Tot Toppers

EVERY-day Week Pattern #1: Toasty Waffle Hat

What better way to kick off 1-EVERY-day week than with a new hat design!

I am a general optimist when going into photo days, especially when I manage to have complimentary samples. Visions of precious shots where my kids are loving on each other and smiling and so proud of their knitwear dance in my head!  That shot is missing from this design :) On the bright side, the pictures do a great job of showing off the cute detail of this easy and fast project. Thanks once again to Sara Parker Photography for always doing such beautiful work.

Big-boy Jesse is wearing the 2-color version.  The pattern tells you how to do it this way, or you can just skip the color changes for (whiny) little-man Charlie’s single color chocolate waffle. It was really quite unlike him to be at a level of uncooperativeness where the shot below was the best we could get.  Sigh!

If you saw my post last week, you’ll know that this week’s designs all feature O-Wool yarn.  My first experience with O-Wool was several years ago, when I started knitting hats for KD’S Treehouse, a very unique and adorable local kids shop. They are a GREEN store and I only use organic materials when I knit for them. At TNNA in January, I had a chance to meet Jocelyn who runs Tunney Wool Company (and now O-Wool) and I was thrilled at the opportunity to contribute some kids patterns to their fall line.  So that’s what this week is all about.  Sorry to make you think fall when its just turning spring.  But, the two transitional seasons have a lot in common as for what knits are wearable so I thought I should just get them on out to you.

A little more detail on the hat…It is worked up in O-Wool Classic Worsted.  Like all my ear flap style caps so far, you’ll work the flaps first, back and forth.  Then you knit them into the cast-on round.  The Waffle stitch pattern I used is super easy to memorize but gives a nice stretchy texture.  Its a modified rib, so that also helps for it to grow even more than knits normally do with your child.  A crochet edging around the flaps cleans it up and finishes it nicely.  If you are a beginning knitter there is NO REASON why you can’t successfully work this project!

I really hope you like the Waffle stitch because hint-hint–there’s more where that came from!

Knitter’s information
Size: Newborn(6 months, 12 months, Toddler, Child)
Finished Circumference: 10(12, 14, 16, 18) inches
Fits up to: 13(15, 17, 19, 21) inches
Gauge: 18 sts and 24 rows per 4 inches in stockinette
Tools: Size 7(4.5mm) 16″ circular needles and set of 5 DPNs,crochet hook, stitch marker
Yarn: O-Wool Classic Worsted [100% certified organic merinowool; 99 yards/90 meters per 1.8 ounce/50 gram skein]

• For 2-color version [shown in Child]: 1 skein each “Willow”and “Peacock” or 23(30, 40, 40, 65) yards A and 22(30, 35,45, 55) yards B
• For solid version [shown in Toddler]: 1 skein “Chocolate” or45(60, 75, 95, 120) yards
  

They may be goofballs, but they are my little goofballs!

Oh are you still reading? You must be waiting to see WHO WINS.

I’m giving away 2 copies of every pattern I release this week to members of my mailing list.  For full details, see my post from last week.  When I blog about the daily pattern release (ahem, that would be what you’re reading right now for day 1), I will also announce that day’s winners!  So if you missed out on the giveaway today, you can still click here to sign up for my list and thus be entered for the rest of the week.  Easy as pie. Yum, now I want pie. And speaking of pie…did you know today is Pi Day?

But first…congratulations are in order to:

alwaysalice & dntbaker

I have e-mailed both the winners their patterns.  You can also both e-mail me back and include your Ravelry ID and I’ll be happy to use Ravelry’s gifting features so that you also have them available in your libraries.

I’ll see you tomorrow with another pattern, and two more winners!