Cecilia de Gatisbury’s Acorn Hat Pattern for Beginners
I have adapted the pattern originally reated by Cecilia Rosa de Santca Maria. This pattern started with unspun wool, which was spun up to create a fingering or sport weight yarn, from best I can tell. The main adaptation I have made is to change the gauge of the pattern so it is suitable for a worsted weight yarn, which is thicker and thus more amenable to a beginner level pattern. In addition, I am including some tips and hints for the beginner knitter, as this is a beginner’s class. Attached are her original instructions, which have great documentation about the origin of these hats. In addition to a pattern for the Acorn hat, she also developed a pattern for the Monmouth Cap.
Materials
1. 100 g worsted weight wool
Notes - If you want a taller hat, you will need more yarn.
Since this hat will be felted, you must stay away from blends that have acrylic in them, superwash wools, and white wool
2. A set of 5 double pointed needles - size 8
3. Stitch markers (a scrap piece of different colored yarn will work nicely)
4. Tapestry needle (for sewing in ends and hemming the hat).
Gauge
Since this hat will be felted and you will control the finished size of the hat through that process, gauge is not critical. My hat knit up at about 19 stitches per 4 inches and 21 rows per 4 inches. If you are close to that you should be fine.
Instructions
1. Cast on 105 stitches, using your favorite cast on method. Divide the stitches amongst 4 of the double pointed needles - 26 stitches on three needles, 27 on the other.
Notes:
(1) I personally cast on my stitches on each individual needle. You can cast on all the stitches on one needle and then divide them, but I find this cumbersome.
(2) You want to cast on relatively loosely. If your cast-on edge is too tight, try casting on using needles 1 or 2 sizes larger than the needles you will be knitting with or hold two needles together and casting on those.
2. Join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches and placing a marker to indicate the beginning of the round.
Notes:
(1) To do this, you want the active stitch to be on the right hand of the circle and you are going to knit into the last stitch on the needle on the left hand of the circle.
(2) You want the bottom of the cast-on edge for all of your stitches to be facing down, with no twists in between the needles. Take the time to ensure this is the case or else you will end up with a Mobius strip or some other kind of hot mess and have to redo it all.
3. Knit around and around and around until the hat is about 10 - 14 inches tall (depending upon how tall you want your hat and how much yarn you have). This may take awhile, but all you are doing is the knit stitch.
4. Now you will begin the decrease rounds, which I am going to number. Rnd = round.
Rnd 1: *Knit 5 stitches, K2tog (knit two stitches together as if they were one). Repeat from star until the end of the round. You have now decreased 15 stitches from your hat. 90 stitches should remain.
Rnd 2: Knit all stitches
Rnd 3: Knit all stitches
Rnd 4: Knit all stitches
Rnd 5: *Knit 4 stitches, K2tog. Repeat from the * to the end of the round. 75 stitches remain.
Rnd 6: Knit all stitches
Rnd 7: Knit all stitches
Rnd 8: *Knit 3 stitches, K2tog. Repeat from the * to the end of the round. 60 stitches remain.
Rnd 9: Knit all stitches
Rnd 10: Knit all stitches
Rnd 11: *Knit 2 stitches, K2tog. Repeat from the * to the end of the round. 45 stitches remain.
Rnd 12: Knit all stitches
Rnd 13: *k2tog, repeat to end, last stitch knit 1. 23 stitches remain.
Rnd 14: *k2tog, repeat to end, last stitch knit 1. 12 stitches remain.
Rnd 15: *k2tog, repeat to end of round. 6 stitches remain,
At this point, you need to break off the wool leaving a four or five inch tail. Sew in the ends of the tail.
Hem the bottom up about 1 inch or so from the bottom.
