Instructions:

To make life easy the P2togs are always in the purl rows of the White stripes

Cast on 28 st. in Red
Rows 1 – 4: Red rib stitch (knit one, purl one)
Rows 5 – 6: Red stocking stitch
Rows 7 – 8: White stocking stitch
Rows 9 – 10: Red stocking stitch
Row 11: White knit
Row 12: White [P3, P2tog] repeat till the end of the row (23 st)
Rows 13 – 14: Red stocking stitch
Row 15: White knit
Row 16: White [P2, P2tog] rpt to the end of row but purl the last 3st. (18 st)
Row 17: Red K9 and transfer the remaining 9 stitches to a stitch holder
Row 18: Red purl
Row 19: White knit
Row 20: White P2tog, purl till the end of the row (8 st)
Rows 21 – 22: Red stocking stitch
Row 19: White knit
Row 20: White P2tog, purl till the end of the row (7 st)
Rows 21 – 22: Red stocking stitch
Row 23: White knit
Row 24: White P2tog, purl till the end of the row (6 st)
Rows 25 – 26: Red stocking stitch
Rows 27 – 28: White stocking stitch
Rows 29 – 30: Red stocking stitch
Rows 31 – 42: Continue like this (stocking stitch, 2 rows each in White and Red) until you have 10 White stripes (three in the hat plus seven in the ‘tail’)
Rows 43 – 44: Red stocking stitch
Row 45: White knit
Row 46: White P1, P2tog, P2tog, P1 (4 st)
Rows 47-48: Red Stocking stitch
B&T
Finish the other side in the same way. (starting with row 17)
Sew up and decorate with bells, knots and/or pompoms