Circular Knitting Machine Hat Knitting Patterns

A lot of people seem to make hats as their first projects when they get a new circular knitting machine. I did, too, though mine didn’t come out great because I didn’t really know what I was doing, I just knew that people knit hats.

If you’re looking for a hat for your first circular knitting machine project, or you want something different to add to your hat knitting routine, check out these patterns.

The most basic “pattern” most people use to start uses DK or worsted weight yarn and about 120 to 140 rounds of knitting, depending on how slouchy you want your hat to be. Then you basically fold the hat in on itself, cinch the ends and you’ve got a hat. (Check the pattern from Marching North if you need more details.)

Of course there are tons of ways to alter that simple pattern, from making the inside and the outside two different colors (see this one from Savlabot, which uses a solid color on one side and two strands held together on the other) to adding horizontal stripes like on these team spirit beanies from Calumet Knits on Etsy.

You can even stitch up a rainbow striped hat, like this one from Diana Levine Knits. This is a YouTube tutorial, which is great for visual learners.

From there you can try your hand at vertical stripes, like Alina Hera‘s Olympic hat pattern worked on the Addi (though you can also do it on the largest Sentro). Hats like this definitely take more patience because you have to go more slowly to ensure the correct color is used for each stitch, but the result is really cool.

Once you’ve managed vertical stripes maybe you’d like to try a swirl? This is another Alina Hera pattern but I wanted to share it, too, because it’s a fun idea to break up those stripes into swirls.

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Blankets are a great blank slate project that you can change up in a million different ways. From color to stitch pattern to size, the possibilities are almost endless.

Jared Flood, the designer behind Brooklyn Tweed, was inspired by a log cabin quilt his mother made in 1995 to re-create that design in knitting, which led to more blankets and ultimate Brooklyn Tweed’s Knit and Crochet Blankets, which includes 25 patterns from an array of designers using different skills and techniques to make cozy, pretty blankets.

The patterns are divided into three aesthetic themes: traditions, minimalism and colorplay. The patterns are rated on a scale of one to five, with one being the easiest, and there aren’t any pieces rated five. Two blankets are rated one, 14 are two, eight are three and one is four.

In addition, three of the 25 patterns are crocheted, but they either use single crochet or granny stitch, so they are pretty easy even if you don’t do a lot of crochet. You can see all the patterns on Ravelry.

Some of my favorites include Rattan by Rastus Hsu, a chunky blanket worked in knits and purls with simple crossing stitches to make a raised woven look; Homewood by Seth Richardson, covers in dramatic, loopy cables; Ainur Berkimbayeva’s Tessellate, one of the beginner projects that doesn’t really look beginner but is totally worked in knit and purl stitches; Warp + Weft by Aist? Butkevi?ien?, which is mostly knits and purls but makes a fun woven look fabric that blew my mind a little bit; and the same designer’s Canyonland, a multicolored blanket with wavy stripes.

The patterns tell you how to resize them for different dimensions and include information on pattern repeats where it is possible to make a totally custom size.

Many different techniques are included here such as cables, lace, shadow knitting, intarsia and other colorwork techniques, as well as modular knitting and lots of sewing pieces together. The patterns are all presented with charts, but there are line by line written instructions available on the Brooklyn Tweed website if you need them.

The book ends with a deep dive into log cabin knitting, telling the story of the quilt Jared’s mom made and how he made it in knitting, as well as the multitude of variations you can make if you want your own log cabin style design.

The back of the book includes a little written information about some of the special techniques needed, but there are no photos.

This is a lovely book full of inspiration for knitting and crochet blankets for any skill level. If you like to make blankets as gifts or aspire to have a handmade blanket in every room of the house, these designs would be a great place to start.

About the book: 192 pages, paperback, 25 patterns. Published 2024 by Abrams Books, suggested retail price $24.99.

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