Bunny Hat

I cooked up this pattern for adults after making several children’s bunny hats. The pink in the ears is done in duplicate stitch after the hat is finished. The duplicate stitch strengthens the ears and helps them stand up better, too.

Bunny hat: front and rear views.

If you would like to make this pattern for small children, you can get the pattern from Itty Bitty Hats by Susan B. Anderson. Just add the pink in the ears and the pompom tail.

Materials

Yarn: 100g gray or other bunny color in DK/worsted weight yarn, 5-6 yds pink yarn in the same weight for the inside of the ears (I used Cascade 220)

Needles: US #6 16” circular and #6 double-pointed needles

Gauge: 5 sts/inch

Notions: stitch marker, stitch holder, two safety pins, yarn needle

Sizes

Small adult, large adult

Instructions

Cast on 90 (100) sts. Place marker and join into the round, making sure it is not twisted.

Knit until hat measures 8” unrolled.

Begin decreasing as follows:

For Larger Size only begin here:

Round 1: K8, K2tog around.
Round 2: Knit

For Smaller Size begin here:

Round 3: K7, K2tog around
Round 4: Knit
Round 5: K6, K2tog
Round 6: Knit
Round 7: K5, K2tog
Round 8: Knit
Round 9: K4, K2tog
Round 10: Knit

You should now have 50sts on the needle and are ready to start the ears.

First ear

Change to double-pointed needles and work the following setup round for the first ear.

• Needle 1: CO1, K8
• Needle 2: K9
• Needle 3: K6, put a safety pin in the stitch you just knitted (this will show you where to start sewing the pink in the ears), K2, CO1.

Place the remaining stitches on a holder for the other ear.

Close the dpns into a circle and knit 28 rounds.

Decrease as follows:

Round 1: K2, K2tog around until 3sts remain, K3
Round 2: K1, K2tog around
Round 3: K2tog around

Thread the yarn through the remaining stitches and pull tight.

Second ear

Set up the second ear as follows:

Needle 1: Pick up and knit 1 stitch from the base of the other ear, K3, put a safety pin in the stitch you just knitted, K5

Needle 2: K9

Needle 3: K8, pick up and knit a stitch from the base of the other ear.

Repeat as for the first ear.

Inside of the Ears

Duplicate stitch is very easy. You simply sew over the knit stitches following the way the yarn actually goes (like tracing). Here are some instructions with illustrations.

Begin by flattening the ears out so that the tail of yarn where you started the hat is in the center of the back.

• Using about 18” of the pink and your yarn needle, begin sewing on the right ear, on the stitch with the safety pin in it. Stitch over 7 sts to the right, sew up to the next row and sew over 7sts to the left.
• Keep sewing over each succeeding row until you have 21 rows of duplicate stitch that are 7 sts wide.
• On the next row, stitch over the center 5 sts.
• On the row after that, stitch over the center 3 sts.

You will need several pieces of yarn to finish this. Repeat the process for the left ear, making sure your first row of duplicate stitch goes to the left.

Sewing Up

Sew up any holes that may remain between the ears. Sew in your ends.

Fold one of the ears with the pink on the inside and sew the base of the ear closed. Repeat for the other ear. If you would like a flop-eared bunny (as shown in the pictures), sew one ear down to the side of the hat.

Tail

Make a pompom as follows:

• Wind yarn around four fingers of your hand until it make a fairly large lump.
• Tie the center of the lump as tightly as you can with a length of yarn. Leave the ends of the tie long so you can use them to sew the tail on.
• Cut the loops of the lump and trim it into a round pompom.
• Sew the tail securely to the back of the hat above the roll.