Smooth Ears On Your Go High Hat

If you haven’t seen Penny Shima‘s Go High Hats, you can see photos here, and on her project pages (version 5, version 4, version 1. She took the idea of a pussycat hat literally. This led to a small modification in the bind off, which gives the nice smooth ears of a real kitty.  When you look at her project pages, you will also see kitties.

This is her first hat, without the smooth ears bind off.

I will explain her bind off modification and show photos of my hats using it.  I doubt I will have the patience to do the duplicate stitch all of my hats before the drawings, which begins on Wednesday at 1:30 PM PST.  Mitch is standing by!

Smooth Ears Bind Off Numbers

Let’s do a few calculations to divide the hat into ear-head-ear.

• Take your total number of stitches 80 (84) (88) (92) (96) (100) (104) and divide by two for doing the three-needle bind off.
  • You will have 40 (42) (44) (46) (48) (50) (52) stitches on each needle to bind off.
• Divide your new bind off number into 3 (ear-head-ear).
  • Some sizes will end up with extra stitches:  13.333 (14) (14.666) (15.333) (16) (16.666) (17.333) stitches
• Round the resulting number down to a whole number: 13 (14) (14) (15) (16) (16) (17)
• Multiply that by two (for ears):  26 (28) (28) (30) (32) (32) (34) total ear stitches
• Subtract the total ear stitches from the bind off: 14 (14) (16) (16) (16) (18) (18) head stitches.

After considering the way the numbers worked out, I decided to change my ear numbers.

• I shifted one stitch out of each ear for most sizes to new ear numbers of:  12 (13) (14) (14) (15) (15) (16) ear stitches
• Multiply those number by two (for ears):  24 (26) (28) (28) (30) (30) (32) total ear stitches
• Then I subtracted the new total ear stitches from the bind off number.
  • This will leave 16 (16) (16) (18) (18) (20 (20) head stitches

I have no idea what the actual ear to head ratio of a cat is.

Smooth Ears Bind Off

This is super easy, until the third segment.  Then it gets tricky, and I have trouble-shot through this to find what seemed to be the easiest method.

• Turn your hat so that Right sides are together.
• Using the yarn still attached to your hat, and the three-needle bind off, bind off 12 (13) (14) (14) (15) (15) (16) ear stitches.
  • Slip the stitch on your right needle onto one of the left needles.
• Turn the hat so that Wrong sides are together.
• With the two left needles in your left hand, return the bound off stitch to the third needle in your right hand.
• Work the flat 3-needle bind off across the head stitches so that 12 (13) (14) (14) (15) (15) (16) ear stitches remain on each of the left needles.
• Put these stitches onto stitch holders or waste yarn.
• Put the stitch on the right needle onto one of the stitch holders or pieces of waste yarn.  You can try turning without doing so, but you are likely to drop stitches.
• Turn your hat so that Right sides are together again.
• Return the stitches to the left needles and the single bound off stitch to the right needle.
• Now orient your yarn again and use the 3-needle bind off to bind off the remaining stitches.  Cut yarn.
• Turn your hat Right side out again.

All you have to do is work in ends.  Unless you want to duplicate stitch the inside of your ears.  Maybe I’ll get to this for my newsletter.

Don’t forget about the drawings on March 8 beginning at 1:30 pm PST for the hats I knit and to acknowledge International Women’s Day.  Go here to find out how you can participate in a virtual march!  Be sure to stay tuned to their work to stay on top of actions and activities!

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