Knitting: Bridge Hat

Bridge & Beyond is a local charity that collects handmade items for people living on the street, in shelters, or in temporary housing. One of the things they ask for is hats, because Ohio is bloody freezing in the winter. While using up some worsted-weight leftovers from a previous project, I put together this simple pattern for a nice, stretchy hat that should fit a wide range of possible recipients.

Sizes

women's S-M, (men's S-M/women's M-L, Men's M-L)

Materials

about 120 yards of worsted weight yarn - these are a great way to use up leftovers
US 7 / 4.5mm needles (DPNs or circulars, depending on your preferred method of knitting in the round)
Tapestry needle for weaving in ends
8 stitch markers (optional but helpful)

Instructions

Cast on 80 (88, 96) stitches. Place your marker, join in the round (and don't twist anything that shouldn't be twisted).

Work in 1x1 rib for about 5 (5.5, 6) inches.

Work one more round in pattern, placing markers every 10 (11, 12) stitches - you’ll end up with 8 sections of 10 (11,12) stitches each. Note: If you're working with 88 stitches, it's much easier to divide them into alternating 10-stitch and 12-stitch sections.)

Decrease round 1: *ssk, work in pattern to marker*, repeat from * to end of round.
Decrease round 2: work in pattern (knit the knits and purl the purls)
Repeat these two rows until you have 32 (40, 48) stitches left.

Work decrease round 1 every round until you have 8 stitches left.

Cut yarn, thread through stitches, pull top closed.

Weave in ends.

Note

You can make the body of the hat longer, allowing for a folded brim and heavier coverage over the ears. Just be careful when you weave in ends, so they don't show when the brim is folded up. If you're even more careful when weaving in ends, the hat is reversible :-)