Purple Fig Beanie

This beanie is quite easy to make and can be made in a couple of days. The fig accesories (eg. stalk, leaves...) can be added to any purple beanie to create a fig beanie. I used four balls of purple wool in different shades for the main body of the fig. The four strands at once make the beanie thicker and quicker to knit and the varying shades of wool colour make it more interesting. You can use all one colour to make a more 'consistent' fig, but it is easier to work with four seperate balls, and it can be hard to judge how much wool is needed when cutting the four strands from one ball. If you have any suggestions on improving the beanie or any questions please don't hesitate to ask them in the comments sections at the bottom of the page.

What you need:
• 4 balls of purple wool in different shades
• 2 balls of green wool in different shades
• 7.00 mm knitting needles (UK- size 2, USA- between size 10 ½ and 11)
• 3.5 mm knitting needles (UK- size 10, USA- size 3)
• Purple thread
• Green thread
• Scissors
• Needle (with large eye that fits wool strand)

Note: Take care when using scissors and needle

Cast on 25 stitches, using all four strands of purple wool, onto the larger of the two sets of needles. Leave a tail of at least 45 cm.
Knit one row, being careful to pick up all four strands with each stitch.
Purl the next row, knit the next, then purl the fourth.
Knit for 55 rows.
Then knit one row, purl one row, knit one row, purl one row.
Cast off, leaving a tail of at least 45 cm.
The beanie should now look like a rectangle with the two opposite edges curled inwards, on the same side.
Fold your work in half so that the two curled edges are facing outwards.
Thread the needle with some wool off one of the darker shades of purple.
Sew along the side which does not have the tails (bring the needle through, out and over, and through again, from the same side.)
Unroll the curled edges and sew them together as well.

1.Cast on 16 stitches with the lighter of the two shades of green. Use the smaller of the two sets of needles.
2. Purl one row.
3. Knit one row, knitting the first two stitches of the row together and the last two stitches of the row together.
4. Repeat steps 2. and 3. until one stitch is left (should be 16 rows).
5. Cast off.
Repeat the whole process. You should end up with two equally sized triangles.
They may curl up but this does not matter.

Thread the needle with some of the green wool.
Lay the two triangles next to each other, with the arrow patterned side up and the tails of wool pointing upwards.
Sew the right edge of one triangle to the left of the other.
Fold along where you sewed, arrow patterned side outwards.
Sew up the other side, forming a cone with the tails at the top.
You can now cutt the tails off.

Fit the cone on the corner of the purple section of the beanie, opposite the tails, arrow patterned side out.
Use the green wool to sew around the edge of the cone securing it to the beanie.

Note: For this step you need to know how to finger crochet. If you do not know read the next step, which explains it, first.

Using the lighter green wool finger crochet a length of wool until it is approximately 27 cm long.
Pull the end of wool through the loop. (Casting off)
Next, finger crochet using the 27 cm section just completed.This should form a short thick length to be used for the stalk.
Cut off the ends of wool.
Cast off and, using the light green wool, sew the stalk onto the tip of the green section fastened on in the previous step.

1. Make a loop and pull the end of wool leading to the ball half through, tighten
2. Pull the end of wool half through again, tighten again
3. Continue this until the crocheted part is the desired length
4. Cut the wool off and feed the end through the loop and tighten

Cast on 9 stitches, using the darker green wool and smaller needles.
Row 1: Knit 4, Purl 1, Knit 4
Row 2: Knit row
Row 3: Knit 2 together, Knit 2, Purl 1, Knit 2, Knit 2 together
Row 4: Knit 2 together, Knit 3, Knit 2 together
Row 5: Knit 2, Purl 1, Knit 2
Row 6: Cast on 1 stitch *, Knit 5, Cast on 1 stitch
Row 7: Cast on 2 stitches, Knit 3, Purl 1, Knit 3, Cast on 2 stitches
Row 8: Knit row
Row 9: Cast on 1 stitch, Knit 5, Purl 1, Knit 5, Cast on 1 stitch
Row 10: Knit row
Row 11: Knit 2 together, Knit 2 together, Knit 2, Purl 1, Knit 2, Knit 2 together, Knit 2 together
Row 12: Knit row
Row 13: Knit 2 together, Knit 2, Purl 1, Knit 2, Knit 2 together
Row 14: Knit row
Row 15: Knit 2 together, Knit 1, Purl 1, Knit 1, Knit 2 together
Row 16: Knit 2 together, Knit 1, Knit 2 together
Row 17: Knit 1, Purl 1, Knit 1
Row 18: Knit 3 together
Cast off
Repeat to make a second leaf

* When casting stitches on cast them onto the left needle then knit them onto the right

Finger crochet two 3.5 cm pieces using the darker green wool.
Cut off the wool ends
Using the same colour wool, sew the crocheted piece onto the top of the stalk, at one end, and onto one of the leaves, at the other.
Do the same for the other leaf using the second crocheted piece.

Next, thread the needle with the green thread.
Wrap the top few cm of the stalk around itself and sew it into that position by passing the thread through it at all angles.

Cut two lengths of wool, one off each green ball, to the same length as the tails of wool left on one side of the purple section of the beanie and tie them through a loop in the knitting as close to the existing tails as possible.

Next, measure out and cut a bunch of strands, including one strand from each ball of wool, it should be approximately the same length as the existing tails.Tie these on as a bunch. Cut and tie on another such bunch

You should now have three groups of strands: the two you just tied on and the existing tails with the two green strands.

Plait these groups together and fasten near the end by passing a needle and thread through the wool until the strands are firmly held in place. Repeat this on the other side of the beanie.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              You now have two tassels.You can leave them hanging or tie them up when wearing the beanie.   

Your fig beanie is finished!!!! Thanks for reading :)