Hat to Match
I had hardly cast off for my Long Lovely Mittens when I cast on for a Hat to Match. At the time, Purl Soho’s stunning single-ply merino Line Weight was new to our shelves and new to me, and a pair of mittens, no matter how long or lovely, wasn’t enough. I needed more yards under my belt, and as it turns out, I needed a matching hat for my head.
While I’ve never been one for precise matching and I’ve never worn a pantsuit or a sweater set, I have always greatly appreciated the air of elegance and femininity that lofts about a synchronized outfit. As I first tried on those Long Lovely Mittens , a feeling of grace washed over me, and I knew more was in store…
My Hat to Match may not be the tam that Queen Elizabeth would wear with long gloves, but then, I’m not Queen Elizabeth! The simple structure (and pattern!), the soft edge and slight slouch seamlessly slip into any sort of wardrobe, coordinated or not! -Laura
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Laura Ferguson.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoHatToMatch, and #PurlSohoLineWeight. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Line Weight, 100% merino wool yarn. Each skein of this fingering weight yarn is 494 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 200 (225, 250) yards required. We used Oyster Gray, Ballet Pink, and Storm Gray.
- US 4 (3.75 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- US 2 (3.25 mm), 16-inch circular needle
- A set of US 2 double pointed needles
- 5 stitch markers, including one unique
Gauge
31 stitches and 40 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on smaller needles
Sizes
Kid/Teen (Adult Small/Medium, Adult Medium/Large)
- Finished Circumference: 16½ (18½, 20½) inches, un-stretched.
- Finished Height: 9½ (10¾, 11¼) inches, with directions to modify.
- Ease and Fit: Designed with 2 to 3 inches of negative ease, as well as with extra height at the crown for slouchiness.
Pattern
Begin with Rolled Edge
Cast 128 (144, 160) stitches onto the larger needle. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Place marker (pm) and join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Knit one round.
Change to smaller needle; work in stockinette stitch, knitting each round, until piece measures 7 (7 3/4, 8) inches from rolled edge or until 2 1/2 (3, 3 1/4) inches shy of desired finished height.
Shape Top of Hat
Set-Up Round: *K32 (36, 40), pm, repeat from * to end of round.
Round 1: *K4, k2tog, knit to two before next marker, ssk, repeat from * to end of round. (8 stitches decreased)
Round 2: Knit.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 eleven (thirteen, fifteen) more times. [32 (32, 32) stitches]
Next Round: *Ssk, (k2tog) two times, ssk, repeat from * to end of round. [16 (16, 16) stitches]
Cut yarn, thread it onto a tapestry needle and draw it through the remaining stitches. Pull taut and fasten tail by weaving it into inside of hat.
Finish
Weave in remaining tails and block as desired.
LEARN ABOUT LINE WEIGHT + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
Line Weight is a lovely choice for this project because it is sumptuously soft with a subtle luster. A lithe single ply of 100% merino wool, this fingering-weight yarn knits up into a smooth fabric that blooms beautifully when you hand wash it. Enjoy 494 yards of beautiful knitting with every 100-gram skein and choose from over 20 riveting colors!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our collection of (mostly free!) Line Weight patterns and cast on!
More Fingering-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of fingering-weight yarns
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial!
More Yarns With Similar Fibers
- Shop merino wool yarn
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our free knitting patterns and knitting tutorials, buy one of our many knitting kits and yarn bundles, and shop for beautiful yarn. We have over 35 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 100’s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Love it, you always make me happy! Another great project!
Line weight has many tones of grays in the line. What are the two beautiful grays shown w/ the pink?
Hi!
Am considering this pattern for holiday gifts this year and just want to be clear- 1 skein of the line weight is enough to do even the adult large?
Thanks, and can't wait to start!!!
H Christine-
Yes, it's enough for any of the sizes!
Thanks for your question and good luck with the project.
M
Hello “Laura's Loop” / Gwen:
Thank you so much for asking. The three samples are knit in the following colors Oyster Gray (Ballet Pink, Storm Gray). I have edited the MATERIALS section of the pattern to reflect this!
Thanks again.
Laura
Hi,
I love this simple hat and would love to have it in 100% cashmere. Would you recommend using the Jade Sapphire 2 ply cashmere? If I doubled the Jade would 1 skein be enough?
Thanks!
Sara
Hi Sara,
You could substitute Jade Sapphire's 2 Ply for sure. You wouldn't need to double it. And one skein would be enough! Just remember that cashmere doesn't have the natural elasticity that sheep's wool does, so your hat may stretch out a bit. In other words, if you are deciding between sizes, I'd make the smaller one and if you are deciding between needles, again, I'd go with the smaller. Please let me know if you have any questions!
