Nuvola, a very quick knitting

Nuvola is a soft, light and airy beanie you can knit quickly - let's say in half a day (a few hours of knitting).

So it's a good idea for a last minute gift!

It's plain but fluffy, and if you choose a precious yarn this pattern will enhance it in all its beauty.

Just use a fluffy yarn (containing a great amount of mohair or alpaca or angora) and 4mm (US6) needles for the hem and 4,5mm (US7) needles for the body and crown. My gauge is 20sts in 10cm in st.st.

I used one ball of Air Alpaca by Katia.

Not my fave yarn, I admit. There's too much polyamide to be nice for me, but I bought it two or three years ago (without reading label, I suppose) so it was time to make room in drawers.

Anyway this yarn is showy enough to be transformed in a nice gift.

So I made this simple, artless, scandalously easy hat

DIRECTIONS

With small needles cast on 84sts.

Work rib1/1 for 7cm (2.75").

Change needles and work in st.st. 

At approx.16cm (6.3") from cast on, decrease (k2tog, k12)x6.

Alternate a decrease round to an even round until you get 36sts in total, and then repeat all decrease rounds until you get 18sts in total. Close the hole.

Tips:

- when casting on make a further stitch, then join and knit the last and the first stitch together

- I didn't write it down, but it's clear and obvious that dccrease round decreases (k2tog, k12... k2tog, k11... k2tog, k10...)

- to close the hole, cut yarn leaving a tail and use a needle to pass yarn through remaining sts, tighten and pass again to stop the yarn, and weave in inside

Happy knitting!