Reversible Pleat Hat
I have a soft spot for shaping. The only thing I find more rewarding than beautiful, efficient shaping is beautiful, efficient shaping that is as striking on the right side as it is on the wrong.
Our Reversible Pleat Hat has just this wonderment and reward. The unexpected technique of pleats form the crown, and what’s better, these pleats have personality inside and out!
If you love the yarn used in this project, you’ll love all of our other yarn, too! Explore our 35+ lovingly created yarn collections, in nearly every natural fiber and spectacular color you can imagine… Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn shop!
Knit in our lofty Flax Down, these Reversible Pleat Hats are wonderfully cozy and warm. We also added a touch of contrast color to highlight the key moments that transform a stockinette tube into a treasured winter accessory… Perhaps making the “wrong side” of the pattern the “right side” for the wearer! -Laura
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Laura Ferguson.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoReversiblePleatHat, and #PurlSohoFlaxDown. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- Main Color (MC): 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Flax Down, 43% baby alpaca, 42% extra fine merino, and 15% linen. Each skein is 219 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 135 (150, 195) yards required.
- Contrast Color (CC): 5 yards of Purl Soho’s Flax Down in a contrast color. (Consider buying two skeins and making two hats in reverse colors!)
- Main Needles: US 6 (4mm), 16-inch circular needles
- Spare Needles: 16-inch circular needles, any size smaller than the Main Needles
- A set of four double pointed needles, same size as Main Needles
- Needles A and B: Two extra double pointed needles, same size as Main Needles or smaller
- 1 stitch marker
TODDLER
Kiln Red for the Main Color + Heirloom White for the Contrast Color
KID
Heirloom White for the Main Color + Rose Granite for the Contrast Color
ADULT SMALL
Ballet Pink for the Main Color + Heirloom White for the Contrast Color
Gauge
23 stitches and 28 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
Sizes
Baby (Toddler, Kid, Adult Small, Adult Large)
- Finished Circumference: 15¼ (16¾, 18, 19½, 20¾) inches
- Finished Height: 6 (7, 7½, 8¼, 9¼) inches
Pattern
Cast On
With CC, loosely cast 78 (86, 94, 102, 110) stitches onto the Main Needles. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Cut CC, leaving only a few inches. Wet splice the MC to the CC.
Cast on 10 more stitches. [88 (96, 104, 112, 120) stitches]
Place marker and join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
NOTE: Wet splicing works beautifully with Flax Down. It also eliminates a tail to weave in and makes the hem easier to work, but if you’d like to avoid wet splicing, simply use the CC to cast on 88 (96, 104, 112, 120) stitches, cut the CC, place marker, and join MC for working in the round.
Make Hemmed Edge
NOTE: For additional tips on making a hemmed edge, visit our Knit Hem Tutorial. Please note that the video tutorial is slightly different that what we explain below.
Continue in stockinette stitch, knitting each round, until piece measures 2 ½ (2 ¾, 3, 3 ¼, 3 ½) inches from cast-on edge.
With the wrong side facing you and the cast-on edge at the top, use the Spare Needles to pick up (without knitting) each stitch along the cast-on edge. Rather than picking up a purl bump that looks like a lower-case “u” in the same column as the live stitch (as shown in the video), pick up a purl bump that looks like a lower-case “n,” ½ column over from the live stitch. Pick up from the back of the stitch to the front.
Now, fold the fabric in half so that the wrong sides are together and the Spare Needles are behind the Main Needles.
Next Round: *Knit together one stitch from the Main Needles with one stitch from the Spare Needles, repeat from * to end of round.
Work Body of Hat
Continue in stockinette stitch, knitting each round, until piece measures 6 (7, 7 ½, 8 ¼, 9 ¼) inches from hemmed edge.
Make Pleats
***With yarn in back, slip the next 11 (12, 13, 14, 15) stitches purlwise onto Needle A (see Materials list, above). Slip following 11 (12, 13, 14, 15) stitches purlwise onto Needle B. Bring Needles A and B parallel to each other, creating a fold in the fabric with the wrong sides together. Needle A is closer to you.
