Free Pattern: Basic Hat

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I like patterns that are really quick, easy and straightforward. The basics are things that we can knit up without thinking too much about them but we’ll use them again and again and be glad to do it. And of course you can always embellish something that’s totally basic by knitting in a stripe or two or adding embroidery or duplicate stitch after the knitting is done.

One great basic pattern to have in your arsenal is the Montera Hat from Classic Elite Yarns. This free pattern couldn’t be much easier: it’s just a stockinette stitch cap with a bit of ribbing at the bottom and simple shaping at the top.

As written it takes a hank of Montera yarn, a bulky, single-ply yarn. Or pull out the bits of bulky from your stash and make a riotously colorful hat that will still be super-easy to knit.

[Photo via Classic Elite Yarns.]

I often get asked, or see the question online, as to what is a good project to start with when you are learning to knit.

I usually start adult knitters on a garter stitch scarf worked with bulky yarn (like the gold one shown in this post) because it gives you a lot of practice but is still relatively quick to knit.

For kids, or anyone with a shorter attention span, a smaller project is in order. I also like to start kids on worsted weight yarn because smaller needles (compared to working bulky yarn) are easier for little hands.

One great option is just to knit a little square. Cast on 12 or 15 or whatever number of stitches you like (I use knit cast on when teaching people of any age) and keep knitting until your piece is roughly square. You can test this by folding one corner up to the needle; if it makes a perfect triangle you’ve got a sqaure.

But what can you do with a square? I wrote a roundup of kids toys you can make with a square a couple of years ago, and these are all good choices. The bunny shown there is such a classic I also found that idea in a post I came across recently on How Wee Learn about knitting projects made with squares.

That post is a roundup, too, so go check it out for more ideas, but I did want to point out one of my favorites, this sweet little wall pocket. The pattern is from Wunderweib and is in German, but it’s easy enough to figure out what’s going on (it calls for a ball of Rowan Big Wool, which is a super bulky yarn, and if I can read correctly you cast on 25. This is probably technically a rectangle, as it is folded and seamed along the sides to make a pocket. You could also knit two squares, or a square and a slightly longer rectangle, to make this sweet pouch.

Either way it’s cute and easy and a great project for a beginner. If you have a favorite project for beginner knitters, I’d love to hear about it!

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