Friday, January 15, 2010

Acorn Head















Hi.
I have a new pattern to share with you.
It's easy to make and your friends and family will tell you how cute you are and ask you to please make one for them. Really! Wear this guy with a hat underneath and you can brave even the most windy winter day. I made this for a trip to Minnesota and wore it non-stop (I think I might have slept in it one time).
All you need to know for this pattern is knit, purl, knitting in the round (you could knit it flat too), and some seaming. Because this pattern is quite simple, I've written it as more of a knitting recipe that a standard pattern. Feel free to email me if it's confusing and I'll try to clarify.

Hooded Circle Scarf a.k.a. Acorn Head















You Will Need:
- 2 Balls of Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick (I used the color Denim)
- Size 17 29-Inch Circular Needles
- Size 17 Straight Needles (Optional)
- 1 Stitch Marker (I just use some scrap yarn tied into a loop)
- 1 Tapestry Needle ( or a crochet hook will do just fine)

First start off making a basic Circle Scarf (you can see the Circle Scarf Tutorial I made here):
Loosely cast on 70 stitches with your circular needles (edit 10/21/10: some folks on Ravelry have been knitting Acorn Heads in which the scarf portion is a bit too short. If you're a tight knitter you may want to cast on an extra 10 stitches). Join to knit in the round and place marker (be careful not to twist your cast-on stitches).
Purl one round. Knit one round.
Continue in this fashion of alternating purl and knit rows until you have about 6 1/2 inches of knitting from the cast-on edge, ending with a purl row.
Loosely bind off 57 stitches. You will have 13 stitches left.
At this point you can switch to straight needles if you want.
Now you begin knitting this flap extending from your scarf that will form the hood.
You will be knitting flat so you will knit both sides (garter stitch). I like to slip the first stitch on the side opposite the join to create a neater edge on the outside of the hood.

Knit these 13 stitches in garter stitch until the flap measures about 19 inches long. Bind off all stitches and leave a long tail for sewing. Fold over the flap so that the freshly bound-off edge is against the bound-off edge on the opposite side of the join (right next to the base of the flap). See how that will form your hood?














Use the tail from your bind off to sew these two bind-off edges together and then continue sewing up the back seam of the hood (you want the seam for the back of the hood to line up with the join of the circle scarf). Weave in ends. You're done!




















Notes: The circumference of the entire long circular part is about 4 feet. The hood is about 8.5 inches deep. Remember that this isn't science though, and you shouldn't worry yourself to much trying to be exact.
The first 2 photos show how the piece looks if it is double wrapped, the 4th photo is single wrapped. See that cute little point on the top of the hood? That's why it's called Acorn Head. Thank you to Maya for coming up with the name and modeling for me.

18 comments:

  1. What a nice scarf thingy! :-)

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  2. How would I do this on straight needles?

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  3. I love this scarf/hoodie! I've been looking for something similar to knit. I'm going to give it a try! I'd like to make a few for my friends. We'll see how it goes. Thanks!

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  4. Finished mine & it's been keeping me warm all week :) Love your blog!

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  5. That's so sweet. I'm really glad the pattern worked out for you! You've made my day!

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  6. so cute! I wonder if I can make a less scarfy version with this one stashed ball of T&Q... here goes!

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  7. Oh my goodness this pattern is phenomenal! I just knit two of these as Christmas presents and now I get to make several for myself, happily guilt free! Seriously this is a great idea and just an absolutely great pattern!

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  8. I just made two of the circle scarves as Christmas presents and want to try this next. I love the scarf with the hood and I can't wait to try it!

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  9. I love this scarf and how quick and easy it is to knit up. My only complaint is that the hood is too short for me and won't stay on my head. It works fine for my 10 year old step daughter but not for my big head.

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    1. In order to make the hood longer/deeper you just need to add more stitches from 'circle scarf' (I used 20 instead of recommended 13) and knit additional rows of the hood before you fold over and stitch

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  10. This is exactly what I have been looking for to make! I am just starting out and have been working with a loom kit and have a just dabbled in crochet. Do you have any suggestions if I were to try and make this on a loom? Thanks!

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  11. This is gorgeous. Have just ordered some suitable yarn, so this will be my next project. I'm itching to get started!

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  12. I cannot find size 17 needles anywhere near me and I'm eager to get started on this. I have a set of size 15. Anyone know about how many extra stitches I should cast on to make this the appropriate length? I added an additional 20 already and it still looks like it's going to be way too short.

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  13. I made this last year using your instructions and it kept me warm all winter. Now it's winter again, and I'm making these as Christmas gifts! Thanks so much! :)

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  14. Would you still have the faucet and the dimensions of the hood? Id like to try and convert this pattern to s worsted weight. I have been hunting for a pattern like this for a long time!

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  15. Damn auto correct! Gauge not faucet!

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  16. Hi there,
    Love the pattern! I've searched high and low for size 17 29 inch circular needles and 17 inch straight needles. Anybody know who sells them? Can this be done on straight needles only and if so can I use another size? Would really appreciate any advice. Thanks everyone.:0)

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  17. Oh! This is so beautiful!!! I think I bought yarn just for this pattern before I knew consciously that the pattern existed, because I have some gorgeous cobalt-blue of the exact weight and brand of yarn recommended! Thank you very much for sharing!

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