KNITmuch Issue 1 | Page 29

Finishing your knitted hat the right way The crown of your hat after all the decreases are finished. We’re finally ready to finish up our Top This! hats. Finishing your knitted hat is the last step, and involves sewing up the top of the crown, weaving in any other loose ends of yarn, and in this case, attaching the cute little animal topper that comes with the kit. Use a yarn needle to thread the working yarn through the remaining stitches. Sewing up the top. Don’t forget to attach the fun topper! When you’ve completed all the decreases, remove any stitch markers you were using (they’ve finished their job now!) Cut your working yarn, but leave a long tail of at least 8" if not more. Thread the end of the yarn onto a yarn needle, and thread the needle through the remaining stitches while they're still on the knitting needle as in the photo. Remove the knitting needles as the stitches are threaded. When you’ve got all remaining stitches threaded onto the yarn, pull it snug and if you wish, thread the yarn through the stitches again for extra security (next photo below). When you’re satisfied they are secure, pull the needle through to the inside of the hat and weave the yarn through a few stitches on the wrong side of the work. Tie a knot and cut the yarn, leaving a short end. Now these little cuties are all finished up and ready to be worn or saved as gifts! If you’re like me and want to keep up your knitting all year round, but don’t like big projects taking up space in your lap during the summer, then knitting hats are a nice way to keep some small projects in the mix. If you can add to your gift knitting pile then that is almost like having money in the bank! Finishing your knitted hat is the last step in this quick and satisfying process. KNITmuch | issue 1 29