Your friends all want you to teach them how to knit!

This pattern was designed by me but absolutely knit 100% by Vivienne (who is featured here as the lovely model). She was the shining star of teaching someone how to knit - she wanted to learn everything and she managed to get the whole thing finished in a couple of days. And it turned out great!

Vivienne McMaster is a friend and an amazing body positive photographer and teacher. She runs Be Your Own Beloved and I recommend going and taking a look. Her eCourses are wonderful and her photos are gorgeous, and she’s just so lovely!

www.beyourownbeloved.com

She’s also @VivienneMcm on Instagram

Teaching someone how to knit a scarf (the go-to first project of most people) is great, but it’s a long slog knitting a giant rectangle. I like to start people off with a hat! It takes less time and they get to wear it on their head afterwards, which feels important.

I like to do a little knitting survey to see how much knowledge the person has had before I set them up.

Never knitted before: I will actually do the cast on and ribbing for them while we’re sitting together. Life’s hard enough as it is to have to learn more than one technique at a time. I’ll hand them over the hat once I’m done the ribbing and let them knit the main part of the hat. If they’re feeling confident after doing all that work, I’ll teach them how to k2tog for the brim and let them do that part too. K2togs are pretty simple.

When I first was learning how to knit I needed someone to do the cast on and ribbing for me. So I’ll offer that option to a friend.

If they’ve knitted before but it’s been a long time: Then I will actually teach them how to cast on and how to do the knit and purl brim. A lot of knitting knowledge is stored as muscle memory, and some people just have no trouble picking up a long lost fibre art.

I wish I’d had enough insight to take photos of all the mustard hats I’ve taught people how to knit. Lots with holes, lots with dropped stitches, but every single one as lovely as can be!

Super special thanks to Nicola (tiny.island.textiles) from The Graph Paper Cooperative for doing the tech editing for this pattern! I am forever in her debt for all the help she gives me on my knitwear design.

The Graph Paper Cooperative

Thanks for popping by and looking at my pattern! I hope you like it!