Free Pattern: Steph’s Basic Hat Recipe

I love free knitting patterns, and the Internet is full of them.  I’ve knitted many web freebies and have a binder full of future projects just waiting to be twisted into finished knits.  (Winter’s coming!)  Anyway, with all the freebies I’ve received online, it seems only fair to give something back.  Here’s my standard hat recipe.  With this formula you can make either rolled brim or ribbed brim hats in either bulky or worsted weight.  The brown hat below is made from worsted yarn from the Queensland Collection by Delhi Yarns, purchased on the clearance rack at Knitters Mercantile in Columbus. 

By the way, if you’re a new-ish knitter and you’d like to learn to make hats, I teach the ribbed hat in bulky yarn at the Michaels store on route 23 in Lewis Center.  (If you’ve never knitted before, please take my basic scarf class first!)

Enough babbling… on with the pattern!

Download the file in Word format: Hat pattern

This hat recipe contains adaptations for worsted and bulky yarn as well as for ribbed and rolled brims.  Use size 10 circular and straight needles for any style you make. The size is for a regular women’s hat.

 

Step 1:  Cast on.

If using bulky yarn, cast on 68 stitches.  For worsted weight yarn, cast on 72.

Step 2:  Choose your brim – rolled or ribbed.

Rolled brim:  Join yarn for circular knitting, being careful not to twist the stitches and placing a stitch marker at the beginning of the row.  Knit every round.

Ribbed brim:  Join yarn for circular knitting, being careful not to twist the stitches and placing a stitch marker at the beginning of the row.  K2 P2 for 2-1/2 inches.

Step 3:  Knit the body of the hat.

Rolled brim:  Continue to knit every round.  The first few inches will naturally curl to reveal the garter stitch inside the hat as the rolled brim. After the rolled brim forms, knit until there is 7 inches of flat stockinette stitch.

Ribbed brim: After 2-1/2 inches of ribbing, switch to knitting every round. Knit until there is 7 inches of flat stockinette stitch above the ribbing.

Step 4: Set-up row for finishing the hat.

Worsted weight: You should still be knitting the 72 stitches you cast on.  Starting at the stitch marker, K7 K2tog for one round (64 remain).

Bulky weight:  You should still be knitting the 68 stitches you cast on. Starting at the stitch marker, K15, K2tog for one round (64 remain).

Step 5: Finishing the hat.

• K6, K2tog (56 remain)
• K5, K2tog (48 remain)

• K4, K2tog (40 remain)

• K3, K2tog (32 remain)

• K2, K2tog (24 remain)

• K1, K2tog (16 remain)

• K2tog (8 remain)

Cut tail of yarn 6 inches long and weave it through the remaining stitches on the needles.  Weave in ends.