Apple for Teacher was created for a teacher friend’s first baby. Quick and simple, it makes the perfect gift for any new baby, or is an excellent novelty hat for any other age group.

The hat is knitted in the round in stocking stitch, with a rolled edge. The stalk is incorporated with a simple colour change for the very top of the hat, the leaf is then knitted separately and stitched in place to give the hat a 3-dimensional feel. The instructions cover five sizes, from baby to adult.

The pattern is written for the magic loop technique using a single circular needle with a long cable; a set of double-pointed needles, or a circular needle with a smaller cable, switching to double-pointed needles or the magic loop technique near the crown, may be used instead.

The sample hat is baby size, and is knitted in Wendy Merino DK 100% Merino wool, 116 m (127 yds) per 50 g (1.75 oz) ball in Persian Red 2352 (MC), Spice 2387 (CC1) and Apple Green 2373 (CC2).

The sizing is as follows: Baby (36 cm/14”), Toddler (41 cm/16”), Child (46 cm/18”), Woman/Teen (51 cm/20”), Man (56 cm/22”), designed to fit with between 0 and 7.5 cm/3” negative ease.

Tools: 4 mm (US 6) circular needle at least 31 in (80 cm) in length or set of 4 or 5 double-pointed needles; 3.5 mm (US 4) circular needle at least 31 in (80 cm) in length or set of 4 or 5 double-pointed needles; Stitch marker x 1; Tapestry needle

Materials: DK weight yarn in the following colours: MC, red: 90 [100, 120, 145, 175] m/95 [110, 135, 160, 190] yds; CC1, brown: oddment, 5 m/5 yds; CC2, green: oddment, 5 m/5 yds

Difficulty: Intermediate (knit, purl, increases and decreases, knitting in the round)