Warm and Cozy

During the recent heavy snow in my part of England, I thought there was no better time to make a hat. This is a hat that I have been planning to make for a LONG time, and I have finally got around to it.

Years ago I got given a book of patterns for animal hats, (at the time I was always was wearing woolly animal hats, the monkey was my favourite!), unfortunately I never got around to making a hat from it. Now I wanted to make a walrus, and there wasn't actually a pattern for a walrus in the book, so I've had to make my own.

From the book I used the adult size pattern to make the basic hat, (it was a pattern for a chicken hat, but I left off the beak and comb), the rest of the hat I made up as I went along.

The hat is a basic woolly hat shape, has two tassels, which on the end of which are pom poms. I used a variegated chunky yarn for the main hat, that was a basic brown shade, but was a little more jazzy.

The cheeks, and tusks are made separately and sewn onto the hat, as are the eyes. The eyes are one white button and one black button each, sewn on in place with some black thread.

The tusks I knitted with an odment of white DK yarn from the stash, and the cheeks are crocheted, with a lighter colour variegated DK yarn. I made up the pattern for these two pieces and have included it below, for anyone who wants to have a go.

The hat, has a knitted lining in the ear flaps, and a fleece lining for the main hat. The book has the patterns for the lining and the instructions on how to do it. There was an option for a knitted lining to the hat, but I felt a fleece lining would be a little nicer. I might try a knitted lining next time.

Tusks Pattern (Make two):
On UK size 9 needles, cast on 2.
Row 1: Knit (and all odd rows)
Row 2; Kfb, K1
Row 4: K2, Kfb
Row 6: Kfb, K3
Row 8: K4, Kfb
Knit another 20 rows in garter stitch,
Cast off.

Cheeks Pattern (Make two): (all stitches are UK stitches)
With a 4mm crochet hook, chain 11.
dc in stitch 1 from hook,
dc in the next 8 chains,
3dc in last chain,
dc in the bottom of the 9 chains and slip stitch into first chain to create a round.

Chain 1, 2dc in 1st dc, dc in next 8 dc, 2dc in next dc, 3dc in next dc, 2dc in next dc, dc in next 9 dc.
2dc in next 4 dc, dc in next 9 dc, 2dc in next 6dc, dc in next 10 dc, 2dc in next 6 dc, dc in next 11 dc, 2dc in next 3 dc, dc in next 3 dc, 2dc in next 3 dc, dc in next 12 dc, slip stitch, cut and fasten off.

I appologise if this crochet pattern doesn't make much sense, I am a knitter really, and I struggled to write down exactly what I did. The outcome you are looking for is a long oval shape, it doesn't really matter how you get there.