Silly Earhat Family

The holidays are coming and it is gift/winter hat season. The best thing to do is (obviously) to knit somewhat embarrassing to wear, brightly colored hats for everyone. But not just any silly hat is good enough. If you want people to wear your silly hat it has to have a certain level of cuteness, which means it should probably look like an animal.

Three years ago when I began to contemplate the balance between animal cuteness and abstraction, I came up with this hat. It shows no species bias in its representation of animal characteristics, and it still has cute fluffy ears.

The pattern has taken a while for me to remember, write down, and size. But finally it is all here.

Silly Earhat Family

You will need:

Size 8 double pointed needles, and optionally a pair or circular 16" #8s

100-200 yards of Patons Classic Wool, Cascade 220 wool, or another worsted weight yarn.

A hand full of poly-fill

Gauge is 20 stitches and 26 rows for a 4" square

Stripes shown in the picture are improvised and varied, but can be added to the pattern. It is a great way to use up some scraps of yarn.

Instructions will make a hat to fit a 21-23" adult L, 19-21" adult S/M, 17-19" kids or adult XS, 15-17" toddler.  

Hat Body:

cast on 90 (80, 70, 60)stitches

Knit 7 (6, 5, 4)  rounds

Purl 1 round

Knit 7 (6, 5, 4) rounds

Knit 1 round picking up cast on edge to form the hem. If you have trouble with hems, this article will help.

K9 (8, 7, 6), M1 x 10, you will have 100 (90, 80, 70)

Knit 22 (20, 18, 15) rounds

K18 (16, 14, 12),  k2tog x 5

Knit 1  round

K28 (25, 22, 19) K9 (8,7,6) with waste yarn, then slip the provisional stitches back to the first needle,  K30 (27, 24, 21)  K9 (8,7,6) with waste yarn, slip the provisional stitches back to the first needle, K37 (33, 29, 25)

K17 (15,13,11) k2tog x 5

Knit 1 round

K16 (14, 12, 10) k2tog x 5

Knit 1 round

K15 (13, 11, 9) k2tog x 5

Knit 1 round

K14 (12, 10, 8)  k2tog

Knit 1 round

K13 (11, 9, 7)  k2tog

K12 (10, 8, 6)  k2tog

Continue to decrease 5 per row every row in the established pattern until 10 stitches remain. Break yarn and pull through.

Ears - there are two of them:

Remove waste yarn, picking up 18, 16, 14, 12 stitches plus an extra 2 in each corner distributing the stitches equally between 3 needles

knit 14, 12, 11, 9 rounds

K4, 3, 3, 2 k2tog, K3, 3, 2, 2, k2tog, K4, 3, 3, 2, K2tog, K3, 3, 2, 2, k2tog

Knit 1 round

K3, 2, 2, 1, k2tog, K2, 2, 1, 1, k2tog, K3, 2, 2, 1,  k2tog, K2, 2, 1, 1 k2tog

break yarn and pull through for smallest 2 sizes.

K2,1,  k2tog  K 1,1 k2tog, k 2, 1, k2tog, k1,1, k2tog

break yarn and pull through.

Put some poly-fill in the ears so that they are round and squishy. It will stay in on its own, you do not need to sew or line anything.

Good luck with your new hats. If you like this pattern, visit me on ravelry to post your finished object or to look at my other patterns.