hat begins at the center top and works down to the brim, so you can make it as slouchy as you'd like. Again with this pattern, when you put a ball of Sensai and a ball of Alpaca 2 in your cart along with the pattern, use the code LOUISEHAT in the checkout and the pattern will be free!
Join us again next week for more great gift ideas. As the chart at the top of this post suggests, the needle and hook sizes will get bigger with each passing week!