April’s Newsboy Hat knitting pattern w/ @KnitPicks Dishie

Chautona Havig is one of the twelve authors participating with me in the Christian Contemporary Romance anthology, Save the Date, which releases September 15. Chautona’s novella in the anthology is titled Adoring April.

In celebration, I wrote a knitting pattern for the Newsboy Hat used by Chautona’s heroine, April!

(In case you missed it, here are the links for my interview with Chautona part 1 and part 2, and an excerpt of one of Chautona’s other books, Blessing Bentley.)

Chautona’s heroine April wears a casual blue cotton Newsboy Cap. I knit it with Knit Picks Dishie, which is a sturdy cotton yarn. I specifically designed this to only use one ball of Dishie.

The hat is knit in the round, making the lace part of the crown very easy. I have charted the pattern below. Just double click on the chart to see the larger version, which you can right-click to save on your computer.

The pattern for the crown is a combination of the pattern Figure 47 Block for Counterpane in the Priscilla Cotton Knitting Book, published in 1918, and the pattern #66 Pretty Small Pattern Diamond of Four Holes from pages 158-159 of The Lady's Assistant, volume 2 by Jane Gaugain, published in 1847, 5th edition. (If you’re interested, you can download a free scanned .pdf of each of these antique books by clicking on the links.) I changed both patterns slightly and charted the patterns.

The brim is stiffened with strong interfacing rather than anything more solid. (I had tried using a cut up plastic bottle for the brim, but that ended up being just a bit too uncomfortable, so I went with the interfacing instead.)

(In case you were wondering, I stuffed a pillowcase into the hat so it would fit on my bear’s head. I apologize that it’s a little lumpy.)

Yarn: Knit Picks Dishie Multi, (100% cotton, 190 yards/100 grams, worsted weight), Deep Blue Sea Multi colorway, 1 ball

Needles:
US 7 (4.5 mm)

Dimensions:
24” circumference. NOTE: You can make the circumference smaller by inserting elastic or a ribbon into the ribbed band, see instructions below. To make the circumference larger, when you bind off the band, use a stretchy bind off like sewn tubular bind-off instead of a normal bind-off (which is what I did to get the 24” circumference).
55” long, 7” wide open ended tube

Gauge:
4.5 stitches and 6 rows per inch in stockinette stitch using US 7 needles.

NOTE: The cap is knit from the top of the crown down to the band, then the brim is knitted.

Pattern:
Cast on 8 stitches in the round.
Knit one round.
Commence chart from round 1.
Follow chart until round 53. The hat should be about 8” from the cast on. (128 stitches)
If you’d like the hat to be taller, repeat rows 46-53 until the hat is the height you desire.
If you’d like the hat to have a wider circumference, then after round 31, continue adding a stitch every other row, knitting the extra stitches, and then when you’ve added 6 stitches, incorporate another 6-stitch repeat of the 8-round stitch pattern #66 Pretty Small Pattern Diamond of Four Holes.

Ribbed band:
Set-up round: [(k1, k2tog) 5 times, k1] repeat around the needles (88 stitches)
Band: K1,p1 ribbing for 6 rounds (about 1”).

Brim:
Bind off except for 38 sts. Knit those 38 sts, place marker, then cast on 38 stitches and join in the round, placing a second marker for the beginning of the round.

Round 1: knit all around
Rounds 2-16: k1, ssk, knit to 3 sts before marker, k2tog, k1, slip marker, k1, ssk, k to 3 sts before marker, k2tog, k1

Kitchener stitch, like the toe of a sock, the remaining stitches.

Place brim down on a piece of paper and trace around it. Cut out the paper tracing, then cut two pieces of interfacing from the paper tracing.

Turn brim inside out and iron interfacings to insides of brim. Remove paper layer, turn brim right side out and position the two layers evenly, then iron outside of brim to seal interfacings to each other.

NOTE: I saw a pattern that cut a plastic bottle instead of interfacing and slipped the plastic inside the brim. I tried it, but I found the plastic too stiff and uncomfortable. However if you desire a stiffer brim, that might be something to try.

Sew cast on sts to underside and slightly inside band so brim curves down a little.