Using a double pointed needle from the set of 4, [knit together one stitch from Needle A with one stitch from Needle B] 11 (12, 13, 14, 15) times. [11 (12, 13, 14, 15) stitches decreased]
With yarn in back, slip the next 11 (12, 13, 14, 15) stitches purlwise onto Needle A. Bring Needle A to the backside of the left end of the Main Needles, creating a fold in the fabric with the wrong sides together. The needles are parallel and the left end of the Main Needles is closer to you.
Using another double pointed needle from the set of 4, [knit together one stitch from the Main Needles with one stitch from Needle A] 11 (12, 13, 14, 15) times. [11 (12, 13, 14, 15) stitches decreased]
You’ve now completed two of the four pleats.
Repeat from *** one time. [Total of 44 (48, 52, 56, 60) stitches: 11 (12, 13, 14, 15) stitches on each of four double pointed needles]
Cut yarn and weave in the tail.
Graft Top
If you haven’t already, remove the end-of-round marker.
Slip the next 11 (12, 13, 14, 15) stitches onto the last double pointed needle so there are 22 (24, 26, 28, 30) stitches on it. Arrange the remaining 22 (24, 26, 28, 30) stitches onto a single double pointed needle.
Holding the two double pointed needles parallel and with a tapestry needle threaded with a length of MC, use the Kitchener Stitch to graft the top of the hat closed.
Add Tassel
Turn hat purlside out.
Cut a length of CC, a yard or two long. Thread it onto a tapestry needle.
Draw the tapestry needle through the 4 stitches where the four pleats meet. Go through these 4 stitches once more and pull taut.
You are now ready to make a Tiny Attached Tassel by following the instructions found here.
Finish
Weave in the ends and block as desired.
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!
A great looking hat! I’d love to make it but often hat patterns are not large enough for me. My head circumference is 23 5/8 inches and I’m wondering if the adult large size (20 3/4 inches) should reasonably stretch almost 3 inches? If not what would you think is the best method to increase its size?
Thank you
Merrill McNicholas
Hi Merrill,
Thanks for writing in. The gauge on this hat is roughly six stitches per inch, so if you’d like to add 6-12 stitches to the cast on, this would increase your circumference by and inch or two. Hope this helps!
-Adam
bonjour,
je raffole de vos photos et explications. elles sont vraiment topissimes ! merci 🙂
I’d like to print out the pattern, not the whole set of pages with photos.
Hello Velia!
If you’re on a desktop version of the site, you will find a “print” icon in the right column just below the date and tags. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find a “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Follow the easy on-screen instructions to delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print or save. For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials.
Thank you for writing in!
Best wishes,
Kumeko
I can hardly wait to make this hat!
So, so beautiful! And the yarn looks lovely…
Your patterns are exquisite. Beautiful detail. Thank you for sharing.
I love this! I see a lot of these knitted for winter.
Is their a PDF version? So much easier than scrolling or shuffling printed pages.
Thanks, Nicole
Hi Nicole,
Thanks for writing in! All of our patterns are available as PDF downloads. To do so, please follow these directions!
If you’re on a desktop version of the site, you will find a “print” icon in the right column just below the date and tags. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find a “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments.
Follow the easy on-screen instructions to delete whichever parts of the pattern you don’t want to print or save. For example, you may decide to shorten the pattern by omitting certain images or the list of materials.
Best,
Cassy
Love to see it on the other way out. Looks like a stealth pussy hat to me.
I’m confused about why I switched yarn colors before I finished casting on. When I look at the instructions for the knitted hem it doesn’t mention the change in color. Won’t there be an inch or so that didn’t have the contrasting border?
Hi Sharon,
Thanks for writing us. You end up casting on 10 stitches less and cutting the CC with a few inches to spare so you can wet splice the MC to your CC. This allows you to eliminate the need of weaving in the cast on end into your work. If you don’t want to wet splice, you’ll cast on the full amount and change yarn colors when finished. Hope this makes sense!
