About a year and a half ago, as I was rushing through my local Michael’s store to pick up a few supplies, a new type of yarn caught my eye. It was preformed into loops of yarn, removing the need for using knitting needles or crochet hooks. A few of the yarn companies are making this type of yarn – thought the ones offered by Bernat and Red Heart are a chenille type yarn, similar to a very soft blanket yarn. The yarn by Loops and Threads has more of a traditional yarn look and I really like the ombre effect throughout each skein. I was intrigued enough to buy a few skeins and took it home to play around with it. There really is no great magic to this yarn – it is simply connecting loops one over the other just as you would with traditional knitting. In truth it seems to have fallen out of favour rather quickly, now most often being found in the clearance section, but I really like the hat that I was able to make out of it.

What makes this hat great in my eyes?

1) It is quick to put together. I can have a hat completed in 30 minutes or less!

2) I love the ombre effect of this yarn, and the large chunky knit look the finished piece has.

3) Because of the way the loops are preformed, this hat does not have much stretch compared to traditional knit and crochet pieces. I am on my second season of wearing it and it hasn’t loosened up, stretched, or changed shape at all.

Materials:

• 1 skein of Loops and Threads Loops yarn
• large eyed tapestry needle
• scissors

How to make a knit stitch:

This will take a bit of playing around with to get the hang of, but it is super easy and quick once you get going. Basically you just pass the next loop on your working yarn through the loop where you want to place a stitch. I keep the working yarn to the back and my piece to the front – it is the same as with any finger/hand/arm knitting.

Getting started:

You will want to have a tail of yarn at the start that you will be able to weave in when you are done. To create this tail I open the first loop at the end and cut the little string that is holding the loop together. This will undo the loop and create a straight piece of yarn. I do this for the first 3 stitches to get a tail long enough to weave in nicely.

Starting row:

For a women’s size hat you want to count out 28 loops. Making sure the yarn is not twisted, create a circle with the 28th loop beside the 1st loop. When starting the first row you will pass the 29th loop through the 1st loop to create the first knit stitch.

Row 1-10:

Knit 28 stitches around.

Note: because this hat is worked in the round and it works up so quickly I just knit 280 stitches (which is the 10 rows of 28).

Row 11:

*Knit 5 stitches. Knit 2 together. * Repeat to end of row. (24 stitches)

Row 12:

*Knit 4 stitches. Knit 2 together*. Repeat to end of row. (20 stitches)

Row 13:

*Knit 3 stitches. Knit 2 together.* Repeat to end of row. (16 stitches)

Row 14:

*Knit 2 stitches. Knit 2 together.* Repeat to end of row. (12 stitches)

Row 15:

*Knit 1 stitch. Knit 2 together.* Repeat to end of row (8 stitches)

Row 16:

*Knit 2 together.* Repeat to end of row (4 stitches).

Fasten off:

Cut open the next 4 stitches on the working yarn to create a tail for fastening off and weaving in. Cut yarn before the next loop. Weave tail through the 4 remaining loops to secure, pull tight to close and weave end in.

Feel free to make and sell any hats you make, just please remember to give me credit for the pattern. I would love to see any finished pieces so please tag me in your photos!

Happy making!

Britteny