From about age eight. A hat is just a square that is sewn into a ring and gathered at the top. When it is finished, your teddy has both a hat and a scarf.
You need
- Chunky yarn, ideally the same as the scarf
- 6 mm needles
- Tape measure
- Darning needle
- Scissors
This is what you learn
- Sewing a flat piece into a ring
- Gathering a top
- Making a pom-pom
Measure your teddy
Put the tape measure round the teddy's head, where the hat is going to sit. Write down the number.
Most soft toys end up between 25 and 35 cm. If you do not have a tape measure, you can use a piece of string and measure it afterwards.
Cast on
Cast on 18 stitches.
That gives the height of the hat. If you want a taller hat with a turn-up, cast on 24.
Knit
Knit all the stitches, back and forth.
Hold the work up against the tape measure now and then. When the strip is as long as the number you wrote down, you are done.
Cast off
Cast off all the stitches. Leave a long tail of yarn hanging — you sew with that.
Sew up
Put the two short ends against each other, so the strip becomes a ring. Make sure it is not twisted.
Sew the ends together with the darning needle. Now the hat is a tube with no top.
Gather the top
This is the trick that turns the square into a hat.
Thread a long piece of yarn onto the darning needle. Sew big stitches along one of the open edges, all the way round — in and out, in and out.
When you have gone all the way round, pull the thread. The edge draws together into a little hole. Pull until it is closed, and tie a good knot.
Pom-pom
Wind yarn round three fingers about fifty times. Slide the bundle carefully off your fingers.
Tie a thread tightly round the middle. Cut open all the loops at both ends.
Shake it, trim it round, and sew it onto the top of the hat.
Well done
Now your teddy's head is not cold either.
Badge: Hat Master
A scarf for your teddy · Back to Learn to knit – for children