-Adam
I’m ? if the double pleated hats might be too difficult for an intermediate knitter? There are techniques I have not performed and hope, even with an eager mind, how forgiving mistakes would be. I have knit multiple caps/hats in past so some experience. Maybe not ?’s that can be given an answer?
Hi Pam,
Thanks for writing in! This lovely hat does have a number of techniques that will feel new for a newer knitter. As every knitter is different and has different learning styles, it is hard to know what will be challenging and what will come easily. That said, I do think that this hat is very achievable and I think that small projects like hats are great places to try out new techniques! I would suggest using some scarp yarn to try out the techniques and see if they feel doable for you and then dive in! We are always happy to answer any additional questions!
Best of luck!
Cassy
Some of these techniques are new to me as well. Do you have videos of the techniques you use?
Thank you.
Hi Maureen,
Thanks for writing in. We don’t currently have videos for these techniques but we’ll keep your suggestion in mind for future projects. In the meantime, we only have picture tutorials available. Thanks!
-Adam
Can you please clarify the instructions in the Graft Top section? The pattern says: Arrange the remaining 22 (24, 26, 28, 30) stitches onto a single double pointed needle.
Holding the two double pointed needles parallel and with a tapestry needle threaded with a length of MC, use the Kitchener Stitch to graft the top of the hat closed.
If I arrange all the stitches onto a single DPN, where does the second DPN come in that I am supposed to hold parallel?
Thanks
Hi John,
Thanks for writing in! For the final section of grafting the hat, you will slip next 11 (12, 13, 14, 15) stitches onto the last double pointed needle so there are 22 (24, 26, 28, 30) stitches on it and then arrange the remaining stitches onto an additional DPN. You will then have 2 DPNs with equal number of stitches on each to graft.
I hope that this clears things up!
Cassy
I don’t want to assume anything, but if I am knitting a small adult size and order two skeins of yarn, will there be enough to make two (2) hats that are opposite in color? It looks as if you use very little CC color.
Thanks for your help!
Hi Sue,
Thanks for writing in! If you are making the adult small size, you should be able to get 2 hats from 2 skeins by reversing the colors!
Happy knitting!
Cassy
I’m interested in the pleats and tassel to be on the right side of the finished hat. What would I need to differently on the pleats and finishing of the hat to accomplish that?
Hi Jen,
Great question! The easiest way to accomplish this would be to turn the hat inside out before working the pleats. If you wish to still have a reversible hat, you will need to look up how to work kitchener stitch purlwise for a completely seamless look when working this step inside out.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Crown variations are highly interesting and hard to find, I would really like to see a crochet version, do you think that is possible?
Hello Jennifer,
Thank you for reaching out! While we don’t have a crochet version of this hat I will certainly pass along the suggestion!
Happy crafting,
Marilla
Hi! Just curious how many hours it would take to make this pattern. A friend told me there is a mistake in the pattern but it seems that everyone is knitting it just fine. And can you use DK alpaca yarn for this pattern? How much would be the equivalent for this pattern? Thanks so much!
Hi Jacqueline,
Thanks for reaching out! I can’t say exactly how long it will take to make these hats as every knitter works differently, some slower, some faster and it would also depend on what knitting style you use! As far as we know there should be no mistakes in this pattern, so you should be good to go! Also yes, any dk yarn will work for this pattern we used 1 skein of Flax Down (219 yards) plus 5 yards for the contrasting color.
Happy knitting!
Gianna
Hi! Is there any way to invert this hat? So that the pleat is visible from the knit side as opposed to the purl side? Beautiful hat I’ve made a few times trying to jig it for a friend!
Hi Grace,
Thanks for reaching out! That is why we call it the Reversible Pleat Hat because you can wear it on the inside or out to show both sides of the pleat technique and can easily change it so that the pleats are on reversible sides, all you need to do is knit the purl rows and purl the knit rows!
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna