Red Panda Hat

Two distinct species of Red Panda live in the rainy mountain forests of the Himalayas & southwestern China. Favoring steep slopes with dense bamboo cover, they feed mainly on bamboo shoots, fruits & blossoms. Red pandas are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List due to poaching & habitat destruction. Less than 10,000 survive in the wild, but hundreds live in zoos across the world for us to see & enjoy. This hat is a tribute to them.

The basic hat is a circular knit worsted weight watch cap with an additional ringed tail. I used a Magic Loop needle and Red Heart Super Saver® for the samples. Separate instructions for 5 hat sizes are included, from Child 3-10 to XL-Adult.

The embroidered face is done with duplicate stitch, & the pattern assumes a knowledge of this technique. Detailed charts for each face color & embroidery paths are provided. 8mm glass beads or buttons for the eyes & a small amount of fiberfilI for the tail are also needed. It’s a unique & fun hat for all all ages.