Sitting in my sewing area, I have a pile of thrifted sweaters that I’ve been wanting to use for various projects. Several of them are cashmere (as is this pink one), but they’re either stained, damaged, or felted, so I don’t have to feel guilty about cutting them up. I realized that this one needed to become a hat after I saw these two photos:

I was wearing this hat today while I stood in front of my kitchen window, washing dishes. The best part about washing dishes in my kitchen is that I put a hummingbird feeder on the fence in front of the window, so I get to watch hummingbirds sip nectar and chase each other around the yard. They’re very territorial, and quite entertaining. Today, though, a pretty little guy sat down for a drink, and I realized that we matched. His head was the same color pink as mine. I wonder if he noticed.

Materials:
Sweater
Scissors
Chalk
Hat that fits your head
Sewing machine (or needle and thread–you could definitely sew this by hand)
Thread

Methods:
1. Take a hat that fits you and lay it out on your chosen sweater so that the brim lines up with the ribbed bottom edge of the sweater. Trace around it with the chalk.

2. Leaving at least an extra inch or two, cut out the pieces you just traced. Better to make it too big than two small, because you can always trim it smaller. This especially applies if you’re using a ribbed hat (like mine) for your template, since knit ribbing is much stretchier than regular knit.

3. Place the pieces right sides together, and sew up the edges. Use a sewing machine needle meant for knits and a narrow zig-zag stitch. Try on your hat and adjust the size if necessary.

Stay cozy!