Materials:

• Any soft 100% wool yarn (we recommend Cascade 220 or or Cascade 220 Superwash) that will knit to gauge.  Approximately 175 yards.
• NOTE: PLEASE USE ONLY 100% WOOL YARN. Wool is inherently non-flammable and warm, even when wet.
• Colors allowed by the military are black, charcoal, brown, tan, or olive drab.
• Size 8 - 16" circular needle, or size to get gauge.
• Size 8 double point needles (DP), or size to get gauge.
• Size 6 -16" circular needles for the ribbings.
• One stitch marker.

Gauge:  4.5 sts. per inch in stockinette stitch using larger needle.

Instructions:

Neck: With smaller circular needle, cast on 84 stitches loosely. Place marker. Join in round and knit in 2 x 2 rib (knit 2, purl 2) for 6 inches.  

To make hat portion: With larger circular needle, knit 32 stitches off smaller needle. Leave smaller circular needle in rest of the stitches, cast on 59 additional stitches, place marker to mark beginning of round, join in round, K even for 4". ["K even" means to knit every stitch in every row.]

• 1st dec (decrease) row: *K11, K2 tog,* repeat to end of round.
• Next row: Knit even.
• 2nd dec row: *K10, K2tog,* repeat to end.
• Next row: knit even. Change to DP needles when necessary.
• Continue decreases as established until K2, K2tog.
• After this, decrease every row until 7 stitches remain on needle.
• Cut yarn 8" - 9" long, feed through remaining stitches and weave in.

Ribbing around face: With smaller needle still in neck portion, pick up stitches around face. Join in circle and knit in 2 x 2 ribbing for 1 inch. On last row of ribbing, decrease in a total of 4 purl stitches by Purl 2 together (2 sets on each side of face, i.e. 10:00, 2:00, 4:00 and 8:00). This will pull the ribbing in close to their face.  BO in ribbing and work in tail. BO around face can be snug.

Used by The Peace of Yarn with permission by Bonnie Long. Designed by Bonnie Long, Knit Wits, 3419 Chatham Rd., Springfield, IL 62704. 217/698-6100. Revised 1/19/05. All rights reserved. Copies may be made only for the purpose of donating helmets to our active service personnel. In any case design attribution must remain.