For all the veterans

As we in the U.S. take time to honor and remember our veterans on Memorial Day, I thought this would be an appropriate time to post my knitted garrison cap design:

front:

back:

A couple of people asked me to knit a garrison cap for them. They chose the colors for their caps. I had no idea how to do it and scoured the web for knitting instructions, but all I could find was a pattern for how to sew one. So I decided to make up a pattern from what I knew of loom knitting, and the customers were both satisfied. You will need to tweak my pattern a bit depending on the size head you are knitting for; mine is for a 23" head.

You will need: measuring tape (to measure the person's head), yarn needle, yarn (I used Homespun black and tudor), straight yellow loom, straight blue loom, yarn hook.

Knitted using 1 over 2 e-wrap stitches.

For the inner cap: on the yellow loom, cast on 38 pegs and knit off 47 rows. Remove yarn from one anchor peg corner peg and place the loops on the adjacent peg (it doesn't matter which one); knit off so that there are only two loops on that peg. Remove the anchor corner peg. Repeat for other side of loom. Knit off 4 rows on 36 pegs and loosely bind off. Set aside.

For outer flap: Place the inner cap that you just knit against the left or right corner of the blue loom. Place a peg into that anchor peg corner peg hole where your inner cap is resting. Place a peg into the opposite anchor peg corner peg hole. With the loom facing you, on the peg row that is directly in front of you, count 10 pegs down from the anchor peg corner peg where your inner cap is resting. Remove what would be peg #11. Now go backwards, counting the pegs you just counted, and count off 54 pegs in the opposite direction. Remove what would be peg #55. You will begin by using the black yarn and casting on the original 10 pegs you counted, all the way around the loom to peg 54. Knit off 4 rows, then decrease by 1 peg at both ends to knit off 2 rows on 52 pegs.

Decrease by 1 peg at both ends to knit off 2 rows on 50 pegs.

Decrease by 1 peg on both ends to knit off 2 rows on 48 pegs.

Decrease by 1 peg on both ends to knit off 2 rows on 46 pegs.

Decrease by 1 peg on both ends to knit off 2 rows on 44 pegs.

Decrease by 1 peg on both ends to knit off 2 rows on 42 pegs.

Decrease by 1 peg on both ends to knit off 5 rows on 40 pegs.

Decrease by 1 peg on both ends to knit off 5 rows on 36 pegs.

Add tudor yarn for the trim and knit off 3 rows.

Loosely bind off.

Now, wrap the outer flap around the bottom edge of the inner cap to create the overlap look as in photo #1 above. Carefully sew the bottoms of the outer flap and the inner cap together. Then, using tudor yarn and starting with the inside part of the outer flap (the part that has been overlapped), sew the top edge of the outer flap onto the outside of the inner cap all the way around the cap. This will secure the outer flap to the inner cap to prevent it from curling up, and will create the trim edge for the decreased edges of the outer flap knitting. If you make one, I'd love to see it!