ADULT HAT PATTERN ARAN WOOL YARN

This is a woolen hat pattern for a ladies hat using Aran weight wool.  It's my own pattern.  Why?  I had a hat like this for years then lost it.  I liked the garter stitch band where hats are usually ribbed.  Secondly the crown is high. So many wooly hats are conical and simply slide off the back of my head.  This does not. It's squarish, like an Afghan style flat topped hat.  

I saw what I was looking for here, on this video:

(230) How 2 Knit Hat With Flat Top - Fast Project 4 RIGHTIES - YouTube

To make my own pattern I followed this YouTube video:

(230) How to Knit a Hat Without a Pattern // Technique Tuesday - YouTube

Using my own dimensions the hat is for adult head size of 23 inches.  Distance from ear to ear over top of head = 18inches so depth of hat needs to be half that, i.e. 9 inches.

Yarn is 100% wool and is Aran weight. The yarn used here is ColourLab clotted cream 1203 - 2635 Aran yarn.

Needles are No 9 or 3.75 mm double pointed needles; 4 needles

Test swatch is 24 rows of 18 stitches making it 4 inch x 4 inch square.

Size:

You need to calculate the number of stitches to cast on.

To calculate the number of stitches to cast on for 23 inch hat: Given 23 inches,  subtract for negative ease, subtract 10% or 20.7 then multiply this by number of stitches per inch which for me is 4.5 stitches per inch. Therefore it works out to be 20.7x 4.5 = 93.15.   I made this up to 96 because I wanted a number divisible by 4 for the 4 panels.

Pattern:

BAND or 'RIBBING':

CO 96 stitches

Row 1 K

Row 2 and 3 P

Repeat these 3 rows (K, P, P) 4 more times (or more if you want a deeper band).  Finish on row 16.

Row 17 K

BODY

Row 18 starts the first of the 4 panels: (K 22 P2) 4 times (that is 88 + 8= 96 stitches) giving a stocking stitch panel with a garter stitch 'border' between them.

K 32 rows.

CROWN:

R 50 K this.  This starts the crown by having 4 rows garter stitch making a 'lip or edge'.

R 51-54  P (garter stitch)

R55 Divide the 96 stitches into 5 sections of 19 stitches each. (Use separate DPN needles but you don't have to.) These form the base the of 5 triangles to form the crown.  19 x 5 is 95 so decrease one stitch from the worked rows of 96.  

R56 to end:  (K 17 2tog) 5 times. Keep decreasing in this way.  The crown is fairly flat.  To make more of a dome you would need to alternate a K row regularly? occasionally?!

Tie off at the end.

OPTION:

Line the inside from base to top of body (not the crown) with a piece of soft fabric e.g. a 'fleece' type making sure to stitch in place having made sure the hat with 'stretch' when you put it on your head.

Some photos, temporarily here, while I wait to get Ellie to model it for me.

 

This shows the white hat which is correct size and my first attempt which was too small, i.e. did not cast on the right number of stitches!

JAPANESE STRINGED INSTRUMENT CALLED SHAMISEN: instrument maker video

I came across this video on UTube showing a man making this stringed instrument called a shamisen.  Wonderful!  (but a pity about the loud adverts....)

 shamisen instrument make utube - Google Search

A trio: one playing the shamisen, the cello ...ooops... No! but the bowing is like a cello..... and large stringed instrument on the lap of the foreground lady.

MID-FEBRUARY CATCH-UP

It's been a pleasantly busy couple of weeks.  Here are some photos by way of a round up.

Alastair, Indy, Melanie, her sister and son plus Luna in the foreground.  I like this photo.  It turned out to be a useable size for a jigsaw.  I have now order one and look forward to putting it out on the coffee table in front of the fire and enjoying some post-dinner time in the 'Quiet Zone'.

I bought myself a waffle make about Christmastime.  Last week I had a friend with me for the day (to give his wife a break) and I have discovered a really good way of spinning out the time we have together by making and eating waffles together.  Upon explaining this joyous experience to his wife at the end of the day I found myself saying "Well it comes from years of trying to amuse children on the boat ... (think: 101 way to do things with bread dough!)... when we still had hours to go before arriving in port!

Another Spiderman cake.  This time for Ellie whose birthday was in January and Alastiar whose birthday is early February.  Secret: one Marks and Spencer cake mix with loads of Mary Berry ganache (1:1 melted chocolate and cream).  Oh, and loads of Smarties!

Alastair blowing out his candles; a Rembrant moment.

February concert in Milngavie: the Dudok Quartet from Amsterdam.

January concert in Milngavie: Tom Poster, piano and Elena Urioste, violin.

Good feedback on recent concerts.

JANUARY 2026 CULTURAL ROUND-UP

A busy time socially... with Celtic Connections events and then a nod to Robbie Burns on January 25th.

[1] Piping at Celtic Connections 2026.

I was the guest of Scott Bennet when we attened the Gordon Duncan Tribute Pipe Band concert at the Royal Glasgow Concert Hall January 17th.  It was packed!  Piping is alive and well I am glad to see!

Vale of Atholl Pipe Band and Pipe Major Iain Duncan

Both photos by John Slavin/Design Folk Ltd

Piping event Glasgow 2026

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