Finishing: Weave in all ends.
Optional: sew yarn in a zigzag pattern on the inside of the ribbing of the band so that whoever wears the hat can cut a piece of ribbon or elastic to fit their head, then string it through the zigzag and sew the ribbon or elastic closed, so the hat will fit more snugly.

The hat is featured in Chautona’s novella, Adoring April. She gave me permission to post the short excerpt where the hat appears!

Excerpt:

Halfway to Mrs. Nesbit’s cottage on Bedford Street, April Moran realized she’d shoved her newsboy cap on her head before she’d left her duplex—a habit she had considered breaking more times than she could count. Each time, she’d decided against the destruction of an innocent habit that did no one any harm. No one but my hair.

Never graceful enough for such delicate things as butterflies, wooly caterpillars crawled about her innards in a desperate bid to ensure she did not forget to be nervous. Dinner at Mrs. Nesbit’s cottage … with him. How do you spell nervous? Let me count the ways …

You only need one.

If that wasn’t the truth. To say April had fallen in love with Jesse Stallard would have been a gross exaggeration. She had, however, dived headfirst into the closest thing you could have for someone you hadn’t actually met. Tonight would change all that. Mrs. Nesbit had set her up on the equivalent of a blind date with the man of her dreams.

Lord, I’m not saying we’ll hit it off, fall in love, get married, and have three kids by the end of the month or anything, but if You could arrange at least one of those by the end of the year …

A warm light glowed in the windows of the Nesbits’ house. A tall silhouette reached for something on a top cabinet shelf. But he isn’t that tall. Just compared to her. Laughter reached the door at the same moment she did, soft and muffled but heartwarming.

Palm warming too. They began to sweat the moment she reached for the doorbell. Aw, man, really? She rubbed them on her jeans before jabbing her finger at the old bell. A less muffled “I’ll get it!” told her that Mrs. Nesbit hadn’t exaggerated. Jesse Stallard had a voice to melt hearts and grow flowers. Oh boy.

Of its own volition, her hand stole up to rip off the hand-knitted newsboy cap. Of her own volition, she grabbed it and shoved it back down in place. Can’t meet him with my hair standing on end! Ugh!

White teeth flashed as the door swung open. Jesse unlatched the storm door and pushed it back to let her in. April just stood there. Blinking. Mesmerized.

Some might say that Jesse was a bit odd looking. Not quite six feet tall (five foot eleven and a quarter if you asked Mrs. Nesbit—and she had), warm skin tone, and eyes that felt out of place Ssomehow, but that smile …

Her vocal cords finally kicked in at the exact time he said, “Hello? April?”

“You must be Jesse.” The inanity of her statement hit her at the very second she finished making it. Really, April? Really?

“Would you …” He stepped back farther. It was the first time she’d noticed he’d moved at all. “… care to come in?”

“Oh, sure.” Like some kid from the fifties, April snatched her hat off her head, froze, stared at him in horror, and shoved it back down. “Nice to meet you.”

Again, that grin. Save me from myself, Lord. But don’t kill me yet. This guy. He’s actually as nice as Mrs. Nesbit said. Some might argue with her reasoning. After all, how could she possibly know in one “hello”? But in April’s estimation, he hadn’t laughed at the utter fool she made of herself. Ergo, he was amazing.

While she babbled internally, Jesse shut the door and reached for a paper-wrapped bouquet lying on the entry table. He passed them over and whispered, “They’ve been in water until about five minutes ago. Mrs. Nesbit insisted.”

Flowers? May the swooning commence.

Copyright 2021 Chautona Havig

***

Camy’s knitting patterns inspired by the novellas in Save the Date:
— Ashlyn's Yoga Bag knitting pattern w/ @KnitPicks Dishie
— Cleo’s Drawstring Purse knitting pattern w/ @KnitPicks CotLin
— Kate’s Tube Scarf knitting pattern
— April’s Newsboy Hat knitting pattern w/ @KnitPicks Dishie
— Lila’s Pleated Comfortable Skirt knitting pattern w/ @KnitPicks Comfy Fingering (coming soon!)

Get 12 novellas in Save the Date, a Christian Contemporary Romance anthology. Preorder now for only 99 cents! Releases September 15th.