This is a project that started this summer when I wanted to make my SIL a cute knit hat for their due-soon baby. I made hers, which turned out adorable, and of course Pixie wanted one. So I sized up the pattern and made a matching one for her in the same cotton ease yarn. Well then Fairy wanted one too. So I upped the pattern another size and tested it with a different yarn… the self striping yarn worked beautifully. I just love the way it looks on top. So now I want one… see how this goes. LOL. I have to finish Bug’s first though… just cast on this morning in a dark green/gray yarn he chose. Here is our Twirl and Tie Knit Cap Pattern (tie optional) for Babies to Adults. Happy Fall Knitting!
Twirl and Tie Knit Cap Pattern Materials:
- Gauge: 11 stitches in stockenette = 2 inches
- Size 8 DPNs
- 1 Skein Worsted Weight Yarn (you might need a little more for the L and XL)
- Shown in Lion Brand Cotton Ease and Lion Brand Amazing
Twirl and Tie Knit Cap Pattern Directions:
sizes: Baby (S, M, L, XL)
Cast on 72sts (84, 96, 108, 120)
Join in Round, careful not to twist
Rib Edge: Work in K2 P1 rib stitch for 6 (6, 6, 9, 9)rows.
Body – Every Row: (SSK, K2, YO, K2) Repeat to end… work in this twirl pattern until the cap measures 4.5 (5, 6.25, 7.25, 8) inches from edge.
Top Shaping:
Row 1: (SSK, K2, YO, K2T) Repeat to end. You will have 60 (70, 80, 90, 100) stitches remaining.
Row 2: (SSK, K2, YO, K1) Repeat to end.
Row 3: (SSK, K2T, YO, K1) Repeat to end. You will have 48 (56, 64, 72, 80) stitches remaining.
Row 4: (SSK, K1, YO, K1) Repeat to end.
Row 5: (SSK, K2) Repeat to end. You will have 36 (42, 48, 54, 60) stitches remaining.
Row 6: (SSK, KI) Repeat to end. You will have 24 (28, 32, 36, 40) stitches remaining.
Row 7: (SSK) Repeat to end. You will have 12 (14, 16, 18, 20) stitches remaining.
Row 8: (SSK) Repeat to end. You will have 6 (7, 8, 9, 10) stitches remaining.
Optional Tie: You can either cut you yarn now and pull through your last 6 (7, 8, 9, 10) sts for a finished cap or you can K around for 20 (20, 24, 24, 28) rows to create the cute tie top. After the 20 (20, 24, 24, 28) K rows, cut the yarn , pull through the 6 (7, 8, 9, 10) sts and then tie the cord into a knot.
SSK – Slip, Slip, Knit the two stitches you just slipped together.
YO – Yarn Over
K2T – Knit two together.
Pixie is modeling a size small with optional tie in Lion Brand Cotton Ease. Fairy is modeling a size medium (btw – med fits me) in Lion Brand Amazing. Add it to your Ravelry queue!
No matter which version or size you make, the Twirl and Tie Knit Cap Pattern is a great way to showcase your self striping yarn.
How hard is it to transition to dp needles? I just started knitting last winter and have made so many scarves. I’m ready to try something more challenging but do you need more experience with knitting mittens and sweaters before using dps? I so want to try this but I don’t handle failure well, hehe.
The biggest trick with DPNs is not twisting your stitches when you join in a circle and just figuring how to get comfortable handling the needles and keeping your gauge even between needles. Otherwise it really isn’t any different that knitting flat with the wonderful advantage of no seaming when you are done. But I don’t think I would recommend this pattern for your first time knitting in the round. I would probably stick to a stockinette stitched hat… with maybe just a little ribbing on the edge… or straight stockinette a let the edge roll. That way you can just concentrate on handling the needles and not worry about the lace pattern.
Here is a free stockinette stitch hat pattern on Lion Brand’s site. Try something like this even skipping the stripes the first time.
http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/70057AD.html?noImages=
Thanks Michelle. I’m going out and get some dps right now. I’ll try the hat you suggested. I really want to learn and it does sound easier. I’ll keep you posted!
So I went out and got the needles and settled in for an evening of knitting. After 2 frustrating hours I FINALLY got it! After those first 2 or 3 rounds it’s like regular knitting. I was having trouble twisting the needles and pushing off the back of the needle. But now it’s all good. It’s exciting to think of the new patterns I’ll be able to knit. Thanks for the inspiration! Love you guys!
