Fresh off the needles: It Goes Both Ways Toddler Hat

Why do kids have to grow so fast? My niece grew out of all her hats I've made her. Naturally, now that the weather is warming up, I decided I should probably get on to knitting her a new one.

The hat I knit was made from a pattern designed by CheyOnna the Yarn Mission.The Yarn Mission is a great company that I love to support as much as possible. They are dedicated to the advancement of justice and the end of an oppressive system through community engagement. For more information visit theyarnmission.com.

The Pattern

The It Goes Both Ways pattern is super clear and super adorable. I love the simple two stitch cables that create an effect that looks nothing like your traditional cable. The pattern is 100% perfect as is and I plan on knitting one for myself in the near future. But my niece got top priority, so I decided to modify it to make it fit her.

The Modifications

To start I used a sport weight yarn instead of worsted. I thought that was going to be enough of a change for me, but doing the math I realized I was going to need to do more. But still, it really wasn't that much. All I did was figure out how many stitches I needed to cast on to get the size I wanted then fudged the numbers a bit to make sure there were enough stitches to end the round with a full pattern repeat.

Having to fudge numbers did make it so that I ended up making a bigger hat than I had planned on. But when I make hats, especially when I make them for kids, I don't worry too much if it comes out a little on the big side. You know how kids are always growing like we don't want them to stay little forever. I figure, it'll fit eventually.

The only thing I wish I had taken the time to do was figure out the decreases like the original pattern. I opted to just do a stockinette section with the decreases. It really would have given the hat a more finished professional look. It does look fine, by all accounts, I just wish I would have put in a little more effort. If it really does end up bothering me a ton, I figure I can always slap a Pom-Pom on it. Pom poms fix everything.

The Yarn

The yarn I used was Cascade 220 Superwash Sport. It is 100% superwash merino. I LOVE this yarn. I’ve always loved the color range that Cascade 220 offers, the colors are rich and vibrant and you can find just about any color you need. But the 100% wool is way too scratchy for me. Then I discovered the Superwash Merino and my life was made. It has the perfect amount of softness for me, but it's not so soft that it's slippery and hard to work with like Knit Picks Swish can be sometimes.

I for one love this hat. My niece? Not so much. Apparently she doesn't wear any thing that's not pink. She won't even try it on. I mean, I do kind of have to agree with her though. The orange I picked isn't really my favorite color either. I guess that only means I'll have to make her a pink one next.

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