Pointy Greyhound Hood 1

Pointy Greyhound Hood A.K.A. Oh The Cuteness Gray Hat A.K.A Surefire Way To Get The Stinkeye From Your Dog By Nikki Atkins

This pattern was written up in a fit of enthusiasm for the Greyhound Knits group on Ravelry. It’s free for personal use (no selling the pattern! Really, who would sell a free pattern anyway?). Feel free to make as many as you’d like to benefit hound rescue groups (or any animal rescue group), and I’d love if you’d consider donating some portion of money made from commercial sales of the finished product to a rescue group or shelter. Yarn: Cascade 220 (or similar worsted weight), one skein or less depending on how long you want the neck. Needles: US 7 (4.5mm) for knitting in the round (either DPN’s, two shorter circulars, or one long circular for Magic Loop method) (Green version by Sharon Gebhard knit in DK on US 4 (3.5mm) needles to make a smaller lurcher version, 11.5” around) Gauge in stockinette Stitch: 5 stitches and 7 rows per inch Finished hat fits: Around face 14.5” Brow to back of head 4” Neck 15.5” Photo © Nikki Atkins (brightshadowsky). Model Kimi. Abbreviations: K – Knit P – Purl K2Tog – Knit two together SSK – Slip next two stitches knit-wise. Place both these stitches back on the right left needle and knit together. Sl1 – Slip one stitch as if to knit P2Tog – Purl two together KFB – Knit into the front and back of the next stitch (increasing by one stitch)

Photo © Suzy (feederofthepack)

Pointy Greyhound Hood 2

Directions: FACE: Cast on 64 sts (Italian tubular is a great choice to keep the cast on from being too constrictive around your pup’s face. Great instructions can be found at: http://techknitting.blogspot.com/2008/01/provisional-tail-method-of-1-x-1.html) Join to knit in the round, being careful not to twist. Round 1: K1P, repeat1 to end of round. Continue in K1P1 rib for 10 rounds or about 1 1/2 inches. CROWN AND POINTY BIT: The next section is knit flat over only a portion of the stitches. (The remaining stitches can be left on one DPN, the cable of your circular if it’s long enough, a second circular needle or a stitch holder.) Row 1: K 50 sts, turn R2: Sl 1, p 49, turn R3: Sl 1, k 49, turn This establishes the flat section. K 20 rows total flat on just these 50 stitches, slipping the first stitch of each row.

Photo © Susan (kitkatknit). Model Juneau.

Continuing to work flat (stitch counts are for flat section only, ignoring the 14 stitches held in reserve): Row 21: (right side) - Sl 1, K22, SSK, K to end (49 stitches) R22: Slip 1, P to end R23: Slip 1, K to end R24 - Sl 1, P22, P2Tog, P to end (48 stitches) R25: Slip 1, K to end R26: Slip 1, P to end R27 - Sl 1, K21, SSK, K to end (47 stitches) R28: Slip 1, P to end R29: Slip 1, K to end R30 - Sl1, P21, P2Tog, P to end (46 stitches) R31: Slip 1, K to end R32: Slip 1, P to end R33 - Sl1, K20, SSK, K to end (45 stitches) R34: Slip 1, P to end R35: Slip 1, K to end R36 - Sl1, P20, P2Tog, P to end (44 stitches) You should now have 44 stitches on your working needles and be ready to knit a right side row. Join just these 44 stitches into a round to make the point of the hood. (NOTE: You can shorten the point of the hat by doing the decrease rounds every other round instead of every third)

