Looking for basic hat pattern for SUPER FINE weight yarn

[menschlet]

Hiya--I am looking for a pattern for a beginning knitter.  She's been working with big fat chunky yarn, but we also bought some very lovely self-patterning yarn that's super fine (1, sock, or fingering) weight.  I can find tons of patterns for socks using this sock-weight yarn, but am coming up short on hats!  She'd like to make a hat/cap for a pal

Comments

[lady_ceres]

This hat looks pretty easy.

[sarakate]

One thing to consider with self-patterning yarn is that the patterning is designed for rows or rounds that are roughly 8" -- if you're doing something much larger, then the sections of each color are going to be considerably shorter, and may even be less than a full row. Handpaints will generally still work very nicely, but something like a faux-jacquard patterning may give rather disappointing results in a hat, which is 2.5 times bigger around than a sock, more or less.

You might want to suggest that she try something like the Sideways Cap from Sandi Rosner's Not Just Socks, or the Bias Hat from the same author's Not Just More Socks. These are more complicated than a simple beanie, but not an enormous leap, and they really look amazing in the self-patterning yarns, instead of looking rather blah as a plain round cap can do in these yarns.

[robinhoodvandal]

I made a hat out of opal self patterning sock yarn that came out really nicely, so in that case it worked very well.

[loique]

do you belong to ravelry.com if not.. go and sign up.. free membership.. you can put in the yarn you have and see all the projects that have been done with it. Many patterns are free!!!! It is an awesome website... Happy Knitting

[woolygrrl]

Measure the head. Make a swatch. Do some math. Cast on per your math. Knit a few inches of ribbing, switch to stockinette, decrease when the thing is long enough.

Presto, a cap!

Many thanks!

[menschlet]

Thank you all for the helpful tips! Sarakate, it occurred to me too that the patterning is probably *scaled* for something like a sock. I thought maybe we might try something like wristlets or leg-warmers, avoiding the challenge of heels or fingers! but keeping to a shorter repeat.
But we'll hang onto the hat suggestions for, ahem, another skein from the stash.

[mwknitter]

this free pattern from Elann is designed for sock yarn: http://www.elann.com/ShowFreePattern.asp?Id=266024 I have made it several times for my grands & great nephews & they love them. It is especially warm & great for cold Chicago winters. If she doesn't want the extra thickness which makes it so appropriate for cold winter weather, she could just do a regular cast on & as much ribbing as she likes & then knit just one layer. (What you do with this hat is do a provisional cast on, knit for several inches, decrease & cast off. Then you pick up the stitches from the provisional cast on & knit the identical hat. So you have a double thick hat with 4 layers over the ears when you turn up a cuff.) They show it in solids but, every one I've made has been in self patterning yarns & they look great. Non-knitters are always impressed - even when I explain how the yarn does all the patterning they seem to not quite "get it."