Top-Down Ear Flap Hat
What winter demands is a hat that does the job of keeping your head and ears warm, and does it without making you look like a Smurf. Our Top-Down Ear Flap Hat is such a hat… the good kind, that is!
Basic, yes, but beautiful, and in Season Alpaca, our Top-Down Ear Flap Hat is as soft as it gets. Warm? Check. Cozy? Check. There’s not much more to ask of a winter hat, except…
Except that it have ear flaps and adorable I-cords and tassels! And how about constructing it from the top down, so you can determine exactly when the rim falls just to your eyebrows, the flaps hit the bottom of your lobes, and the back perfectly covers the nape of your neck.
Sized from babies to adults, you’ll need just one skein of Season Alpaca to make one adult hat, two kid hats, or three or four baby ones. Choose from 14 straight-from-nature colors and cast on for this wear-everywhere topper!
This project designed for Purl Soho by Laura Ferguson.
Materials
- 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Season Alpaca, 100% baby alpaca. We used Heirloom White, Peony Pink, and Raw Sienna.
- US 3, 16-inch circular needles (for Kid and Adult sizes only)
- Set of US 3 double pointed needles
- 5 stitch markers, including a unique one
NOTE: One skein is enough to make one Adult hat, two Kid Small hats, or three or four baby ones.
Gauge
25 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
Sizes
Newborn-3 months (3-6 months, 6-12 months, Kid Small, Kid Large/Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large)
- Finished Circumference: 14 (15¼, 16¾, 18, 19¼, 20½, 21¾) inches
- Finished Height (from crown to center front): 6 (7, 7½, 8, 8¾, 9½, 10) inches
SAMPLES: The three samples shown here are size 3-6 months, Kid Small, and Adult Medium.
Notes
Lifted Increases
LLI (Left Lifted Increase): Lift the left leg of the stitch 2 rows below the stitch on right-hand needle onto left-hand needle and knit it through the back loop. [1 stitch increased]
RLI (Right Lifted Increase): Lift right leg of the stitch below the next stitch on the left-hand needle onto the left-hand needle and knit it. [1 stitch increased]
To see both techniques in action, visit our Lifted Increase Tutorial!
SSP
ssp (slip slip purl): Slip one purlwise, slip one knitwise, replace slipped stitches back onto left-hand needle, p2tog through the back loop. [1 stitch decreased]
CSD
csd (centered single decrease): The centered single decrease is worked over three stitches and is essentially an ssk followed by a k2tog. Here’s how to do it…
Slip 2 stitches knitwise, one at a time. Insert left-hand needle into front of the two slipped stitches, knit together. Now, insert tip of left-hand needle into the second of the two just-worked slipped stitches, k2tog (the next stitch on the left-hand needle and the slipped stitch you just picked up). [1 stitch decreased]
Confused? Watch our Centered Single Decrease Tutorial for all the step-by-steps!
Pattern
Shape Crown
Cast 8 stitches onto a double pointed needle.
Distribute stitches evenly on 4 double pointed needles.
Join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Round 1: [Knit into front and back (kfb)] eight times. [16 stitches]
Row 2: For needle 1- K2, place unique marker to indicate first needle, k2; For needles 2, 3, and 4- K2, place marker, k2.
Round 3: For each needle- Knit to next marker, LLI (see Notes), slip marker (sm), k1, RLI (see Notes), knit to end of needle. [8 stitches increased]
Round 4: Knit.
Repeat Rounds 3 and 4 eight (9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9) more times. [88 (96, 96, 96, 96, 96, 96) stitches]
Sizes Newborn-3 months and 3-6 months only
Go to Continue Even section.
Sizes 6-12 months, kid small, kid large/adult small, adult medium, and adult large only
Round 1: [Knit to next marker, LLI, sm, k1, RLI] four times, knit to end of round. [8 stitches increased]
Round 2: Knit.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 – (–, 0, 1, 2, 3, 4) more time(s). [– (–, 104, 112, 120, 128, 136) stitches]
Continue Even
Change to circular needles and on the next round, replace the unique marker with a regular marker, and when you reach the end of the round, place the unique marker for end of round.
Continue in stockinette stitch, knitting each round, until piece measures 6 (7, 7½, 8, 8¾, 9½, 10) inches from cast on, ending the last round 10 (10, 11, 12, 12, 13, 13) stitches before end of round.
