Saturday, October 15, 2011

Free Knit Pattern: Autumn Pixie Hood

I've been looking for a super cute pixie and I couldn't find a free pattern I liked. So my solution...Make one! This hat is super simple. It's knitted on a pair of strait needles and is essentially a large rectangle until you sew it up.

Onto the pattern!


Supplies:
US Size 10 Needles (6mm)
Chunky/Super Chunky weight yarn - My estimated guess of about 170 yards.
Any pair of circular needles for blocking. (You can probably even use string for this part)
Extra needle for the 3 needle bind off (does not have to be same size, you can even use your circular for this)
Squirt Bottle (for blocking)

Stitches:
K – Knit
P – Purl
K2Tog – Knit 2 stitches together.

Pattern: Brim
1. CO 86.
^My hat sits and drapes down my shoulders. You can lengthen or shorten the CO if your prefer shorter sides. (82, 78, 74 etc..) The pattern will work exactly the same for any stitch count.

2. 6 rows of 2x2 rib. (2K, 2P)
^Switch colors here for 2 color brim as seen in the photos below.

3. 7 rows of Knit.
^For a thicker brim color you can end your yarn color here if you wish.



Pattern: Hat continued...
4. 4K, 78P, 4K
^On every Purl row you will always knit the beginning and ending 4 stitches

5. Knit row (86K)
6. 4K, 78P, 4K
7. *4K, K2Tog, K76, K2Tog, 4K (84)
^Every other knit row (or every 4 rows) you will decrease in this manner.

8. 4K, 76P, 4K
9. Knit row
10. 4K, 76P, 4K

Repeat from * 5 times if you are using a super chunky yarn. (74 stitches remaining) For normal chunky yarn I recommend repeating 6 or 7 times or until desired width. Note: decreasing at this point is optional.

Block Hat:
Transfer knitting to a pair of circular needles.
Lay down knitting onto ironing board and pin in place. (you can stretch your knitting if you feel it needs it)
Spray with squirt bottle and let dry.

Finish Off:
*Note: Decide if you'd like your bind off stitch to be on the inside or the outside. The brown hat above has an inside seam, the red hat below has an outside seam. I find that the pointy pixie tip is more apparent with an outside seam, but this also depends on your yarn choice.

Starting at bottom of hat stitch up the side using a 3 needle bind off.
Finish off, tuck in, and secure yarn on inside of hat.

Fringe:
I cut 9-12 pieces of 22” length yarn. Weave 3-4 piece sections into 3 bottom corner sections of hat and braid down. Tie off with small piece of yarn. Trim yarn evenly. Repeat on other side.

Enjoy your new Autumn Pixie Hood! :)

For the Autumn Pixie Hood above I used Homespun yarn in Prairie for the brim and Earth for the remaining body. I mixed my yarn colors in the fringe for a more blended look.

For a Red Riding Hood look I used Loops & Threads Charisma yarn in red. It's super chunky and velvety soft. Because the yarn is chunkier than the homespun the hood came out a bit larger even though the pattern is the same stitch count.



I really hope you enjoyed this pattern! If you have an account on Ravelry I'd love to see your finished photos! :) Please use for personal use only.

(c) 2011 Tori Carroll/PosiTori.com

32 comments:

Itako said...

OMG thats so cool!! I can see a few of those in my future!! Thanks for taking the time to write this pattern ^^

ChameleonHound said...

This is awesome! Just wondering: How much yarn (about) did this pattern need? I've got some fuzzy stuff I've been saving, but only one skein with 150 yards...
Thanks for sharing the pattern!

PosiTori said...

Its hard for me to tell how much yarn I actually used. The red one seemed like I used about 170 yards, but the brown makes me guess it was around 155. I would say to be safe if your going to use that skein make the brim a different color just to be safe. :)

Karina said...

Wow! I really love this pattern. I'm trying it out now, but it's looking a little small. I substituted a regular wight yarn for chunky yarn, because that's all that I had, though. Do you think it will make a big difference? Thanks!

Isaida said...

Love this - I see a red one in my future.

Found you via minimalist knitter

http://minimalistknitter.blogspot.com/

Diane said...

Love this pattern! I think my grand daughter would love it in red. Thanks for sharing!

cynthiaalice said...

Sooo, if I wanted the pointy bit to be longer, I would do... What exactly?

PosiTori said...

@Karina: Using a thinner yarn does make a difference. I would add more rows to make the wider as you go back. You can always stretch it when you block it. My brown one stretched quite a bit when I blocked it.

@cynthiaalice: To make the point more prominent the 3 needle bind off is on the outside of your hat. (as apposed to being hidden on the inside)

bethy001 said...

LOVE this pattern... going to try it soon! Probably will make a Christmas present or 2 from it as well. Just one quick question: I am from Canada, and the needles I have are sized in mm, are you American? Cause size 10 needles sound GIGANTIC to me, I'm thinking they're probably somewhere around my size 7? Would you happen to know this of hand? Thanks XD

bethy001 said...

