December 6, 2012
My brother (and therefore my nephew Nathan) are also both huge Yankee fans. Once I had stitched the hat for my father-in-law, I knew Nathan’s Knit yankee hat would be the perfect gift to give my nephew for Christmas that year. After having the issues with the first hat turning out a little bigger than I had wanted it to, I was able to tweak things and make the needed adjustments so that I didn’t run into that issue again. It happens sometimes. We don’t like it when it does, but you just deal with issues that come up and learn from them! Something good should come out of it that way.
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Nathan’s Knit Yankee Hat Pattern Info:
The pattern I used for this project was the
Basic Cap by Bernat Design Studio. I created the graph for the Yankee symbol and added that to the hat by duplicate stitch. That is one of my favorite tricks ever learned! I was creating things that looked like colorwork long before I ever learned how to actually do colorwork. LOL
Creating Graphs Information
There are great websites that you can find that help you create graphs even using .jpeg images. The site I used to design this is no longer operational, but there are many others. Just google Free Knit Graph (or Chart) Maker and you will find plenty of options. Make sure you adjust the chart to reflect a knitting project as regular graph paper isn’t a true reflection of the elongated knit stitch. It needs to be knitting graph paper in order for it to look right in your final stitching project.
Chart Minder is one of my favorite sites to use for this, but I have also used others. You can always create a chart the old fashion way and just draw it yourself with pencil and a paper chart. I have done this plenty of times as well. I love the graph notebook at Knit Picks for this exact purpose. The notebook is designed for knitting projects so it will come out proportionately the way it’s supposed to. I can’t find a link to it anymore right now but there are a few cute ones on Amazon that would work too. See links below as well as one for the chart keeper that I got at Knit Picks that I LOVE for chart projects!
Yarn Info:
This time around I used Lion Brand Wool Ease in Navy Blue for the main part of the hat to avoid the same issues I had the first time. I still used Red Heart Super Saver solids yarn to duplicate stitch the Yankee Symbol. Caron simply soft yarn would be a good substitution as well as Vanna’s Choice and Red Heart Soft.
Places to yarn shop for these brands would be Amazon and Create For Less websites. You can also find a lot of great yarn shopping at Knit Picks and We Crochet . I will throw a few links for worsted weight yarns below if you are interested in finding them more easily. It is not an exhaustive list so be sure to search a little if these aren’t what you’re looking for. They have LOTS more. In fact, We crochet also carries the Lion Brand so you should be able to find this same yarn that I used on that website if you wanted to try it!
Knitting Needles and Tools
Of course you will need a good set of knitting needles if you are going to stitch this hat up for yourself. My favorite brand to use, and the only kind I have ever really purchased, are the Knit Picks brand. I am a self taught knitter and I really didn’t have anyone to ask about what to purchase. When I first started I researched knitting needles the best I could and finally opted to go with this brand. I have not regretted it once. They are very high quality and the customer service has always been excellent whenever I’ve needed to contact them.
You can also find options at any of your local craft stores or even on Amazon. I will recommend several buying options and I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them. You will see that most of the options I recommend are interchangeable sets, and only ones that I have heard great reviews on, even if I don’t personally own each brand. Interchangeable needles are going to be the most economical way to get started as you can use them for a wide variety of projects. Whatever you do, make sure to do your OWN research. Find out what you think the best fit for YOU will be. If you purchase a quality needle from the start, you won’t have to buy replacements later on. They will stand the test of time and use, so do your homework first and shop smart!
Need More Help?
If you currently don’t know how to knit, I’d be happy to stitch this hat for you, just send me a message to custom order. I do highly recommend learning how to knit yourself though! It’s a lifelong skill you will enjoy having. Check out the site for Annie’s and/or Crafty below for an online learning option. I’m also including a link for a kit similar to what I purchased back in 2012 that I used to aid in teaching myself to knit, long before these great online resources were as readily available.
Please let me know if you have any questions about this hat or anything stitching related. I’d be happy to try and help.
Happy Stitching!
🧶💖
~Mindy~