Shape Ear Flaps
Set-Up Round: Bind off 20 (20, 22, 24, 24, 26, 26) stitches for Back, removing end-of-round marker when you come to it; k20 (22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32), place previous 21 (23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) stitches on stitch holder for Right Ear Flap; bind off 26 (30, 32, 34, 38, 40, 44) stitches for Front, knit remaining stitches. [21 (23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33) stitches remain for Left Ear Flap]
Left Ear Flap
Note: Work back and forth in rows on two double pointed needles.
Row 1 (wrong side): Purl.
Row 2 (right side): Knit.
Row 3: Repeat Row 1.
Row 4: K2, ssk, knit to last 4 stitches, k2tog, k2. [2 stitches decreased]
Repeat Rows 3 and 4 three (4, 5, 6, 5, 6, 7) more times. [13 (13, 13, 13, 17, 17, 17) stitches remain]
Next Row (wrong side): P2, p2tog, purl to last 4 stitches, ssp (see Notes), p2. [2 stitches decreased]
Next Row (right side): Repeat Row 4. [2 stitches decreased]
Repeat last two rows 0 (0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1) more time. [9 stitches]
Next Row: P2, p2tog, purl to last 4 stitches, ssp, p2. [7 stitches]
Next Row: K2tog, csd (see Notes), ssk. [4 stitches]
Work i-cord
*Without turning the work, slide stitches to right-hand end of needle, pull yarn from left-most stitch behind back of work to right-most stitch, k4, repeat from * until I-cord measures 1 (1, 1, 8, 10, 12, 12) inch(es), or desired length.
Next Row (wrong side): P2tog, ssp, bind off first stitch by passing it over second stitch and off the needle, cut yarn leaving an 8-inch tail and pull tail through remaining stitch.
Right Ear Flap
Transfer 21 (23, 25, 27, 29, 31 33) on-hold stitches to a double pointed needle.
Join yarn to wrong side and work as for Left Ear Flap.
Finish
Add a Tassel
Cut eight 7-inch lengths of yarn. Using a tapestry needle, thread each length halfway through the tip of I-cord at bottom of Ear Flap to make 16 strands of fringe. Wrap the I-cord tail several times around the base of the fringe where it joins the I-cord. Thread the tail down through the wraps and trim the fringe and tail to desired length.
Repeat for other Ear Flap, weave in remaining ends, and block as desired!
PRINT
This is great! I have 2 skeins of Season Alpaca that I bought to make a slew of baby socks with. This pattern will help to break up my sock streak.
Hi Alexis,
We are so glad that this project inspires you!
Happy knitting!
Cassy
This is so fantastic! Love all the size options. Is there a way to do this without the I-cord on the earflaps? Thank you!
Hi Yolanda,
Thank you for your kind words! You can certainly omit the I-cord. For the smallest size we did a small amount of I-cord and the tassel which you can try on the larger sizes. Or you can omit the i cord all together and just bind off the last 4 stitches!
Best,
Cassy
Darling pattern and I’d love to make it. How does one “get” this pattern? It appears to be a blog entry with no download. This format is awkward to use for me. Thank you, Mary
Hi Mary,
Thanks for writing in! You can certainly print out a printer friendly version of this pattern or download a PDF. To do so, 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
I’m looking forward to knitting this. Can the first steps using double pointed needles be done using magic loop?
Hello Angela,
Thank you for reaching out! You can certainly use magic loop instead of dpns. I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Trying to do this on magic loop, but kind of miffed! How to distribute the markers on the magic loop? Thanks!
Hello Patricia,
Thank you for reaching out! Unfortunately we do not have a magic loop tutorial, however if you do a quick google search you will find lots of in depth videos that should help.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hi. Love this pattern! I”m also trying to figure out how I might proceed with just using magic loop rather than dpns. Not sure it’s as obvious as I was hoping it would be. Has anyone done this yet and can share their tips? Thanks so much!
Hello Julia,
Thanks for writing in! Yes, because this pattern is written for dpns using magic loop will add some extra obstacles. One thing that might help is placing markers to show which stitches should be on which dpn in the pattern. It could also help if you start with the first couple of rows and then switch over to magic loop once the hat has become more established.
I hope this helps!
-Marilla
Hi, Julia–
I’ve made two of these using Magic Loop. Instead of thinking about the needles, just follow the pattern as written and ignore the instructions about the needles. So, for the round where you place the markers, you should be starting with 8 stitches on each needle.
