Try this at home

Last week we had the pleasure of teaching Morgan Stanley junior analysts how to knit for their community service project of the month. As a double treat, Lion Brand graciously allowed us to host this event in their utterly gorgeous brand new Yarn Studio.

Normally when we are teaching a group how to knit their first project, the default is to make scarfs. We decided to mix it up a little this time and do hats instead - the hat is knit flat and then seamed up the side. If you want to make your own (or one to donate), here is the pattern:

Materials:
1 skein Lion Brand Jiffy in the color of your choice
One long set of size 10 needles
One darning needle
one pompom maker

Instructions:
Cast on 60 stitches and work in garter stitch (knitting on both sides) until it is about 5 inches
At the beginning of the next row, knit one stitch then knit the next two stitches together. Knit the rest of the row. You will have decreased one stitch. Repeat the decrease row, for the next 9 rows, decreasing by 10 stitches. After these ten rows, you should have 50 stitches remaining. On the next row, knit one stitch, knit two together then knit the rest of the row until there are three stitches remaining in the row. Knit the next two stitches together then knit the final remaining stitch. Repeat this row for the next nine rows so that you decreased an additional 20 stitches. You should now have 30 stitches remaining.

Finishing:
Cut the tail of the yarn, leaving a few feet to work with. Thread the needle and run it through the 30 live stitches remaining on the needle and drop the stitches from the needle. Pull the yarn tail taut like a drawstring and make a few stitches at the top to secure. Seam down from the top, bringing the sides together and forming the tube of the hat. You can use a very simple seam stitch, pulling the needle through the end loop on one side and then the end loop on the other side. Check the bottoms as you go along to make sure it remains even. Once you get to the bottom, weave in the ends.

Pompom:
Create a pompom using the instructions on the pompom maker and attach to the top. Weave in the ends.

Once you're all done, it should look more or less like mine. Then it's up to you if you want to keep it or donate. Happy knitting!