House Hat Mods

These are for Keri...I just want to point out that the majority of this pattern was designed by Alison Hansel and is available in her book Charmed Knits, or for free as a charity KAL project on the Charmed Knits Blog. I have modified the top and brim of my version slightly and Keri requested a list of my mods. OK, now that the legal things are taken care of..here are the stats on my House Hat.

I did the medium size in a looser gauge than the pattern called for, so my hat was about a size large.
CO 96 stitches (leaving a very long tail) and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist your stitches. Place a marker at the beginning of the round. Work 10 rows of stockinette stitch. Purl across next round, then work 10 more round of stockinette. Again, I chose to knit this in the even stripes in the Gryffindor colors, but you can use whatever method you choose. Knit in stockinette, alternating colors each 6 rows, until the hat measures about 5.5 inches from the purl round. At this point you need to redistribute the stitches so that there are 24 sts on each needle. The instructions below are for each needle.
Round 1: K2Tog, knit to end of needle, SSK, knit to end of needle, K2Tog, knit to end of needle, SSK, knit to end of needle.
Round 2: Knit one round even.
Repeat these two rows, decreasing the first two stitches on each needle every other row until you have 3 stitches on each needle. Cut a long tail and weave it through each of the live stitches and pass through to the inside of the hat. Weave in the end. On the cast on edge, fold under the first 10 rows of stockinette at the purl round and use your long tail to stitch the cast on edge to a row of knitting on the inside of your hat, creating a hem.
To create the tassle, cut about 30 pieces of yarn in the same length, fold over and wrap another piece around the top of the fold, creating a loop. Tie yet another piece of yarn through this loop and attach to the top of the hat.

I hope that this helps you Keri! Please feel free to email me with any questions! :)