On the first needle, you would K2, PM, K2 then K2, PM, K2 [2 markers on the first needle], On the second needle, you will K2, PM, K2 then K2, PM, K2 [2 markers on the second needle].
From there, it is simply following the pattern to create the lifted increases as written. You should be increasing ing 4 stitches on each needle on Round 3 .
NOTE: This may or may not be helpful, but in Magic Loop, this pattern creates a very splendid situation in which you always have double the amount of stitches BETWEEN the markers that you have on either side of the markers on each needle. Meaning if you have 40 stitches on a needle, there will be 10 before the first marker, 20 after the first marker, and 10 after the second marker.
I hope this makes sense!
–Yolanda
Thank you Yolanda! This is quite helpful.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Thank you for this pattern, I love this SOOOO much! Everyone in my family is going to get one of these for Christmas. I don’t think I’ll be making I-cord with tassles but would an I-cord bind-off work for the hem edges?
Hi Yasmin,
Thank you so much for your kind words! You can certainly try an i-cord bind off. My worry is that it would not look continuous along the whole bottom. If you like the look of the i-cord along the edges, I might suggest adding an applied i-cord along the whole of the bottom edge. I think that it would look more continuous and could be quite nice!
Happy knitting!
Cassy
Since I have quite the sock yarn stash, I wonder if I could use some sock yarn for this hat.
HI Daisy,
Thanks for writing in! The yarn used for this lovely hat is roughly a sport weight, so quite thicker than the fingering weight that you have, You can certainly try holding it doubled but I would be sure to knit a gauge swatch to see if you like the fabric at the correct gauge.
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Thank you, Cassy. I’ll make a swatch.
I think this is a beautiful project, sadly as I have severe Arthritis I cannot mange a cluster of needles as in a set. Is it at all possible to get this pattern using only two single point needles? I hope so….I hope so.
Hi Heather,
Thanks for writing in! I am so sorry to hear about your arthritis. Unfortunately, this pattern is only written to be knit in the round. Altering the pattern to be knit flat would constitute quite a bit of work. If you want to give a go, you certainly can. I would be sure to factor in a few more stitches to account for seaming.
Best of luck!
Cassy
Love this hat but I have a question about the lifted increase video. For the left leaning lifted increase you say pick up the leg of the stitch 2 rows below the stitch on the right needle but it looks like in the video you’re picking up the leg of the stitch just one row below. Is it really 2 rows below and I’m just seeing that wrong?
Hello Susan,
Thank you for writing us! When it says 2 rows below it means the row below the row you are working on, meaning the row of stitches on the left needle is row 1 and the row below the row on the left needle is row 2. I think you might find the wording in the description for the Right Lifted Increase a little less confusing… “Lift right leg of the stitch below the next stitch on the left-hand needle onto the left-hand needle and knit it. [1 stitch increased]”
I hope this all makes sense! let me know if you have any further questions.
Warmly,
Marilla
i have the same concern – is the lifted increase picking up from the same row on both the right and left sides? the left says “2 rows below” and the right says “the row below” — do they mean to reference the same row?
Hello Shannon,
This is a great question. Yes, they do reference the same row, because on the right lifted increase you lift the stitch below the next stitch on the LEFT-hand needle it is the stitch below because it is the stitch that hasn’t been worked yet. For the Left lifted increase you lift 2 rows below the stitch on RIGHT-hand needle which is the side of your knitting which you have just knit a new stitch on. I think watching this video will also help clear this up
Happy knitting,
Marilla
I’ve never done a hat top down and an ear flap hat is on my list of fall projects. Thanks for the pattern.
Love this pattern! Could you suggest a cotton yarn that would work for this pattern?
Hello Stephanie,
Thank you for reaching out! The best cotton substitution for this pattern would be our Cotton Pure yarn. Using this yarn will change the look of the hat, just because of the nature of Cotton vs. Alpaca yarn. I would also highly recommend knitting a gauge swatch before jumping in to see how many stitches per inch you are getting. I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any further questions!
Happy knitting,
Marilla
This hat is adorable 🙂 Would your Mulberry Merino be suitable for this project?
Kind regards
Jorunn
Hello Jorunn,
Thank you for reaching out! Mulberry Merino should work beautifully for this project. I would still highly recommend knitting up a gauge swatch before jumping in to eliminate any unpleasant surprises.
Happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hi. I have a question. The section where you have to change to a circular needle is just a continuation of the previous increase section with four needles? Thank you!
