In keeping with the bee theme of my designs, I came up with this chunky knit hat that looks like a giant honey dipper. It's made with soft, squishy Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick, and true to the yarn's name, the beanie knits up very fast. Despite the fact that it's the dog days of summer here, and it's way too hot for a beanie, it was fun to photograph the hat in my garden with my bees' favorite flowers, and the fruits of their pollination. 

As a child, I was terrified of bees. I had a tendency to get stung whenever they came around, because of how I reacted to them. Since taking up gardening, I've learned a lot about them, and how to coexist with them easily. It is fun to watch them work, and I love seeing them in my garden.

When I began to practice color work with knitting, I decided to design my own little pattern for a hat with bees on it. This little hat came out of my process, and knits up very quick in the super bulky yarn! I have not had this pattern tested as I'm still new to this whole process, so, if you decide to try it, I would really love to know how it works for you. It turned out great for me, so I'm hopeful it will be an easy project for you. Any feedback would be very appreciated! I am so excited to share my very first knitting pattern with you!



1 ball Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick yarn (106 yds) - Black

The Chunky Bee Knit Hat is an adult-sized chunky, slouchy knit hat with a color pattern around part of the hat body. It is a quick knit on super bulky yarn, only taking a few hours! It is knit in the round from the bottom up, starting with 1x1 ribbed band, and then transitions to the stockinette hat body with color pattern. There are also a few purl stitches forming the middle of the bee bodies.

The ribbed band is about 3" tall, but can be modified by adding or subtracting rounds for however much ribbing you'd like. To make the hat more or less slouchy, add or subtract rounds from the body.

The color pattern for the hat body is worked on a 10 stitch repeat over 12 rows using the fair isle yarn carrying technique. When working the color pattern, make sure not to pull the strands too tight, as the hat won't stretch, and the fit will be off. An easy way to avoid this is to make sure the stitches are spaced apart on the right hand needle as you work through the pattern.

The hat is finished with a large yarn pom pom. Finished dimensions: 17 inches in circumference, 10.5 inches in height

This is a great tutorial, to learn fair isle technique.
This is a great tutorial for making a pom pom. I wrapped the yarn around four fingers to make mine. You'll want to go fairly thick in order to get a nice big pom pom. You an also use a pom pom maker.

Definitions:
K - Knit
P - Purl
K2tog - Knit 2 stitches together
Sts - Stitches


Using 9 mm needles, cast on 40 stitches with the color Black. 1x1 Rib cast on recommended, but Long Tail works well, too. Join in the round, and place marker for beginning of round.

If you have been following my Instagram, it won't be news that I have picked up the hobby of knitting. It all started with the urge to make my own scarf last February. So, I bought some yarn, and some needles, and searched some basic how-to's on Youtube, and got to work. It took a few tries, but then suddenly it clicked.


And, if we're being honest, it REALLY clicked. In the last year alone, I have made 26 projects including: scarves, beanies of all kinds, a wrap, a sweater, throw pillow covers, afghan squares, and am working on several other projects as we speak. I am also learning to crochet, and am working on my first crochet project.

I've had a few people have me custom make things for them, and am debating starting to sell hats or patterns or both since several people have asked me why I don't have a store set up.

Who knew that the call to knit would be so strong in me? Stay tuned as there just may be a shop of sorts in the works. (Scary!)

                 

++ Do you knit? If not, what hobbies keep you busy?