Nvm, I found a conversion size and apparently U.S. to mm is 10-6!

PosiTori said...

Hehe. Yep. US size 10 are 6mm. I'll give my post a quick edit. :)

Quinta das Abelhas said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Quinta das Abelhas said...

Wow, this is fantastic! Very excited to give it a try. Thanks x

Jen said...

BOO COPYCAT!!!

pigbear said...

Did you TRULY make up this pattern?? You KNOW the truth. If you have copied this pattern and/or technique from someone who makes her living selling it, you should STOP offering it as your own. Be Kind, Be Cool. Don't Steal, especially don't steal and spread around the stolen goods. Please delete your post.

PosiTori said...

@Jen & pigbear: Excuse Me. You have quite some nerve. This pattern is a super simple knit. It's a rectangle sewn up the back. If you sell something similar then that's your business. I'm sure google will pull up quite a few of these patterns for FREE. Don't be a troll because others can share how to knit a rectangle. I made my first one as a gift. Figured out which stitch count and dec worked for ME and shared MY outcome. If you don't like my hat, then don't knit it. Certainly don't go throwing around accusations.

Katie said...

I just learned how to knit last week, so I don't know very much about it. I know that I should use either chunky or super chunky yarn, but what should the yarn be made of? Acrylic? Wool? Also, what does CO (for the brim) mean?

Lauren Rose said...

People can be so obtuse. Different needles size, different cast on count, different brim... It looks similar because it's a pixie hood. My friend took a glimpse at the pixiebell "signature pixie hood" and was able to replicate it in a glance. As you said, it's not exactly rocket science and she probably shouldn't charge 5 bucks for what you offer fairly and freely. 

I hope that you'll update your blog again soon, not enough geek chic craft blogs out there! :)

Lauren,
appreciative crafter

kelza said...

hate to make my living selling patterns of rectangles joined together using a rib and stocking stitch. I'd never pay for it. love seeing it here for free though. I think
you are very creative positori. keep up the good work.

Unknown said...

So happy you offered a FREE pattern of a rectangle stitched into a hat, as most of the hats that came up on the 'free hat pattern' search people were charging for. I used your pattern as a basic guide because I don't follow directions and was able to knit both my daughter and I super cute hats today!

Unknown said...

This is such a beautiful piece... I just started and I love it already! I can't wait to wear it everywhere, thank you for sharing this!

Brenda A said...

This is very pretty. And easy enough for even me to understand. I've only ever done a knit things. However I do you really have to buy a pair of circular needles to finish it off? Could you just put it on 2 needles instead and use a 3rd to bindoff? I'm sure using a circular would be more comfortable to hold onto while binding off. But since I haven't done much and don't own a set of circular needles would I really need to buy a pair to do the pattern?

Wendy said...

Thanks for the pattern. I like how you used decreases. Most free patterns dont and it makes a loose fit around neck. Knitting it now:-)

Alicia Penney-Harnum said...

Beautiful!!! Thank you so much for sharing, Tori!!
Alicia Penney

Unknown said...

In addition to my earlier post, I would like to add that a button sewn onto the corner allows you to fold it up under your chin and makes it a little warmer in cold, windy weather!

karen said...

love this pattern. don't let the haters get you down. pigbear and jen are totally out to lunch. calling you copycat is silly. how can a rectangle be copywrited? goofy. you are a terrific addition to our crafty world, keep up the good work.

Lottie Storey | Oyster & Pearl said...

Hello,

I love the look of this pattern and have some beautiful indigo yarn I'd like to use. It's a much chunkier yarn than you've suggested, however - it's Rowan Big Wool (http://www.knitrowan.com/yarns/big-wool) with a suggested needle size of 15-19.

I'm a real beginner and would love some guidance as to how to adjust your pattern to suit a chunkier yarn. Can you help?

Thanks so much!

Janet said...

Hey there! Lovin' this pixie hood! Do you think I could cast on less stitches to get a toddler size? I'd LOVE to make these for my daughters :)

Unknown said...

Just finished my first hat, the pattern worked wonderfully and I LOVE it!! Thank you so much for sharing!!

Unknown said...

love it. thanks, this helps me out so much.
PosiTori
Pigbear n Jen just hating on you, Their just to stupid to think someone could wing it and come up with how to make a pixie hood..
I'm winging it right to make a hood I seen that i cant find a pattern for.. Hope to see you come back to your blog.

Quiltersammy said...

After purchasing the "other" pixie styled knitted hood and not being happy with the way it finished in the back, I went looking on the 'net for other ways of doing this. Your method using a 3-needle bind-off makes TONS more sense. Also like the braided ties better too!! Thanx!
You go to the head of the class......and it's a free pattern too.

Raji said...

Hi Positori

Im quite new to knitting. Can you give the gauge measurements so that i can adjust the number of stiches according to the yarn type. Thanks . Love your pattern.