Laura
Hello, this hat is lovely. Are both the #2 double pointed needles and the #2 circulars required? Thanks!
Hi Pastille-
Yes, you switch to the double pointed needles in the “Shape the Top of the Hat” section when the circumference of the hat gets too small for the circular needles. It is possible to knit the hat using only double pointed needles but it will take longer and it is hard to get it to look as neat.
Thanks for your question and please let us know if you have any more!
Molly
Where do you place the stitch markers please? Thanks!
Hi Charlene.
If you take a look under the heading called SHAPE TOP OF HAT, you’ll see a round called “Set-Up Round”. This round instructs you where to place the markers, look for the abbreviation “pm”….
Set-Up Round: *K32 (36, 40), pm (place marker), repeat from * to end of round.
I hope this helps.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Laura
Hi,
I just finished this hat, only trouble I had was at the end when it says *ssk, (k2tog) two times, ssk,repeat from * to end of round, does that mean you ssk then knit 2 together twice, then ssk, and do this sequence over and over to the end?
thx
Hi Lin-
Yes, your description seems correct:
ssk
knit 2 together twice
ssk
do this sequence over and over to the end
Thanks for your question!
Molly
I’m nearly finished with this hat and it looks great except for the edge, which rolled up considerably! At this stage is there anything I can do to get the edge to lay flatter like it looks in the picture here? If not, anything I can do in the future to prevent this from happening? (This isn’t the first time I’ve had an edge roll fiercely when knitting stockinette stitch in the round).
Thanks!
Hi Shana-
Rolled edges are just part of stockinette stitch! The hats in the photos also have rolled edges. To minimize the rolling we recommend blocking your hat after you’re done but it will always have a bit of a roll at the edge. Here’s a link to our blocking tutorial: https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2006/11/13/blocking/
Please let us know if you have any more question!
Molly
Hey Laura,
I wanted to purchase the darker of the two grey colors…the Storm Grey. But it isn’t on the list….might u be getting some in any time soon? Thanks, Jacquie
PS….love, LOVE, LOVE the mittens and that….:)
I am making the hat with Lorana’s laces Shepherd sport in the color way Twilight. And it has grey in it….so I thought the Storm Grey would match…thanks again, Jacquie
Hi Jacquie.
Thanks for your interest in the pattern!
I am sorry we are currently out of the color you are looking for. If you email our Customer Service team at [email protected] with the item and quantity that you’d like, they’ll be in touch with you regarding when it will be available and alert you when it arrives back in stock.
Sorry again for the inconvenience. Thanks. -Laura
I love the look of the hat and mittens! The link to the long lovely mittens no longer works. Is the pattern available somewhere else that I am not seeing?
Thank you!
Charity
Hi Charity,
Thanks for letting us know! We have fixed the links and they should work now. For your convenience, I am also including the link here for you.
https://www.purlsoho.com/create/2013/11/07/lauras-loop-long-lovely-mittens/
I hope that this helps and happy knitting!
Cassy
Hi! I’m working this lovely pattern right now and just wanted to be sure of this line: “[work] until piece measures 7 (7 3/4, 8) inches from rolled edge”. So the edge should be left rolled up when measuring? You don’t unroll it and measure from the cast on the edge?
Hi Jessica,
Thank you for writing us! Good question – you will unroll the edge to measure the fabric rather than keeping it rolled. Let us know if you have any further questions!
Warmly,
Marilla
I am wondering if a latvian braid would work with this hat? I have quite a few colors of your line weight and wanted to add a little zing to this sweet hat – having it added about the rolled edge. Please let me know if you think this will work! Thank you!
Hi Diana,
Thanks for writing in! You can certainly give a Latvian Braid a go here! Having not used one on a hat, I am unsure of how well it will work but I certainly think that it is worth a try! I would just be sure that your tension is not too tight on the braid so as to maintain the elasticity of the hat. I do think that it would look quite lovely on this hat!
Best,
Cassy
Hello, if I wanted to make a baby-sized version of this hat, how many stitches should I cast on? I realize it must be divisible by 4, and I think I can figure out the crown as long as I know the right cast on #!
Hi Carly,
Thanks for reaching out! Unfortunately, this pattern does not have a baby size at the moment but I will pass along your interest! One of our patterns that is very similar in our Line Wight yarn and has a baby size option available is the Tiny Stripes Hat
You can use this pattern with one color instead of 2 to get the same look as the Hat to Match pattern!
Hope this is helpful, happy knitting!
Gianna