Monday, February 6, 2012

Knitting! Hoot the Owl Toque Pattern



My newborn nephew models the hat!


This is a new pattern that I developed for my 2-and-a-half-year old nephew, and liked it so much I made it for my newborn nephew and my 7 month niece! This pattern includes both knitting and crochet, although you could easily forgo the crochet part and make the eyes and beak out of felt instead. Make sure you measure your child's head circumference and choose the size that fits closest. I do not have a child at home to measure the sizes by, and every child has a very different sized head. Use the gauge to determine if you need to add or subtract a few stitches to make the hat fit your child better.

Yarn: I used a chunky weight yarn in brown tweed for the main part of the hat (unfortunately it is a thrift store find, so I don't know the name or amount, but each size hat uses less than an average sized skein). I also used a small amount of chunky weight yarn in black, white, and orange for the eyes and beak.

Needles and hooks: The main body of the hat is knit using 5mm double pointed needles or circular needles. The crocheted eyes and beak use 5mm (H/8) hook.

Gauge: 3st = 1inch in stockinette stitch

Sizes: Small [newborn to 5 months, roughly 15 inch head circumference], (Medium [6 months to a year, 16-17inches], Large [a year to 2 years, 17-19 inches]). The sizes will be written in the pattern as follows: S(M, L).

Abbreviations:
ch: chain
dec: decrease (for crochet)
dpns: double pointed needles
k: knit
k2tog: Knit two stitches together
p: purl
sc: single crochet
ssk: slip, slip, knit (individually slip 2 stitches knitwise and knit them together)
st: stitch

Pattern:
Hat:
With 5mm dpns or circular needles, cast on 40st(50, 58) in brown yarn and join in the round, being careful not to twist work.
Row1: knit 1, purl 1 around. Continue in k1 x p1 ribbing pattern until work measures 1"(1.5", 1.5")
Next row: Knit all stitches in the round until work measures 5.5"(5.75", 6.25") from beginning. Bind off.
Sew a straight seam along the top of the hat on the right side (a slip stitch crochet seam gives a nice firm seam that will help the "ears" stand up). See the diagram at the bottom.

Ear Flaps:
Rejoin the brown yarn roughly 0.5" from the side edge of the front of the hat.
Row 1: Using 5mm needles, pick up and knit 10 stitches.
Row 2 and all even rows: purl all stitches
Row 3: knit all stitches
Row 5: k1, k2tog, k4, ssk, k1
Row 7:k1, k2tog, k2, ssk, k1
Row 9: k1, k2tog, ssk, k1
Row 10: purl all stitches, bind off.

Weave in 9 long strands of yarn in the bound-off edge, braid them, and tie them off in a knot and trim ends to form a tassel.

Attach a second earflap in the same position on the opposite side of the hat (making sure that the knit side is on the right side of the hat), following the pattern in the same way. (The ear flaps should be closer together in the back than in the front of the hat). See the diagram at the bottom.

Weave in all ends of the hat.

Crochet
Remember, if you don't know how to do crochet, you can always make the eyes and beak out of felt and sew them on.

Eyes:
Using a 5 mm crochet hook, ch 3 in black yarn and join in a circle using a slip stitch.
Row 1: Work 7 sc into the ring
Row 2: Switch to white yarn. Use a stitch marker to mark the beginning of each row. Work *one sc into the first sc, work 2 sc into the next sc*. Continue to work from * to * around the circle until you have completed a total of 3 rows in white. Fasten off, leaving a long tail to sew the eye onto the hat, weaving in the other ends.
Repeat to make the second eye.

Beak:
Using a 5mm crochet hook and orange yarn, ch6
Row 1: Work 5 sc (starting in the second chain from hook)
Row 2:ch1, turn. Dec 1 stitch, sc in nect sc, dec 1 stitch.
Row 3: ch1, turn. Dec 1 stitch, sc in next sc.
Row 4: ch 1, turn. Dec 1. Fasten off, leaving a long tail to sew beak onto hat. Weave in the other end.

Finishing:
Position eyes and beak where you want them on the front of the hat and sew them on using a finishing needle, weaving in any extra ends. See the diagram below.

(Click on the image to make it larger)



I hope you enjoy it! If you notice any mistakes or if you have any suggestions, please please let me know!!!

7 comments:

  1. This is very adorable, I am gathering supplies to make this hat. thanks for such a cute pattern

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thank you for the wonderful pattern - see my blog post about it: http://wayoutwear.blogspot.ca/2013/01/happy-birthday-janis.html

    I've put it on my Etsy site to sell - if that's not okay with you - please let me know and I'll remove it. Thanks again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. My Little Corner- That's great! Go for it. I checked out your post too. Very cute hat!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks Kris - very nice of you to say - I couldn't do it without you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a darling little hat! I love how the boxy shape creats the "ears".

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...