Did you know there’s a type of knitting that lets you complete an entire Christmas hat or scarf in less than an hour? Guaranteed to be a fun festive activity for all ages, finger knitting, which requires no tools and only yarn – will give you cloud-like pieces, super soft to the touch. Not only will it ensure a lovely session of tactile play for your little ones, you will also have Christmas décor and hats ready for the family in a jiffy.
Red puffy yarn White puffy yarn Pom-pom ball or a pom-pom ball maker White knitting yarn (only if making pom-pom ball) These materials are locally available.
Before you start, there are actually two ways to knit this hat. You can either start from the pointy hat top or measure your head’s circumference using the puffy yarn thread, make a knot and start knitting from the bottom. The following is method 1, as shown in the video:
Unravel the looped puffy yarn until three loops. Tie the yarn edge to the thread between the third and fourth loop so that the centre constricts and comes together. This is the starting point and first layer. Now, the leftover yarn will be used to create layers from the centre point. Twist the 4th and 5th loop from the yarn into an adjacent loop from layer 1 (putting a double loop inside a single loop), and continue – putting the next two loops into the next loop from layer 1 and so on. 6 loops in third layer to 9 loops in third layer: The second layer will have 6 loops. To further increase the circumference, but more gradually, for the next layer – put a single loop in one loop and a double loop in the next to a count of 1,2, 1, 2, 1, 2. 9 loops to 12 loops: For the fourth layer, do a count of single, single, double loop. Keeping count of your loops is essential as any missed loops can affect the shape. 12 loops to 15 loops: For the fifth layer, do a count of single, single, single, double loop. You can continue this gradual increase layer-by-layer until your desired circumference is reached depending on who the hat is for. Alternatively, it can also be a small décor piece. Then, simple pull single loops through the previous layer to form a new layer, and continue to increase the height of the hat. Do this until the desired height is reached. Take the edge of the white puffy yarn, pass it through the red loop, and pass the next white loop through the next red loop and so on in single loops, until you reach the end of your hat. Complete a minimum of two to three rows. When you have the desired length of white, it is time to close the loop. Pick a loop, take the one next to it below it and pull it out. If the second loop is from the left continue in that direction and the same goes for right. Next, pass the adjacent loop below the second loop and pull it out, and continue it until the whole row is closed. (This can be seen in the second video as well) Making Pom-pom bolls (optional)
Open the pom-pom ball maker, and place the two sets next to each other. Twirl the yarn around from the outer edge to the inner side very thickly. The more yarn you wind, the thicker and fuller your pom-pom ball will be. Pass the yarn over to the other side over the centre of the pom-pom ball maker, and wind it around this side thickly. Ensuring that it is tightly wound, snip the centres of the wound wool while holding the bottom such that it breaks outward. Run the yarn over the long crevice and tie a few very tight knots. Now open the pom-pom ball maker, and trim the strands to make them even. You can add the pom-pom balls by simply tying them through the tip of the hat as shown in the video. Wind the yarn around your head until you find a comfortable length for the hat head, and tie a knot – this is your base layer. You can do this with white yarn. Using the trailing yarn, pull single loops of the yarn below and out through the loops of the first layer to make the second and third layers. If you want more white, you can add more layers. Then add the red puffy yarn in layers of single loops to the height desired. Once you’ve reached the desired height, count the number of loops in the layer. It’s time to start reducing the number of loops in each layer. To do this, when adding single loops, add one single loop through two loops of the bottom layer such that the new layer has less loops. You can do this gradually in the count, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2 (where 2 is where you add a single through two loops) – it depends on your number of existing loops in the layer. The more the loops, the more gradually your reduction should be. Next, you can do 1, 1, 1, 2 and so on. Your final layer should be a 2,2,2 and end with 3 loops. Add pom-pom ball as usual, and voila! A perfectly fitting Christmas hat. Red puffy yarn White puffy yarn Scissors Unravel the looped puffy yarn, and pull the second loop below through the first loop at the edge, and pull outwards. Take the third loop, and pull it out under the second loop. Continue doing this until you have a row of seven loops. This is the first layer of the scarf. Now, turn the yarn, pull out a side loop from layer 1, and place the next single loop from the trailing yarn below the loop and pull it out. Continue this until you’ve put a single loop into the next 6 loops as well. Now this is the base of your muffler. Continue by adding single loops along the existing seven-loop layer by pulling it underneath and out of each loop. Once you’ve reached your desired length, it is time to close it. To close it, start from the side opposite that with the trailing yarn. Take the second loop and pass it under and into the first loop at the edge. Continue with the next loop until the whole row is closed. Take the white puffy yarn and pull one loop out through the edge of the red knit scarf. Just like the muffler was closed, pull the second loop under and though the first one, and continue for the desired length for the strands. In the video, 5 is used. Close by cutting the edge and winding leftover puffy yarn into the strand. Repeat four more times along the edge of the scarf. Here’s a small bonus – if you’d like to make a jellyfish or an octopus for a fun unique décor, especially for kids, you can just combine the methods to make the red hat, and the muffler threads!
Use the counts of 4 loops initially, double looped for two further layers to make 8 loops and 16 loops. This is for a more rounded shape. Then, just extend the height of the piece by doing single loop layers, and finally closing the edge. You can add tentacles by adding 8 white threads using the muffler edge technique.
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