Cool – yeah, once you get going it really isn’t any different. And yes getting used to dpns does open up a whole bunch of new patterns… hats, socks, toys… I hate seaming so I convert any patterns I can to knitting in the round. Have fun!
Love this – been looking high and low for a pattern like this that uses SSK’s instead of K2TOG’s!!! You Rock!
I haven’t knitted a hat in maybe a year, but this hat is so beautiful. I would love to make one for me, and I might try to make on for my oldest boy. Thank you for sharing.
Wow, how lovely! Did you knit the brown top as well? Thanks for the pattern – I’ve been looking for something different!
No the top was store bought… but I owe her a handmade top. The last one I made for her ended up being better suited for Pixie. The crafty advantage of having 2 girls, 2 years apart… if something I make doesn’t fit one… it is bound to fit the other.
What a sweet alternative to the simple roll brim hat I have been making.
Thank you for sharing. Your hats look terrific.
Warm wishes, Tonya
The cap is adorable, and so are the models! I can’t wait to try it.
Love it! And so cute models 🙂 I must start knitting again…
wow you gals never cease to amaze me.. this is on my to-do list now!
Thank you for sharing this pattern. You are very generous.
Hi, this is Jess from Lion Brand. I just wanted to drop by and tell you how gorgeous your hats are! I especially love the way the stripes of Amazing look with the spiral pattern of the hat. Keep up the fantastic work!
With warm regards,
Jess H.
Lion Brand Yarn
I finished the hat in Amazing Berry, and I just love it! It’s neat how the stripes turn out like diamonds, so it almost has an “entralac” look about it. I can’t wait to try another.
I made the extra large, and probably didn’t swatch first (oops!) so it’s a bit big. I was worried I would run out of yarn, so I started the crown decrease at about 6.25″. I about 7 yards left, so I probably could have done 2 more rounds. However, I think the hat is long enough.
My daughter thinks it looks just as neat inside out. Give it a try!
Thanks for a great pattern. I think it will become a standard, rather than a plain stockinette or all rib hat. Now if only my scattered brain could keep better track of those 6 stitches!
I LOVE this hat. I have a question, Can I knit it on a circular needle then change to DPNs when it gets too small? And if so what length of circular would I use?
Of course you can… if you are more comfortable that way. Not sure what size I would recommend though. I personally prefer just working with the DPNs for such a small project… probably the smallest circulars you have. Good luck with it.
In Top Shaping after row 5 there should be 24 (28, 32, 36, 40) stitches remaining, no? That’s what I have. And at the end I have half of what I should… I can’t figure out where I’ve made a mistake. Hope it won’t look funny 🙂
Reguardless it was not a boring pattern and very easy to follow. Thank you, I love my new hat :0)
I think maybe you did SSK, K2T instead of SSK, K2. Because the stitch count you listed would be reducing the stitches by 2 every pattern. With the SSK, K2 round you should still have 3 stitches per pattern after row 5. Basically it would mean you just skipped one row and your ending tie (if you made the opt tie) would be a bit narrower but should still look ok.
I need to make a few of these for Christmas gifts and will be revisiting the pattern shortly and will double check the numbers. Did anyone else run into this?
I have just finished another one of these pretties in a smaller size, and you are right! I started making the same mistake in this hat, but cought myself early enough to fix it. The other one turned out ok too, you can’t even tell 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
In the body section, why are there 6 measurements for how tall to knit the hat, when there are only 5 sizes? Which one goes with each size? I love this hat and each of my girls want one.
Hmm… not sure how that happened… ignore the last number. I will go delete it actually. And just fyi… the Med my 6 year old is wearing also fits me.
After translations I’m gonna give this hat a try. It’s great! thanks for sharing the pattern.
How long should the I-cord be that ties the 2 mittens together. Both patterns are great…. fast and easy.
Great hat! I knit the baby version. How old is Pixie? I want to know if size small will work for my little brother.
Thanks… glad you like the pattern. The photos were taken just before Pixie's 4th bday but I believe the hat still fits this year. She is a little small for her age. I made the med for my 6 and 8 yr old… due to the stretchiness of the pattern… the med fits me too.
Thank you so much! That really helped.
