I whipped up this pumpkin hat the last couple of days as a gift for my nephew. I am certainly not a big Halloween person (this annoys Phil a great deal because he was raised in a home where Halloween is a bigger holiday than Christmas). But I felt that my nephew needed something hilarious on his head for the holiday. A giant pumpkin seemed to fit the bill. The pattern is by Marina Hayes and is a free Ravelry download. It is done on US#5 needles and worsted weight yarn. I used Vintage since it is machine washable and came in a great pumpkin color. If it were worked up on US#8 needles, I think it would make a great adult size …for those of you that need a big pumpkin on your head.

Knit Tip

The hat ends at the very tip of the stem, where you bind off in the round. In order to make the first stitch bound off line up better with the last stitch that is bound off, I always do the following on socks, sweaters, hats, etc:

1. cut yarn and do not draw it through the last loop, as normally done. Thread it onto a darning needle

2. run the needle and tail under the “v” of the first stitch bound off at the beginning of the round

3. then run the needle and tail through the open loop and draw down tight. weave in your tail and you have a smoother edge!