Easy “Snow Day” Baby, Kids, Adult Hat Pattern

I’ve been looking for a cute (and easy) baby hat to knit.  The pattern I decided to go with is the Snow Day Hat, which is a chunky hat knit with 2 colors together, and has a big pom-pom on top.  This pattern works for all ages and sizes and is found at the PurlSoho site.

I did have to make some changes to the pattern, which I will share here, since I didn’t have the chunky yarn nor the big needles.

Since this hat is for a baby girl, I chose the two pink colors (cotton “Shell” and “Pink Peony” in worsted) from my new yarn purchase. Even though they are different types of yarn, I don’t think it will matter.

The cleaning instructions I will give the new parents is to hand-wash only, if needed. I plan to wash the hat before I add the pom-pom so it will be all ready for the little girl to wear.

Here is How I Changed the “Snow Day Hat” Pattern (Link Above for Pattern)

The largest 16″ circular needle I have is size 11, (you need double-pointed in the same size) so it’s smaller than suggested (they suggest size 15). I also used different yarn.  (They used Super Soft Merino, which is a bulky yarn.)
I combined the organic cotton in “Shell” color with “Peony Pink” in Worsted Twist.  Since the yarn is not bulky, the smaller needle size should work.

CAST ON:  Holding both yarns together, I cast on 34 + 1 extra stitch (using a long-tail cast on).  I then moved that last extra stitch to the LH needle, then I knit the first 2 stitches together. This is supposed to make the connection better without leaving a gap, and I think it works well.

The long tail cast-on makes a neater edge. The only possible problem with using that type of cast-on is with correctly measuring out the amount of yarn needed. If you don’t have enough, you will have to start the cast-on over again!  (I’ve made this mistake.)

The most difficult part of making hats, for me, is the first row after the cast-on, and then making the decreases.  This pattern is simply k1,p1 around and around until the decreases begin (click the original pattern link in the first paragraph for that).   This hat worked up fast, and the decrease rows were few.  I’m a little rusty at using double-pointed needles, but it all worked out.  (See the DPN tutorial below for help.)

I didn’t go to the full 8 inches for height, since this is meant for a young child.  I went by how it looked and stopped at 7 inches.  This is when it’s time to change to dpn’s.

From there on you will use double-pointed needles. They must be the same size as the circular needle and the stitches will be divided up among 3 or 4 of them. Use the other needle to knit stitches onto.

Here’s how to do it:

You will also have to know how to ssk (slip, slip, knit) to make the decreases, so I added a tutorial video below. It’s not as easy as it sounds, and if done incorrectly you will not be decreasing!

You can see the finished hat in my photo and notice that the top rows, with decreases are not many. I like that because I am a little afraid of using double-pointed needles!

I will also get to use my new Clover pom pom maker, which should be exciting (see how my pom pom turned out on this post). The Snow Day Hat pattern also tells us how to attach a pom-pom.

Once the hat was finished I hand-washed it using Woolite.  The water turned gray, so it definitely needed a wash.  Once the hat was dry I added the pom pom, but I may change it.  It seems too big for the hat.