Regan's hat

Back in 2004, my niece was turning 10 years old. To mark the occasion I wanted to knit her a poncho that was the 'hot new thing' to wear to school. I picked a pattern from Easy Knitting magazine that had been in a light pink color. My niece, however, is NOT a pink girl. She likes red and purlpe. I went for red this time.

As the poncho progressed, it just didn't look quite right in a single color and boy was it bright! There was a lot of red there! Starting over adding black for the ridges in the pattern toned it down to a point where dark sunglasses were no longer needed. Even though it was being made with acrylic (Red Heart Kids) so my brother could deal with the laundry easier, Southern California was in the midst of a heat wave! It was 104* while the double stranded poncho was on my lap!

When it was all finished, it seemed to be begging for a hat to complete the outfit. After all, a young lady walking to school needed the whole outfit-right? I've since made this hat up in both the red and black combination and with a white background and each ridge in another color of the rainbow. Feel free to combine your favorite school/team colors, or colors to match a special outfit.

Regan’s Hat
© Cathy Waldie, August, 2004

(US) 7 (4.5mm) 16” (40 cm) circular needle
Stitch marker
Scissors
Chibi needle
2 (or more) colors of worsted weight yarn
~ 2 ¾ hours
Large sized Child’s hat

*sample made with Red Heart Kids

Cast on 90 stitches with black, place marker, join in the round, being careful not to twist.
1-8: K 8 rounds in black (the hat will roll up creating the brim)
9-13: K 5 rounds in red
14: K 1 round in black
15: P 1 round in black
16-43: Repeat rows (9-15) 4 more times for a total of 5 pattern repeats

Begin decrease rows:
44: In Red: Knit around (90 sts)
45: *K7, K2 tog* around (80 sts)
46: *K6, K2 Tog* around (70 sts)
47: Knit around
48: *K5, K2 Tog* around (60 sts)
49: In Black: *K4, K2 Tog* around (50 sts)
50: Purl around
51: In Red: *K3, K2 Tog* around (40 sts)
52: Knit around
53: *K2, K2 Tog* around (30 sts)
54: Knit around
55: *K1, K2 Tog* around (20 sts)
56: In Black: *K2 Tog* around (10 sts)
57: *P2 Tog* around (5 sts)

Cut yarn, leaving a tail 12-18” long. Weave through the remaining stitches on needle, pull tight and secure. Weave in ends.