Hello Anna,
Thank you for reaching out! Yes, you are correct.
Happy knitting,
Marilla
Hiya, I don’t have to change then to a circular needle then,is that the case? Many thanks for a great and clear pattern?
Hello Catriona,
Thank you for reaching out! You will need circular needles for every size, except the baby size. This is because The circumference of the baby size is to small throughout the whole hat to fit on 16″ circulars.
I hope this helps and let us know if you have any further questions!
Happy knitting,
Marilla
Hi there,
Im very excited to make this for my brother. However, my family has a much larger head than the given adult sizes. usually on your hat patterns i add 10 to 15 more cast on loops however since this is top down i was wondering the best way to cater to a larger head
Hello Kate,
Thank you for reaching out!
To make this hat larger I would recommend repeating Rounds 1 and 2 in the second increase section an extra time. I hope this helps and please let me know if you have any further questions!
Happy knitting,
Marilla
Hi! Thanks for this beautiful pattern. When we complete the ear flap and are left with last 7 stitches the pattern says:
Next Row: K2tog, csd (see Notes), ssk. [4 stitches]
If I slip the selvage loop, then K2G, csd …then I have just one stitch left. How shall I do ssk then?
Hello Yulia,
Thank you for writing in! For this row you do not slip the the first stitch you go straight to knit 2 together. I hope this clarifies things and please let me know if you have any further questions!
-Marilla
Hi, I also have bad hands and cannot manage dpn.
Could I use circular needles I.e. 12”? Thanks for your help.
Mary Ellen
Hi Mary Ellen,
Yes, you can do magic loop for the hat.
Best,
Melissa
How do you know if you’re Head is adult medium or adult large? How many inches does the circumference stretch? My head is about 23 inches
Hello Olivia,
Thank you for reaching out! Because there is no ribbing and this hat is made in stockinette I would recommend that you knit the size adult large.
I hope this helps and happy knitting!
-Marilla
Hello,
I just knit this, such a quick & elegant knit, thanks for sharing the pattern!
My question: how do you block the hat?
Many thanks,
Claire
Hello Claire,
Thank you for reaching out! I would recommend look at our blocking tutorial which goes into detail about process of blocking. I hope this helps and Happy blocking!
-Marilla
Hello!
I’m really enjoying this hat, but I’m knitting a little tightly. Can you please tell me how long the increase ridge should be? I’m making a large, but the other size lengths would be great also.
Many thanks, Zag
Hi Zag,
Thanks for writing in! The gauge that we are getting for this lovely hat is 25 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches in stockinette stitch. For the largest size, you will work 32 rows between the cast on and the work even section for a total of 4 inches!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Thanks! Looking forward to getting back to it this evening.
I’ve just made this hat and I found that the front and back are rolling upwards? Is this normal? Something I can fix? Absolutely adore the pattern!
Hello Sam,
Thank you for reaching out, I’m thrilled to hear how much you love this pattern. Have you blocked your project yet? If not this will flatten everything because the blocking process relaxes the yarn. I would suggest wet blocking your hat.
I hope this helps and let us know if you continue to have any issues!
Warmly,
Marilla
I’m knitting the 3-6 month and it’s not adding up. 96 stitches being divided for the ear flaps should be 118 when you add it up, right? Is there an errata for this pattern or am I missing something?
Hi Megan,
Thanks for reaching out! When you work the set up row for the ear flaps, for 3-6 month size, you will be binding off 20 stitches for the back of the hat, placing the next 23 stitches on a holder for the right ear flap, binding off 30 stitches for the front of the hat, and working the left ear flap over the remaining 23 stitches. This should add up to 96!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
I love this pattern! It would be helpful to me to provide a video on how to create the tassel.
On a separate note, have you ever considered opening a Purl Soho “West” in the San Francisco?
Thanks,
Amy
Hi Amy,
Thanks for writing in. Unfortunately we don’t have the resources at the moment to do a video tutorial of this, but we will keep your request in mind for the future! Although we don’t have any plans to open a new retail location, San Francisco is a beautiful city – thank you for the lovely suggestion!
Best,
Julianna
In the Continue Even section, do you knit each round, or do you alternate knit rows with pearl rows? I am a bit confused because it mentions stockinette (which I thought was alternating knit rows with purl rows) but says to knit.
Thanks!
