Knitting

Free Patterns, Tutorials and Project Ideas

Ribbed Hat Knitting Patterns

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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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Patchwork Blanket Knitting Patterns

Any time of year is a good time for stash busting, but if you can combine it with knitting a blanket that will keep you warm when it (finally!) gets cooler that’s even better. Let’s take a look at some fun patchwork blanket knitting patterns. 

If you want to keep it super simple, you can just make blocks of garter stitch and sew them together, like the beginner’s patchwork baby blanket from Mini Baa Baa or the color block blanket from Make and Do Crew. Both projects are worked in strips and sew together, with the baby version calling for two strands of DK or light worsted weight yarn held together and the larger one using bulky yarn. 

Add a little more texture with the mixed blocks of the cottage quilt throw from Mama in a Stitch. This one combines garter stitch and seed stitch and uses worsted weight yarn. She used a crochet join to make the chains on top of the blocks, but you can join them however you like. It calls for eight colors but you can use what you have, and there are three size options. 

Get a real sampler style patchwork blanket with this design from Knit Sew Make. It calls for worsted weight yarn and has four size options. All of the patterns just use knit and purl stitches so this one is still pretty easy for beginners. 

If you want a more complex colorwork project that will keep you entertained all season, try the Peace by Piece blanket pattern from Needle and Feather. This one is made up of two color colorwork blocks and calls for worsted weight yarn. You can choose to use just a few of the blocks and repeat them more often, or make multiples of the whole set. 

The knitted patchwork recipe from Martine Ellis (free on Ravelry) uses mitered squares in fingering weight yarn, so it’s perfect for using up all your leftover sock yarn and mini skeins. This one is a tutorial more than a pattern so you can make your blanket as big as you like or keep going until you run out of yarn. 

Susan B. Anderson’s 100 Squares blanket (find it on Ravelry) has a lot of mitered squares, too, but they’re arranged in fun ways and includes some quilt inspired designs as well. This one also is a bit of method more than pattern but it sure looks like a lot of fun for using all the leftovers. 

Of course you can totally improvise a patchwork blanket using the yarn and stitches you like, but I hope these patterns inspire you to look at your leftover yarn in a new way.