Why bother lining a hat? After all, any knitted hat is probably plenty warm, right?
Usually, but not always.
Jesse requested a new winter beanie, one which was really warm, please.
I thought I’d make him a colourwork hat, as the yarn which floats behind the pattern effectively adds another layer of warmth. (Looking for hat patterns? Here’s a roundup of cabled hat patterns.) Plus, I used a merino-cashmere from Knitting for Olive. The sock-weight yarn promised to be light as well as warm.
The pattern is Fragmentation. Nice, no? I choose half a dozen patterns I’d be happy to make and let Jesse pick his favourite.
“It’s nice,” said Jesse doubtfully, when the hat was finished “…but is it warm enough?”
A double layer of merino-cashmere? Buddy, this was going to be plenty warm!
Except, he was right. It was a little chilly. Perhaps my gauge was off, perhaps he was comparing it to the tighter-knit worsted hat I was replacing but the wind whipped through the stitches.
A quick fix for cold heads is lining a hat.
It’s simple too. I choose some yarn out of my stash, and picked up stitches all the way around inside the brim. Then I knit a hat. Yup, it’s two hats in one.
I ran out of yarn at the crown, so switched to another in a similar weight.
Let’s take a look: this is the hat from the outside (I didn’t get any pics of the hat fresh of the needles, so this is two seasons of wear – stuffed in pockets, and stored tightly in a draw. This is some non-insta worthy realness):
And inside:
Ugly as sin – I didn’t bother with neat crown decreases as you can well see, but nice and cozy.
These two hats aren’t connected anywhere except at the brim. But they look – and act – like one.
So there you have it – lining a hat transformed a never-would’ve-been-worn hat into his favourite winter beanie!
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I'm a kiwi living in Geneva. Knititng and crochet are just two of my passions! Read more about me. or working with me.