Tutorial : Hat made from a cashmere sweater

The first hat I made from a cashmere sweater has proven to be the lightest, coziest, simplest, most versatile hat I have ever owned.  Here is what I did.

Take a cashmere sweater that is ready, willing and able to be turned into something else for whatever reason: moth hole, doesn't fit or doesn't suit, need a hat more than a sweater…..  

Cut out two circles 16 inches in diameter;  I am using the original hat here as the template, pinned it to the sweater and cut through both layers.  Initially I used a frying pan lid as the pattern for the first hat.  You can cut a circle out of cardboard or paper and use this.  I then had to separate the circles – which were wrong sides together – and put them right sides together.  Next time I will think before hand to turn the sweater inside out before pinning on the template/pattern!  One would not think I have been sewing for nearly sixty years!

Now sew 1/2 inch seam all around the outside edge of the hat.

Take out pins and fold hat into quarters as shown.
Mark center point with chalk. Mark a 3 inch point along edge, as shown and along other two edges as well.

Open hat flat and mark fourth point with chalk: you will have four points in the form of a plus sign each point being 3 inches from the center.  Chalk this plus sign on;  I didn't – just leapt right into  the cutting.  Now cut from the center point to each dot.
Turn hat right side out.

Now try hat on for size and if it suits (it fits loosely)
then tack each point with a stitch or two where it meets hat (nothing more has been cut away – the flaps resulting from cutting the plus sign have been folded into the hat).  If hat is too snug, clip a bit more at end of each line on the plus sign and then turn under flaps.  At each of the four corners do a few stitches with needle and thread to secure the corners.

It  can be worn in many different ways…