Here on the Baltic coast, spring and autumn (and even bits of summer) can have a chilly bite. My son grew out of all of his hats this past spring, and I needed a simple hat that is super fast to knit up and cozy enough to keep the chill at bay.

What resulted were the Missing Wedge earflap hat (page 4) and balaclava (page 5), which have no seams and require no purls! They are provisionally cast on, worked flat in garter stitch and grafted.

Skills Needed: Knit, provisional cast on, long-tail cast on, cable cast on, wrap-and-turn, grafting (or alternatively, 3-needle-bindoff).

Sizes/Measurements:
Newborn (3 to 6 months, 6 to 12 months, 1 to 3 years, 3 to 10 years, Pre-teen/Teen, Women, Men)

To fit head circumference 14 (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22.5, 24) inches

Actual circumference 13 (15.3, 15.3, 17.7, 17.7, 20, 20, 22.4) inches unstretched

Actual head depth 5 (5.5, 6.5, 7, 7.5, 9, 9.8, 10.4) inches unstretched

Gauge: garter, 17 stitches and 34 rows (17 ridges) per 4 in (10 cm)
(Every knitter’s gauge is unique: use a needle size that will give you the indicated gauge. Row gauge is very important to get the correct hat circumference.)

Materials Needed:
Yarn: Schachenmayr Extra Merino Big 100% merino, 50g/80 meters (1.75 oz/87 yards) or similar worsted weight yarn. Need 1.5 (1.5, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2) balls. Shown in dandelion (00120) and pool (00273).
Needles: 6mm straight or circular needles
6mm dpn for the earflap hat if you are making i-cord ties
Note: please use the needle size that will give you gauge in garter.
Notions: Removable marker, waste yarn, tapestry needle, additional materials for decorations (e.g. felt, paint, pom pom maker, dpn for i-cords.