Ribbed Hat Knitting Patterns

I’m not much of a hat person, though I really want to be, but if I am going to wear a knit hat, odds are good I’m going to go for a ribbed hat.

Ribbed hats are great knitting projects because they have a lot of stretch so they fit a lot of heads, making them great for gift knitting or if your gauge isn’t perfect. I like the repetitive nature of ribbing, especially worked in the round, which makes for a meditative knit that feels faster than it ought to.

You can knit a ribbed hat using any combination of rib stitches you like, but here are a few ideas to get you started.

I’m sure I’ve shared this one before, but the Classic Ribbed Hat from Purl Soho is aptly named so it’s worth mentioning again. Worked in knit 1, purl 1 ribbing, it’s as basic as you can get but also allows for a million variations: work it long or short, folded brim or slouchy, a solid color or stripes, color blocking, etc. The hat calls for a gorgeous cashmere and merino blend that would make your head happy every time you wear it, or chose another light worsted or DK weight yarn. It’s sized from babies to large adults so you can make them for everyone.

Want a worsted weight version? Try Joselyn Anfossi ‘s Beanie Alba, available as a free pattern in English and Spanish on Ravelry. This one has six sizes, from babies to adults, and uses lovely centered double decreases for the shaping.

Or go bulky with this 1×1 rib hat that’s knit flat and will only take you about an hour and a half to knit. It’s from Make & Do Crew and is available on Etsy.

If 2×2 rib is more your style (it’s my personal favorite), check out the Hipster Hat from Petite Knit. This classic beanie is snug fitting and has great shaping at the top for a good fit. It’s sized for babies through adults and is meant to have a deep folded brim, but you can make it whatever size you like. It uses DK weight yarn, and you can buy it on Ravelry or the Petite Knit website.

A worsted weight version of the 2×2 rib hat is Anne Gagnon’s Two by Two, which is a free download on Ravelry. This one comes in just one size, and the pattern is available in English and Dutch.

How about a 3 by 1 rib? This hat from Mimi Knit Patterns is sized from newborn to adult and you can make it single or double layered in sport weight yarn.

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I’ve been enjoying knit amigurumi animal patterns lately (see also: this adorable knit pigeon) and of course being a knitter I love llamas.

So when I saw this little llama pattern I knew I had to share it.

The appropriately named Llama patter from Annie Ahn calls for fingering weight yarn, and it uses two colors for the body and three for the little blanket. The pompom can be made to match or in another color. All of these parts take tiny amounts of yarn so you can use whatever scraps you have left over from socks or other projects and change colors whenever you need to.

It might also be fun to use some mohair or other fuzzy or textured yarn on this one to give your llama a different look. In all the project uses between 100 and 150 yards, or 91-137 m, of yarn and the llama comes out about 10 cm/4 inches tall.

The body of the llama is worked in one piece, so this project is suited to intermediate knitters or those who have comfort working in the round and with all those little pieces.

This one is made to be small so you can carry it around with you (it would be super cute on a keychain or as a zipper pull) but I think it would be a lot of fun to knit this in larger yarn, too, to make a bigger llama. You could even make a whole family in different sizes just by using different weights of yarn and corresponding needles.

The details are so cute, from the shaggy hair to its little accessories, but you could make it plain or change it up by knitting a tiny scarf or even working a little fair isle pattern on the legs or body. So many fun possibilities!

The pattern is available on Ravelry in English and Korean.

[Photo: Annie Ahn]

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