Easy and Free Knitting Patterns: Lace Hat

It's time for another free pattern! I debated whether or not I wanted to share this one but it's so darn fun that I couldn't keep it from you.  This pattern, which I call Janet, is a reference to my Grandma Janet who is the one who taught me how to knit (Hi Grandma!). When I first started knitting, there were so many dropped stitches, you'd think I was attempting to knit lace. Eventually, with a lot of patience, the best knitting reference guide ever, and a lot of repetition from my grandma, I finally mastered knitting. Now, somewhere between 8 and 12 years later (none of us can remember when I started knitting because I've been doing it so long), I am designing my own patterns and sharing them with you. It feels so good to have come this far :)

Anyway, as usual with knitting, nothing really ever turns out exactly how you want it. I thought to myself "Self, I'm going to make a raspberry beret like in that Prince song. Hey, Self, I can use the scrap yarn that I got from my fiber teacher last year that just happens to be raspberry." Well, that didn't exactly turn out because I ran out of yarn (GASP!). If you're a knitter and you knit with scrap yarn, you know how frustrating it can be to get full swing into a project and not be able to finish. Instead of giving up, I decided to embrace the color block trend that is going on right now (not that I'm very trendy... I buy everything at Goodwill remember?). I grabbed another hunk of scrap yarn that I got from the same fiber teacher and Voila! Janet was born (the lace hat, not my grandma!)

Janet Hat
Yarn: I used some scrap yarn that I had lying around in my stash. It appears to be worsted but in order to be positive, make sure you make a gauge swatch!
Needles: US Size 7 double pointed needles or appropriate needles to obtain gauge
Gauge: 21 stitches and 36 rows equals 4" in stockinette stitch, 22 stitches and 32 rows equals 4" in lace pattern.
Note: It is less important to achieve row gauge for this project because it is based on measurements. If you are a row or two off for the row gauge but are able to achieve stitch gauge, that should be fine.

Lace Pattern: 
Round 1: (yo, ssk) around 
Round 2: knit every stitch

Pattern: 
Cast on 100 stitches onto 4 double pointed needles, place a stitch marker at end of round or keep track of the beginning and end of the round. 
Knit 9 rounds, purl 1 round, knit 9 rounds.
Now what you're going to do is fold the cast on edge backward at the purl row so that the knit side is facing out. Pick up the first stitch from the cast on edge and knit it together with the first live stitch on the needle. Continue all the way around.  I'll be making a photo tutorial of how to do this later in the week which I will link back to. 
Next round: (knit 4 stitches, knit into the front and back of the next stitch) repeat around. 120 stitches. 
Purl 1 round
Begin Lace Pattern. Continue in pattern until piece measures 7-8 inches (mine is 7.75 inches to be exact). 
Decrease Section: 
Round 1: (ssk, yo, ssk) repeat around (90 stitches)
Round 2 and every even round: knit every stitch
Round 3: (yo, sl1k2togpsso) around (60 stitches)
Round 5: Repeat Round 1 (45 stitches)
Round 7: Repeat Round 3 (30 stitches)
Round 9: Repeat Round 1 until last two stitches, ssk (22 stitches)
Round 11: Repeat Round 3 until last four stitches, yo, sl1k3togpsso (14 stitches)
Cut yarn, leaving a 3 inch tail. With a tapestry needle, thread tail through every stitch. Pull tight and weave in end. 

Note: There is no right or wrong way to make the color block happen. I decided to change yarns when I ran out of one color. You can use lots of scraps and make a hat with multiple thick stripes, you can knit the hat in all one color, or you can knit a hat with only two colors like I did. The possibilities are endless!