One of 5 hats Originally published in 1979 as Wool Gathering #20. Now available as Spun Out #8 from Schoolhouse Press.

From Knitting Without Tears: In Chapter 5, “Other Knitted Garments,” (pages 93-95) EZ says: “AND THIS BRINGS ME TO HATS. To which the sky is the limit. People will put anything on their heads, it seems to me for two reasons: either it keeps them warm, or it makes them feel cute. A good woolly cap can well combine these functions… . A Tam-o’-Shanter is pulled forward over the eyes in a very jaunty manner when the sun shines; in a drizzle it may be dragged down over the ears. It is also very useful for unexpected finds of mushrooms or blackberries.”

“Caps are quickly made, and invaluable for using up scraps of wool for color patterns and stripes. They are excellent bazaar material, as people will pay more for them for mittens, and they are quicker and more fun to make.”

EZ’s basic rule for hats is “that you start with 90-100 stitches on a 16” circular needle with knitting worsted at a gauge of 5 st to 1”. This is a good starting rule, to be broken in all directions.”

For the Tam-o’-Shanter hat, she tells us that she starts “with 90 stitches, but almost immediately explode to 120 stitches or even more.” The pattern calls for a 16” needle, plus dpns in the same size (between 5 and 8, to get 5 st per inch), and two to three ounces of worsted weight yarn.

Materials: “You will need a 16” circular needle, and a set of four sock needles of approximately the same size for finishing the top. Also some knitting worsted (GAUGE 5 sts to 1”_ two to three ounces of it, or a pile of remnants. Needle size will depend on how you knit - anything between a size 5 and a size 8, for a GAUGE of 5 sts to 1”.”