I made an Oslo hat from Petite Knit for my dad and while I was making it found a few hacks to make life (and knitting) easier! The hat has an interesting construction with a two-layer brim, making it extra warm. The pattern directs you turn the brim over and seam it down, which is the kind of work I find a bit tedious, so I made a few changes (see video):

1. I used a single strand of Double Knitting weight Yarn (the pattern uses two strands of a fingering weight … an easy substitution!)
2. I used a provisional cast-on (I prefer the crochet cast-on)
3. When I was finished knitting the brim I picked up the provisional cast-on, put it on a spare circular needle, folded the brim in two and knitted the stitches from both needles at the same time. 

Size

• XS (S) M (L) 
• approx: baby (junior/woman) woman (man)
• head circumference of approximately: 47-50 (50-55) 55-59 (59-62) cm OR [18½-19¾ (19¾-21¾) 21¾-23¼ (23¼-24½) inches]

Materials

I used Sandnes Garn Double Sunday for the project. It’s a soft, springy 100% merino wool and I think it was perfect for the project. I made the largest size (which was pretty big) and used about 120g/260m. My father wanted grey, but there are actually a pile of gorgeous colours in this yarn, including lots of neutrals, lots of subtle Scandinavian colours, and lots of brights that POP!

• Sandnes Garn Double Sunday: 2(3, 3, 3) skeins (knit with 1 strand only)
• 3.5 mm/US4 – 16″ circular needle
• 3.5 mm/US4 double-pointed needles to shape the crown (or a longer circular needle if you prefer to do it using the magic loop method)
• Pattern

Other Yarn Options

Double Sunday is machine washable if you have a sweater or wool cycle on your machine. If you need a yarn that’s absolutely machine washable, I suggest trying Berroco Vintage DK, Berroco Vintage Baby, Schoppel Edition 3. If you want more texture or something more luxurious try using Drops Soft Tweed, Fibre Co Acadia, or Fibre Co Road to China Light. To experiment with colour and marl two or more colours or make an ombre try Drops Alpaca (2 strands held together).

• Berroco Vintage DK: 1 skein (machine wash)
• Berroco Vintage Baby: 2 skeins (machine wash)
• Drops Soft Tweed: 2 balls (hand wash)
• Schoppel Edition 3: 2 balls (machine wash)
• Fibre Co Acadia: 2 skeins (hand wash)
• Fibre Co Road to China Light: 2 skeins (hand wash)
• Drops Alpaca: 3 to 4 skeins (2 strands held together)

Mohair Variation

There’s also a second version of this pattern knit with a strand of fingering weight yarn paired with a lace weight mohair. If you’re into that kind of thing you could pair the following:

• Artfil Belle (1 skein) + Drops Kid Silk (2 balls)
• Cascade Heritage (1 skein) + Malabrigo Mohair (2 skeins)
• Cascade Heritage (1 skein) + Drops Kid Silk (2 balls)
• Malabrigo Ultimate Sock (1 skein) + Malabrigo Mohair (2 skeins)
• Malabrigo Ultimate Sock (1 skein) + Drops Kid Silk (2 balls)
• Fleece Artist Merino Slim (1 skein) + Drops Kid Silk (2 balls)