BRAIDED SNOW HELMET

Materials:
One set straight needles 10.5 U.S.
two sets size 10.5 U.S. double pointed needles
yarn needle
Brown Sheep Lambs-Pride wool/mohair blend.
Two skeins bulky, one skein worsted weight will make one solid color adult hat.  One
skein of bulky and two skeins of worsted weight will make a child's solid
color hat.  If you choose to color stripe you will need several colors.
One button 3/4 in. (wood, round with smooth edges works the best).

One or two jingle bells (optional).
General Notes:  Hat is worked in one piece from bottom up.  Whenever I start or
change colors I leave long yarn tails.  These are pulled to the front and braided
in whatever ingenious way comes to mind at the end.Add a jingle bell or two to a braid
for fun. Because the stitches are large this hat buttons better with no buttonholes. 
That also gives the wearer a snug, customized fit.

Using background color, cast on 38 stitches.  Knit 8 rows (garter stitch), decreasing
one stitch each end of 8th row (36 stitches).
Short rows: (Directions are for a striped version)

Leaving long yarn tails, cut background yarns and add yarns for stripe color 1.

K17, wrap (S1, bring yarn to front, place slipped stitch back on left needle), turn, 
k back.  K15, wrap, turn, k back.

Leaving long yarn tails, cut stripe 1 yarns and add yarns for stripe color 2.

K13, wrap, turn, k back.  K11, wrap, turn, k back.

Leaving long yarn tails, cut stripe 2 yarns and add yarns for background color.

K9, wrap, turn, k back.  K7, wrap, turn, k back.
K8, wrap, turn, k back.  K10, wrap, turn, k back.

Leaving long yarn tails, cut background yarns and add yarns for stripe color 2.

K12, wrap, turn, k back.  K14, wrap, turn, k back.

Leaving long yarn tails, cut stripe 2 yarns and add yarns for stripe 1.

K16, wrap, turn, k back.  Knit across row.  K17, turn, k back.

K13, wrap, turn, k back.  K11, leaving long yarn tails, cut stripe 2 yarns and add
background yarns, wrap with new color, k back.

K9, wrap, turn, k back.  K7, wrap, k back.  K8, wrap, k back.  K10, leaving long yarn
tails, cut background yarns and add yarns for stripe 2, wrap with new color, k back.

K12, wrap, turn, k back.  K14, wrap, k back.  K8, wrap, k back.  K14, leaving long
yarn tails, cut stripe 2 yarns and add yarns for stripe 1, wrap with new color, k back.

K16, wrap, turn, k back.  K across row.  Leaving long yarn tails, drop stripe 1 yarns
and add background yarns.yarn tails, drop stripe 1 yarns and add background yarns.

K 13, (m 1, k 1) 10 times, k 13,  C/O 14.

Arrange on seven double pointed needles (e.g. 9,8,9,8, 9,8,9) and join, working in the
round with stockinette stitch in main color for 10 rounds (purl 14 front
stitches on first and third rounds).  Add two or three garter stitch rows in contrasting
colors to balance short row stripes by wrapping and knitting around backwards.

Top shaping:
Round 1:  (K2tog, k13) 4 times.
Rounds 2,4,6,8,10,12:  Knit.
Rounds 3,5,7,9,11:  Repeat round 1 with one less stitch between decreases on each
round.
Repeat decrease round only until 4 stitches remain. Leaving long tail, thread through
remaining stitches.

Now - the fun part - putting all the braids together.

NOTE:  If you do this hat in just one color you can whip it up in about an hour.

Copywright 1995 Northern Needles (Jane Bouchard)
Jane from NH                   jbouchard@delphi.com

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