From: "Ann Yotter" (gyotter@nash.tds.net) Subject: Jester Hats Jester Hats on the Bond To make a jester hat, you are going to make a number of small tails, just like a long ski hat, but you will join them together on a band to fit your head. Jester hats are poofy and floppy, so the band will fit the head, but the hat will be bigger. This is sized to fit an average adult head, but here is how to figure how to make it smaller or larger. I usually use 78 sts for a hat on KP3 on the Bond. However the hat part will 1 1/2 times the number of band sts and needs to be divisible by the number of tails you want to make. So here I rounded up to 80 for the band, giving 120 sts for the hat. That is a convenient number as it is divisible evenly by lots of numbers. Also you will work the band on KP2 to tighten it up. Use the formula N (#sts in band) + 1/2N = X (#number of sts in hat) to refigure your size. You could also use this to figure how to make this in sport yarn, too. Start with N as the number of sts you use in sport yarn for a hat to fit your head and work from there. The decreases might need adjustment. I'm sorry I didn't measure the length the tails worked up and I gave away all the hats. If you try to change yarns, you will have to wing it for how often to decrease! 4 tailed hat Use KP3 and worsted weight yarn. Hang the hem on the Bond. (I use a short 50 st one for the tails.) CO 30 sts in WY ( that is X in the above formula divided by 4) and work 4-6 rows. Leaving about a foot tail at the beginning, work about 6 " in the MC for the main part of the hat, about 33 rows, depending on the gauge of your yarn. Mark both edges with a yarn scrap. Now decrease 1 st on each side by moving the 2 outside sts in 1 needle each. Knit 5 rows, decrease again. Continue decreasing every 5th row until there are 10 sts left. K 1 row. Move every other st over 1 needle to make 5 sts. Move empty needles back to NWP and K 1 row. Slip an F or G crochet hook thru all 5 sts and lift them off the needles. Pull a loop of yarn thru all 5 loops. Cut the end of the yarn, leaving twice the length of the piece. Pull the loose end completely thru and tighten it down to gather the tip. Use the end to sew down to the marked row where the decreases started. Remove the hem and set the tail aside. Make 3 more tails the same way. Band: Change to KP2. Hang the full hem on 80 needles. Now rehang the 4 tails, p side toward you, using 20 needles for each one. (N above divided by 4) Put 1 st on the first needle, 2 sts on the next and alternate across. I worked the first row by hand to keep from losing sts since some needles had 2 sts AND ravel cord. Saves a lot of frustration. Knit even for 30 rows. Or 32, if it takes that to get in a color repeat. (You might want to pull out the WY from the tails at this point to get it out of your way.) Now lift up and rehang the first row of the band onto the needles. (Don't forget that there is 1 less st across when you turn up the bottom edge. Don't keep looking for it!) Knit one row and bind off. This will leave a ridge, but it is on the inside. Use the most elastic bind off you can. You could also bind off, then sew the band doubled over by hand. I avoid hand work if possible. You can use another contrasting color for the band or stripe it, using colors in the tails. Be warned - I loved the one shown in the picture, but will NEVER do another one like it. 4 colors worked in one row each looked great, but it was a pain to do unless you have 4 carriages. I don't! However, 1-row stripes in 2 colors on a hat with 2 tails each in 2 colors looked very nice and was easy. You just carry the yarn up at the edges and it is all enclosed in the seam at the end. I even carried up the yarn in the 4 color one over 3 rows and it worked fine. Finishing: Sew the tails closed down to the first decreases (the marked row). Now sew adjacent points together from the band up to the tail seams. If by chance any tails worked up longer than others due to different brands of yarn in the colors, just close the long one a little more down the seam from the tip. Knot tightly inside in the center, a stress point, and weave in the ends. The last seam will also close the band. Start seaming the band with the end left at the start and sew the outside part of the band from the inside so it looks nice. When you get to the fold, it gets trickier to sew closed, but this section is turned inside and will not show. Turn hat inside out and make pompoms or tassels for the tails. May also use bells.
6 tailed variation: Work each tail with 20 sts to begin (X in formula above divided by 6) and decrease every 6th row. Hang the 20 sts on 15 sts of the band. (N divided by 6) You can use 7 colors, or do 2 tails in each of 3 colors with stripes or a 4th color for the band. The picture shown has slightly shorter tails than the instructions should give. When I made that one, I forgot that less sts to begin with means less overall length unless your decreases are spread out more. Wayne, a Shriner clown, plans to stuff the tails on it to make them stand out more instead of flop over. This hat is starting to look like Jughead, Archie's pal. You might also reverse the work and use the P side as the right side for some or all of the sections for a variation in texture. I may try 2 tails. The decreases will have to be about every 2 rows, or it will hang down to the waist! Ann
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Author : Steph Thornton.
Last modified on : 18th September 1997.