Greenleaf Hat

I designed this cunning little hat, to be given as a baby gift a few months from now. The basic hat is a generic roll-brim pattern and the leaf is my own adaptation of Nicky Epstein's Aspen Leaf, improved (imho) by the use of Techknitter's instructions for the invisible increase, and by moving the decreases into the center.)

Greenleaf Hat

Newborn Size: size 7 needles, 16” plus dpns, or dpns throughout, or magic loop with 2 dpns to do the i-cord.

Worsted weight yarn.

CO 64 stitches and join. (For larger size, add stitches in multiples of 8. For each multiple added, begin decrease with 1 more stitch, Eg. 72 stitches, K7 k2tog for the first decrease.)

Knit till hat is 5” long from CO when unrolled.
Decrease:
K6 k2tog (56 stitches remain)
Knit one round plain

K5 k2tog (48 stitches remain)
Knit one round plain

K4 k2tog (40 stitches remain)
Knit one round plain

K3 k2tog (32 stitches remain)
Knit one round plain

K2 k2tog (24 stitches remain)
Knit one round plain

K1 k2tog (16 stitches remain)
Knit one round plain

K2tog (8 stitches remain)
Knit one round plain

K2tog (4 stitches remain)
Knit one round plain

K1 k2tog (3 stitches remain)

With 2 dpns knit ½” of i-cord (K3, slide stitches to other end of dpn without turning work, k3 again, repeat.)

Begin leaf: Make all increases as follows: Using point of right needle, lift up the stitch from the row below on the left hand needle and place it (without twisting, right leg forward) onto left needle and knit it (= invisible increase). For more details on this increase, see TechKnitting:

http://techknitting.blogspot.com and search for Invisible Increase.

Row 1: K1 inc 1 k1 inc 1 k1 (5 stitches on needle)
Purl all alternate rows
Row 3: K2 inc 1 k1 inc 1 k2 (7 stitches on needle)
Row 5: K3 inc 1 k1 inc 1 k3 (9 stitches on needle)
Row 7: K4 inc 1 k1 inc 1 k4 (11 stitches on needle)
Row 9: K3 ssk k1 k2tog k3 (9 stitches on needle)
Row 11: K2 ssk k1 k2tog k2 (7 stitches on needle)
Row 13: K1 ssk k1 k2tog k1 (5 stitches on needle)
Row 15: Ssk k1 k2tog (3 stitches on needle)
Row 17: K1 k2tog (2 stitches on needle)
Row 19: K2tog (1 stitch, cut yarn and pull through to finish off. Weave in end through top of leaf.





These leaves can be made free-standing by simply casting on 3 stitches, doing a bit of i-cord, and then going on from there. They can, of course easily be made larger by increasing to 13, 15, or more stitches and then decreasing in the same manner back down to 1 stitch. I think they would make cute bookmarks or pins, or they could be appliquéd onto something else.

Fun!