Date: Tue, 25 Apr 1995 07:29:38 -0500 From: Karaho@aol.com To: Multiple recipients of list Subject: KNIT: Jester-esque hat Someone asked about patterns for kids' Jester's caps: I've been making baby caps for a couple of years that might fit the bill (it doesn't exactly have "horns", but when it's on the baby it looks like it does)--I saw a child wearing one at the playground, thought, "I could do that", and went home and made some (translation: this is inspired by someone's pattern and they should probably get credit but I don't know who they are so they won't). I cast on 70 stitches on a #6 11" circular needle using Sugar 'n' Cream cotton yarn (cheap, from someplace like Frank's Crafts), then knit in stst for about 7 or 8 inches--usually I use different colored stripes. (You could certainly use any baby cap pattern, cast on the required number of stitches, then just skip the shaping and knit straight up--you could also use dp needles if you don't like short circulars.) Then I turn the hat inside out, still on the needle, and bind off stitches together, forming a seam at the top (does this make sense? If not, you could certainly just bind off the tube, flatten it and seam up the top on the inside, but I hate sewing, and this makes a neat finish). The result will look like a little rectangle open on one side, with the open side curling up. It will look incredibly boring until you see it on the baby, then it's as cute as a bug's ear. The finishing touch is either to put a tassle on each top corner, or a pompom, or whatever. My favorite (the one I saw at the park was like this, so I can't take credit for it) is to take two "bone" rings and overcast them all over with a contrasting color yarn, then sew one firmly to each corner (with yet another color, if desired). I gave one to a baby girl I know, and her dad says "She can tune Mars in on these things, you know!" Nancy karaho@aol.com --- This pattern downloaded from Wool Works: the online knitting compendium http://www.woolworks.org/