Simple hat knitting pattern

Those of you who know me in real life might know that I like to knit during lectures. The reason for this is that I'm the sort of person who needs something to fiddle with. Additionally, I often donate the hats that I knit, so it kind of kills two birds with one stone!

I have devised a simple hat pattern so that I can knit during lectures and still pay attention. Here is what the hats look like:

The hats are stretchy, so they can fit human heads just as easily as teddy bear heads :)

Now for the pattern... (I'm going to assume that you already know how to knit- if not, you can find lots of tutorials on Google and Youtube.)

YOU WILL NEED

US 5 circular knitting needle
US 5 double-pointed knitting needles (at least 4)
Yarn needle
Double knit (DK) weight yarn

METHOD

With the circular knitting needles, cast on 100 stitches.

Rows 1-10: K1, P1.
Rows 11 onwards: Knit all sts. Continue until work measures at least 18cm from the cast on edge, then start decreasing according to pattern below. (Note: I normally wait until I get home from a lecture before I start decreasing, as that requires more effort than simply knitting every stitch :P)

DECREASING ROWS
Row 1: k2tog. 50 sts remaining.
Row 2: Knit all sts.
Row 3: k2tog. 25 sts remaining. (I like to transfer to double-pointed needles during this step.)
Row 4: Knit all sts.
Row 5: k2tog until last st, K1. 13 sts remaining.
Row 6: Knit all sts.
Row 7: k2tog until last st, K1. 7 sts remaining.

Cut yarn, leaving a ~20cm tail. Using the yarn needle, thread the end through the remaining stitches. Pull tightly and tie in place. Weave in and tie off all loose ends. Your beanie is now complete!

HOW TO SPRUCE UP YOUR BEANIES

Once you're comfortable with the pattern, there are lots of things you can do to make your beanies a bit more special and unique! Here are some things you can try:

• Stripes
• Crochet some flowers and sew them on
• Make a pom-pom: wind some yarn around two fingers ~40 times (not too tightly!). Cut the yarn and then tie the middle part of the loop you've created. After you've tied the middle tightly, remove the yarn from your fingers, cut the loops, and fluff up your new pom-pom :)
• Google some Fair Isle designs and incorporate them into your hat.
• Try a different kind of "brim": for example, do 25 rows of K1, P1 ribbing rather than 10 and fold the bottom edge up.
• Cast on fewer stitches and make a smaller hat for kids.