When you’re a knitter, there are only so many knitted gifts you can give your relatives. I’ve made hats, cowls, mittens, hats, hats and hats. My family will never tell me “Enough with the hats already!” so I’m of course knitting them all hats this year for Christmas.

My nephew is a Dodgers fan. For his birthday I got him a Dodgers wallet, felt banner and classic metal waste basket. Those gifts went over well (He’s 14 and he gave me an enthusiastic “thank you,” which is a lot coming from a teenager). So I figured he wouldn’t mind a knitted cap in Dodgers colors.

This hat is mostly made from Plymouth Yarn’s DK Merino Superwash, although the grey is Lion Brand. Merino wool is soft and not itchy in the slightest. It’s also warmer than synthetic. Feel free to substitute acrylic yarn if you are trying to save money.

So get those team colors and knit on! You might get an honest “thank you” from your teenage nephew.

Click here if you’d like to make this type of hat for a baby.

Sports Team Knitted Cap

Fits an average size head (my husband, who was the only model I had around, has a gigantic head so the hat is a little stretched out in the photos)

Skill level: easy/beginner

Materials:

1 skein each of Plymouth DK Merino Superwash in Cobalt (Color A), Natural (Color B), and Light Gray (Color C)

Size US 8 circular and double pointed needles

Darning needle

Abbreviations:

K1, P1 = knit 1, purl 1 ribbing

k2tog = knit two stitches together

Directions:

With your circular needle cast on 80 stitches using color A. Join stitches to form a circle, being careful not to twist the stitches. Place a marker where you joined the yarn. K1, P1 in the round for 5 rounds or until the ribbing is to your liking.

Start knitting all rounds. Knit 15 more rounds with color A. Cut yarn leaving an 8-inch tail. Begin knitting with color B. Knit 4 rounds. Cut yarn leaving an 8-inch tail. Start knitting with color C. Knit for 10 rounds. Cut yarn leaving an 8-inch tail. Knit 4 rounds with color B. Cut yarn. Switch to color A and knit approximately 8 rounds or until the hat is about 5.5-6 inches tall from the edge.

Begin decreasing as follows:

*k2tog, k6* Repeat * till end of round
K one round
*K2tog, k5*, repeat * till end of round
K one round
*K2tog, k4*, repeat * till end of round (switch to double points here)
K one round
*K2tog, k 3*, repeat * till end of round
K one round
*K2tog, k 2*, repeat * till end of round
K one round
*K2tog, k1*, repeat * till end of round
*K2tog*, repeat * till end of round.
Cut yarn leaving an 8-inch tail. Using a darning needle, weave in all ends. I like to tie the striped yarn ends together somewhat loosely before weaving them in. I have no official technique for this, so do what seems best for you. Just be sure not to tie them together too tightly as that will cause the stitches to look uneven on the outside of the hat.