Next USM Item - Hat to Match Scarf

The hat to match the scarves turned out great.  It's disappointing how this yarn, which is mostly dark chocolate brown, photographs like it's light and medium brown.  This Lion Brand Tweed yarn, however, is very dark, rich and masculine-looking (chosen by DH, after all).

Here's how to do it:

1.  Cast-on over 81 stitches on every other needle, knit waste yarn for 6 to 8 rows, then switch to the Tweed and knit 2 rows with Keyplate 1.

2.  Change to Keyplate 2 and put the in-between needles into forward working position and make sure their latches are open.  Knit 12 rows on all the needles.

3.  Drop every other needle.  Latch up by putting the latch tool behind the work, grabbing the 3rd bar up, bringing it down and in front of the first 2 bars and then latching on up the bars above..

This makes a nice, firm ribbing with a rolled bottom edge, like a circular cast-on.

4.  Switch to Keyplate 3 and knit 30 rows.

5.  Starting on the right, transfer 1st stitch to 2nd needle, 3rd stitch to 4th needle, working on across so every other stitch is doubled up.  Put all empty needles out of work.

6.  Knit 6 rows on Keyplate 1.

7.  Drop the stitch off the 3rd needle in work, then leave 3 stitches in work, drop next stitch, on across.

8.  Unravel that first dropped stitch.   After it goes down 6 rows, 2 stitches will start to unravel.  As it unravels down close to the ribbing, slow down and pull the loops out one at a time, stopping at the top of the ribbing.  Insert the latch tool in each of the two open stitches at the top of the ribbing - 2 stitches on the latch tool - and then pull the 2 loops above that spot through the loops on the latch tool.  Now latch up, two loops through two loops all the way to the drop of the hat, ending with latching through the last loop and then putting it on the empty needle above it.  Repeat this procedure with all the dropped stitches.

9.  Cut the yarn, leaving a couple feet for seaming.  Thread it on a needle, and run the needle through the stitches on the machine, pulling them off the needles one by one.  Draw up the top.  Mattresss stitch the side seam.

The top of the hat does not look lumpy and gathered - it's nicely tapered, almost as if you did a bunch of shaping.

Tomorrow's turkey day, but maybe I'll get a chance to film the knitting of a hat.