Knitted Lace Hat

Here's a pattern for a hat I made up - I'm starting to build up quite a collection of hats these days! Good for keeping your head warm in winter, or for hiding a bad hair day.  I'm not sure if you'd call this hat a slouch hat or a beret, so feel free to make up your own mind.

Side view of hat

This pattern was very closely adapted from the Slouch Hat by Marie (click the link to go to her pattern).  I knitted it using a cotton blend wool, which gives the hat a lovely heavy and slippery feel.  I use bobby pins to secure it to my head (which I do with all knitted hats anyway) - two pins just above each ear, which keeps it securely in place all day.  If only I had enough wool to make some matching gloves or a scarf to go with this hat, but I didn't have enough left over.

Please be kind when reading this pattern - this is one of the first patterns I have ever written, so please let me know if it is unclear at all or if anything needs further explanation!  It has also been about 10 years since I knitted anything, so I am only just getting back into the swing of things.  I am also just beginning to experiment with lace knitting, which is something pretty new to me - and teaching yourself how to do things using google and youtube is never the easiest of tasks!

Also just ignore my cat in the photo above, who has a lovely habit of photobombing all the pictures I take!  I never notice her until the photos go public either ;)  Her head is just sticking out the back of the hat. 

***

Materials:

• Two 50g balls 8 ply Panda Cotton Blend (50% cotton, 50% acrylic)
• Size 4.0mm circular needles
• size 4.0mm DPNs to finish

Pattern:
Cast on 80 stitches.
For the band:  knit in K1 P1 ribbing until the work measures 1 inch in length. 
Next round increase every 5th stitch, except for the very last one - 99 stitches in total.
Begin lace pattern as below.
When the hat reaches length desired, switch to decreasing as below. 

Close up of lace texture

Lace motif (4 rounds then repeat):
Round 1:  *K1, YO, K2tog* repeat to end
Round 2:  Knit
Round 3:  *YO, K2tog, K1* repeat to end
Round 4:  Knit

Decrease (4 rounds then repeat):
Round 1:  *K1, K2tog* repeat to end
Round 2:  Knit
Round 3:  *K2tog, K1* repeat to end
Round 4:  Knit

When you are almost out of stitches, cut the wool with a bit of a tail and slip it through the remaining stitches - pull tight.  Weave the ends of the wool into the hat using the tapestry needle.

***

I hope you enjoyed this free pattern, please leave me a comment if you use it to let me know how it went!  I would love to know how you go with it.