Pointy Greyhound Hood 3

Round 1&2: K R 3: K2Tog, k20, K2Tog, K20 R 4&5: K R 6: K19, SSK, K19, SSK R 7&8: K R 9: K2Tog, K18, K2Tog, K18 R 10&11: K R 12: K17, SSK, K17, SSK R 13&14: K R 15: K2Tog, K16, K2Tog, K17 R 16&17: K R 18: K15, SSK, K15, SSK R 19&20: K R 21: K2Tog, K14, K2Tog, K14 R 22&23: K R 24: K13, SSK, K13, SSK R 25&26: K R 27: K2Tog, K12, K2Tog, K12 R 28&29: K R 30: K11, SSK, K11, SSK R 31&32: K R 33: K2Tog, K10, K2Tog, K10 R 34&35: K R 36: K9, SSK, K9, SSK R 37&38: K R 39: K2Tog, K8, K2Tog, K8 R 40&41: K R 42: K7, SSK, K7, SSK R 43&44: K R 45: K2Tog, K6, K2Tog, K6 R 46&47: K R 48: K5, SSK, K5, SSK R 49&50: K R 51: K2Tog, K4, K2Tog, K4 R 52&53: K R 54: K3, SSK, K3, SSK R 55&56: K R 57: K2Tog, K2, K2Tog, K2 R 58&59: K R 60: K1, SSK, K1, SSK

Photo © Pat Bozeman (Pabozem). Model GiGi.

Photo © Sharon Gebhard (Shaz-Knitz). Model Tigger

Pointy Greyhound Hood 4

Cut yarn and thread end through the last four stitches. Pull tight and tie off. NECK: If the 14 stitches that were put aside earlier are on a stitch holder, transfer them to one of your DPN’s or circular needles now so you’ll be able to knit them again easily when you need them. Starting at the left corner of the hood where the ribbing meets the flat section, pick up 21 stitches along the left open side of the hood and 21 stitches from the right open side of the hood. Then knit across 7 of the live stitches of ribbing that have been hanging out waiting for you. Place a marker - this is your new beginning of the round. (Your maker will be in the middle of the 14 stitches that were on the holder.) Rounds 1-10: Work in K1P1 rib, using existing rib from the stitches on the holder to establish the pattern. Round 11: K1, KFB, K around to last two stitches, KFB, K1. 54 stitches. R12&13: K R14: as R11. 56 stitches. R12&13: K Repeat rows 11-13 until the neck is as long as you like. Once the neck section is wide enough to accommodate the base of your hound’s neck (for the blue example, about 68 stitches, or 8 increase rows) so that it will fit well, stop doing the increases on every third row and continue knitting rounds in plain stockinette until the neck is as long as you want before finishing the edge. Neck edge options: For a neckline that rolls up a bit as in the orange example, continue knitting in stockinette for a few rounds past the actual length you want the neck to be to accommodate for the roll and BO all stitches loosely. The nature of the stockinette will cause it to roll up on its own. For a neckline that will lay flat like the blue example, work the last 5-10 rounds in garter stitch (knit one round, purl one round) or K1P1 rib. Bind off. If you’re using K1P1 rib, consider using a tubular sewn bindoff to match the Italian tubular cast-on to make a nice, stretchy bindoff. For a picot edging as in the green multi example, Cast on 2 stitches using cable cast on Bind off 4 stitches Return the single stitch on the right hand needle to the left Repeat until you are left with one stitch, cut the yarn and pull through the stitch as normal. This makes a nice soft, and fairly stretchy edging.

Pointy Greyhound Hood 5

Finishing: Weave in all ends. Make a pom-pom if desired and attach it to the point of the hood. Put on hound and try to ignore the inevitable stinkeye.

Thank you..! To the Greyhound Knits group on Ravelry for kicking my designer mania into high gear for this project. To Luckydog (Gail), beekeeper40 (Sara), Brigidsmomma (Kay), Daddysgirl (Tamara), and Iammum (Andrea) who all graciously put up with my barely coherent and marginally competent first versions of the instructions to test knit the pattern for me.

Photo © Suzy (feederofthepack)

To Kitkatknit (Susan), Pabozem (Pat Bozeman), feederofthepack (Suzi) and Shaz-Knitz (Sharon Gebhard) for the use of their finished project photos. And to all the hounds, grey-, sightand otherwise, who will now be suffering in barely-contained annoyance because they must wear silly pointy hats. We love you, you long-faced goobers. :)

Photo © Nikki Atkins (brightshadowsky). Model Kimi.