by Larisa Medina Brener

My brother used to make colorful hats for himself; he stopped doing so, but before he quit knitting, he bought some pretty yarn for one last hat. The yarn just lay there in my house for months, I could not stand it, so I decided to knit a hat for him. When thinking of the design, I did not know what the colorwork should be about, but the idea of guitars came when, wishing for some quiet so I could think what to do, I heard him playing late at night, and then it was obvious. 

After doing his, I just had to buy more yarn to do one for myself. This cozy hat is worked from the bottom up, it has two-sided earflaps and a very musical design. Rock on!

SIZE
One

FINISHED MEASUREMENTS
Circumference: 24 inches
Length without earflaps: 7.5 inches
Earflap width: 4 inches
Earflap length: 3.7 inches

MATERIALS
Yarn
O-Wool Classic Worsted [100% organic merino; 99yds/50g skein]
[MC] 100 Natural; 2 skeins
[CC1] 2300 Sky; 1 skein
[CC2] 3105 Coast; 1 skein

Recommended needle size
[always use a needle size that gives you the gauge listed below -- every knitter's gauge is unique]
US #3/3.25mm needles for working in the round
1 set US #3/3.25mm DPNs for i-cord, attaching earflaps and working decrease

Notions
stitch markers
2 safety pins
Stitch holders or lengths of scrap yarn
yarn needle
pompom maker
US G-6/4mm crochet hook (optional, for making tassels)

GAUGE

PATTERN NOTES
[Knitty's list of standard abbreviations and techniques can be found here.]

Provisional cast on
Instructions for a Provisional Cast On can be found here.

I-cord
Using a double-point needle, CO or pick up required number of sts. K those sts.
Next Row: Instead of turning work around to work back on the WS, slide all sts to other end of needle, switch needle back to your left hand, bring yarn around back of work, and start knitting the sts again. I-Cord is worked with the RS facing at all times.
Repeat this row to form I-cord. After a few rows, work will begin to form a tube.

DIRECTIONS
Earflaps (make 2):
With smaller needles, CO 26 sts.

Distribute stitches on needles as you prefer and join for working in the round.

Work Earflap chart to end, cutting and rejoining CC1 and CC2 as required. In rounds 6, 8 and 16-21, the second color is only worked halfway across the round; we recommend cutting it at the midpoint of the round.  (Carrying the unused color across the second half of the round adds bulk to the earflap, and if your CC is much darker than your MC, then it might show through on the RS.)

Slip 50 sts to holder or scrap yarn. Fold earflap at center of round; first half of chart is the outside; second half is the inside.

Body:
First cord: Using double pointed needles, provisionally CO 3 sts with MC.

Work i-cord for 30 rows (approx 5.5 inches). Place safety pin in i-cord at this point as marker.  Work another 54 rows (approx. 9.5 inches) and mark it again with a safety pin. Work another 30 rows (approx 5.5 inches).  Slip the 3 sts to a holder or scrap yarn.

Second cord: Using double pointed needles, provisionally CO 3 sts with MC.

Work i-cord for 30 rows (approx 5.5 inches). Place safety pin in i-cord at this point as marker.  Work another 40 rows (approx. 7 inches) and mark it again with a safety pin. Work another 30 rows (approx 5.5 inches).  Slip the 3 sts to a holder or scrap yarn.

Take first, longer i-cord.  With RS of outside of earflap facing, starting at cast on edge of i-cord and at center of cast-on edge of first earflap, sew i-cord around edge of earflap, travelling up to the left, lining up first safety pin marker with top edge of earflap.

Sew second i-cord to earflaps, starting at center of lower edge of first earflap and working up to the top right. Ensure first safety pin lines up with top edge of earflap. Leave the length of i-cord between safety pins unattached. 

Sew last portion of i-cord, starting at second safety pin to second earflap, again with RS of outside of earflap facing, starting at top left corner. Ensure end of i-cord lines up with center of cast-on edge of earflap.

Return the stitches of the earflaps to needles as follows: slip the first 25 to one DPN, the second 25 to another.

Using MC, with RS facing, pick up and knit 54 sts evenly distributed along longer i-cord length between earflaps; work across first earflap sts as follows: (k tog 1 st from first needle and 1 st from second) 25 times; pick up and knit 40 sts evenly distributed along short i-cord length between earflaps; work across first second sts as follows: (k tog 1 st from first needle and 1 st from second) 25 times. 144 sts.

Join for working in the round.
Knit 3 rounds in MC.
Join CC2 and knit 2 rounds.
Next round: Work Main Chart around.
Work until Main Chart is complete.
Cut CC1 and CC2.
Knit 2 rounds.

Decrease for crown:
Change to DPNs or magic loop as required when circumference gets smaller.

Round 1: K9, *k2tog, k9; rep from * to last 3 sts, k3tog.  130 sts.
Round 2: [K8, k2tog] around. 117 sts.
Rounds 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17: Knit.
Round 4: [K7, k2tog] around. 104 sts.
Round 6: [K6, k2tog] around. 91 sts.
Round 8: [K5, k2tog] around. 78 sts.
Round 10: [K4, k2tog] around. 65 sts.
Round 12: [K3, k2tog] around. 52 sts.
Round 14: [K2, k2tog] around. 39 sts.
Round 16: [K1, k2tog] around. 26 sts.
Round 18: K2tog around. 13 sts.
Round 19: K2tog 6 times, k1. 7 sts.

Cut yarn, and draw through rem sts.

FINISHING
Return the 6 held stitches from the i-cords at the bottom of the first earflap to a DPN. 
With RS facing, k2tog 3 times. 3 sts.
Work i-cord for 9 inches.
Final row: K1, yo, k2.
BO.

Block hat and weave in all ends.

Cut 12 to 15 5-inch lengths of yarn to make a tassel for the base of the earflap cords, using the hole in the base of the i-cord to secure them.

Make a 2.5 inch pompom and attach to top of hat.

The author is a historian who delights in handcrafted things and things to do with craft. She dreams with the goodness of the small farm, to breed the ewe, shear the wool, spin the yarn and knit the hat.

In the meantime, there is hard intellectual work but also the joy of teaching the art of the purl.