Girl with a pink beanie

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tosh dk geranium pink beanie knitting pattern

You probably need only look at these photos to see why I don’t really wear hats — it’s not the best look for me. But I had this beautiful skein of Tosh DK in a color called Geranium, and for some reason I wanted it to be a hat. For me.

I always thought if I were to ever knit a hat for myself it would be something like Eyen or Hineri, or at least the Dimple. But having settled on pink — and given the ease with which that could get too cute for me — I decided to keep it classic. Just ribbing and stockinette, sized for options: the full-on hipster beanie; slightly rolled for a more subtle slouch; or tidily turned up and snugged down. As it turns out, it looks best on my favorite neighbor:

If anyone wants the specifics, here’s a pattern for you —

CONVERTIBLE BEANIE

Materials: 170 yds of Tosh DK in Geranium; US8 needles (16-inch circular plus DPNs); 6 stitch markers, one of which is different from the others; tapestry needle

Gauge: 21 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

Measurements: Brim circumfererence is approximately 14 inches unstretched, before blocking (fits my 23-inch noggin a bit loosely, as I like it); total height is 11 inches

Directions:

On 16-inch circular needle, cast on 96 stitches

Place the unique stitch marker and join for working in the round

Knit K2/P2 ribbing until brim measures 4 inches

Switch to stockinette: Knit every stitch, every round, until piece measures a total of 8 inches

Decrease setup round: *Knit 14, k2tog, place marker; repeat from * until end of round (your original stitch marker continues to mark the beginning of the round)

Next round: Knit all stitches

Decrease round: *Knit until last two stitches before marker, k2tog, slip marker; *repeat until end of round

Continue alternating one knit round and one decrease round (switching to DPNs as necessary*) until you’ve completed a knit round with 12 stitches on each needle, for a total of 36 stitches

Decrease every subsequent round until you have 2 stitches per needle; cut the tail and, using the tapestry needle, thread it through the last six stitches; pull tight and weave in ends!

*When switching to the DPNs, note that you’ve got six stitch markers — six sets of stitches — and divide them evenly onto 3 needles. You should have one stitch marker in the middle of each needle, so you’ll knit the last two stitches before the marker, then the last two stitches on the needle. Don’t worry if you lose track of that BOR marker; each time you’ve got an equal number of stitches on all three needles, you’ve completed a round.

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Special thanks to my friends Leigh and Sarah for the photos, and to the world’s most agreeable pug.

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UPDATE 01.13.13 — This hat now belongs to fashion designer Gretchen Jones, who looks a million times better in it than I did.

17 thoughts on “Girl with a pink beanie”

  3. I love it. I’ve never made a hat, but I have a big crush on Tosh DK :) which means I MUST try this. :) Thank you for the pattern!

  4. I don’t know why you say you don’t look good in hats! This one suits you beautifully and the pink is perfect.

  6. You’re all very kind, but despite saying that in the post, I still picked the least unflattering of the photos. I’m nowhere near as vain as I once was, but there are still limits to what I can live with, you know?

  7. I also have to tell you all — I was working on this off and on at Stitches, surrounded by knitters, and I can’t tell you how many people stopped to ask me what the yarn was and what I was making with it. It’s really incredibly pretty. I think they were all disappointed that it was going to be a simple stockinette cap.

  8. Pingback: Gretchen Jones looks a million times better in my pink beanie | Fringe Association

  9. Just thought I’d let you know that your lovely website was identified as “possible spam” when I clicked on the link via Pinterest. I opened it in Sandbox just to be on the safe side and found there is no problem. I’m sorry that happened; it may scare away some people who would miss a real treat. I’ll also check out your Pinterest page.

    • Hi, Martha. The blog URL changed last fall, and Pinterest is extremely cautious about URLs with redirects, so it flags all the old pins that were made under the former URL as potential spam. It’s really unfortunate, but nothing can be done about it.

      • Thanks Karen. I’ll add a little note on my pin to that effect. P.S. I love your dog!

  10. There are two kinds of people in this world, those who think they look good wearing hats and those who think they look bad wearing hats. It’s up to you to decide which side you take. LOL
    Thanks for sharing it is a cute hat, love the color.

  11. Pingback: I like to paint and color things. | here's my pot o' gold

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