The hat is too cute!! Love it 🙂
Thanks for such a wonderful pattern. It has become this years Holiday go to.
This is such a great pattern! I just reviewed it on my blog with an adaption and some pictures!!
http://knittingpatternreview.blogspot.com/2012/10/wee-fold-arts-twirl-and-tie-cap.html
Hi I love this hat! I want to knit it, however at this time I only use straight needles. Will I get the same result if I do it on straights and sew the seam??
MIchelle designed this pattern, but since she is knee deep in preparing the Thanksgiving turkey, I doubt she'll be on in the next day, so I'll answer for her. Because of the swirling affect, I don't believe you'd be able to create the same look. Although there are ways to knit a rib stitch on a diagonal, it would take a complete reworking of the pattern, and I'm still not sure you'd get the right results. If Michelle has any suggestions, she'll be sure to follow this up. Of course, my suggestion is to take the plunge and start knitting in the round 🙂 It's a little confusing getting started, but it will open a whole new world of possibilities. I taught a friend how to knit, and by her third project, she wanted to use dpn and she did great. A little tricky getting started, but worth the effort. Again, I will make sure Michelle does answer if she has anything else to add 🙂
I LOVE this hat pattern and can’t wait to get started on it for my daughter! I read through the pattern and all the comments but am still confused on the sizing… Would a small work for a toddler or is there a missing size between baby and small? Each size is an extra 12 stitches cast on, so the pattern doesn’t seem have skipped a size (unless a toddler would be better with 78 – 6 stitches extra and between baby and small). I know the comments mentioned that the girl in the size small is just shy of 4 years old in the picture, so I’m wondering if the small would be too big for a toddler? My daughter is 19 months and I plan to find a matching gauge in blank yarn because I am a natural dye artist and would like to hand dye the yarn myself for her hat… So I really want to be sure I get the sizing right as there is more time and energy going into it than just the knitting. My other option is to knit it up in both sizes with mordanted (but undyed) yarn and dye it after with an hombre fade, but I would prefer to pre dye a self striping skein.
Thanks so much for this pattern & for your help!
Rebekah
I would suggest trying the small. You could also check out the notes people have recorded on Ravelry. Many people have made it so you might get a better since of how the sizing works up for a variety of different people if you go there. Enjoy.
i am knitting this and have holes left with my YO. i don’t see holes in your hats and am doing the stitch correctly as far as i can tell. how do you do the YO?
thanks!
The YOs do create a lace type stitch or a "hole" in your work. They don't really seem like holes as you continue the pattern and the twist starts working. If you are getting really big holes your gauge may be too loose… try using smaller needles. HTH.
I’ve been thinking about knitting this for an adult but using chunkier yarn and 8 mm needles. Any advice? I’ve never really adapted a pattern before but I think the yarn I have will look beautiful in this swirl. The gauge for my yarn says 11 stitches for 4 inches so I would just use half as many stitches as I would normally, right?
My first knitting project ever, and it came out great! Adorable hat!
Love, love, love this hat!! Thank you for sharing!
[…] awhile ago I made a Twirl and Tie hat for my little niece… while we were eagerly awaiting her arrival. The hat seems to be getting […]
I just found this pattern and I love it. I am working on kn itting hat/scarf combos for the Maine Winter Special Olympics 2020. I follow directions well, but am not creative enough to repurpose this hat pattern into a scarf. Can you give me any ideas… Thanks…
I have not made this pattern flat, but here is what I would try.
Cast on a number of stitches divisible by 6 plus 8. For example CO 32 sts (6X4 repeats plus 4 on either side for a border). Place markers after the border stitches (in this case 4) and every 6 stitches. Knit 4-6 rows. Then always knit the border stitches but follow the pattern inside the border on the odd rows (SSK, K2, YO, K2) 4 times. On the even rows knit the border and purl the pattern stitches (24sts). Continue until you have reached the desired length. Knit 4-6 rows to match your beginning border. Bind off. You may need to play with the number of stitches to give you the width that you want, but this should give you a place to start. Good luck!
Thank you so much for your reply to my email. In my not so experienced pattern making mind 🙂 that’s what I was picturing. I will let you know how that goes. I love this hat pattern.
Well, I tried knitting a scarf flat, but did not like the outcome, so I put 54 stitches on double pointed needles and knit it that way. It’s like having the scarf already folded in half. I wish I could figure out how to send you a photo.