Hi Esther,
Thanks for reaching out! Although stockinette is created by alternating knit and purl rows when worked flat, when you are working in the round as you are for this hat, stockinette is created by knitting every row.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
I’ve never done a top down hat before. What is the suggested cast on? Thank you.
Hello Diane,
This is a great question! You can use any cast on for this hat, I would suggest a long tail cast on.
Happy knitting!
This is a very well written, perfectly shaped hat pattern. Without the tassels fits really well under a ski helmet. It really snubs the head beautifully!
My only negative comment is that I like to see the YARN thickness ( e.g.. #3, or #4) in the pattern so that you don’t have to look up the YARN type used in the pattern. Love, love, love this hat!
Is there a video tutorial for this pattern. I’m a beginner.. thank you!!
Hi Rhoda,
Thanks for writing in. Unfortunately we don’t have the resources at the moment to do a video tutorial of this, but we will keep your request in mind for the future!
Best,
Julianna
Are the RLI & the LLI in the same spot when knitting this hat in continental style?
Hi Enid,
Thanks for reaching out! Despite the fact that you hold your yarn in your left hand when knitting continental, it does not affect how you follow a pattern or work the increases. You should be able to follow all of our patterns as written, no matter what style of knitting you use!
Best,
Julianna
Hello!
I have a question. At the beginning, does the number of stitches you cast on include the extra to join in the round? Or should I cast on 9 stitches instead?
Thanks a lot!
Raemy
Hello Raemy,
Thank you for reaching out! We didn’t add a stitch when joining for the round, so you will cast on 8 stitches and join without adding a stitch.
I hope this clears things up and happy knitting!
-Marilla
In the afternoon description you mention being able to adjust where the brim falls, as well as the nape of the neck. I don’t see any instructions to explain how to do either of these things. Please advise as I’m 61/4″ in and want to make sure it fits my husband’s head perfectly.
Thank you,
Sara
Hi Sara,
Thanks for writing in! You can adjust the height of the hat by beginning the ear flaps either sooner for a shorter hat or later for a longer one. If you’re not sure where to start, I would suggest threading the stitches onto a piece of scrap yarn and trying it on your husband to see how it is fitting so far!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Help, please! I don’t understand the setup round instructions: bind off 20, k20, place previous 21 stitches on holder… how do you place 21 stitches on the holder if you’ve only knit 20?
Hi Kate,
Thanks for reaching out! After binding off 20 stitches, you will have one stitch left on your right hand needle. You will then knit 20 more stitches, for a total of 21, and place those stitches on a holder.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
Thanks for responding to multiple years of comments on this pattern! I’ve read them all and imagine if no one has asked this, my confusion comes from being a beginner but: when beginning to shape the ear flaps, you bind off k20 and then “place previous 21 stitches on stitch holder for Right Ear Flap”, how would you do that? Is k20 just an error and should be k21? (That’s the only way the math works for me). This pattern is so popular it seems unlikely that’s the explanation. Thank you!!
Hi Heather,
Thanks for writing in! After binding off 20 stitches, you will have one stitch left on your right hand needle. You will then knit 20 more stitches, for a total of 21, and place those stitches on a holder.
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna
I am knitting the newborn version of this pattern. After I reach 88 stitches, do I just keep knitting, or keep increasing by 8 every 2 rows?
Hi Karen,
Thanks for writing in! Yes, that is correct! Once you have 88 stitches on your needle, you will go to the “Continue Even” section and knit without any increases until the hat measures 6 inches.
Warmly,
Julianna
This is a beautiful pattern, thank you, I’m almost finished. The bound off front and back roll up quite a bit (which I was wondering about as I did it). Does blocking fix this? Thank you!
Hi Amelia,
Thanks for reaching out! Wet blocking the finished hat should go a long way toward helping everything lie flat, but you could also add a row of crochet or an applied i-cord around the finished edge if you find that the edges still curl after blocking!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Hi,
What size do you recommend for a 4 yr old?
Thanks!
Hi Kas,
Thanks for reaching out! You will most likely be happy with the Kid Small size, but kids’ heads do come in all sizes! For best results, I would recommend measuring the recipient’s head and choosing a size with a finished measurement that is two to four inches smaller than their head.
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Hello,
I am at the step for the larger sizes where I move to the circular needles and it seems to me that the 16” circular needles are not big enough to hold all the stitches and have room to knit. Am I missing something?
Kim
Hi Kim,
Thanks for reaching out! Our apologies! The round noting where to change to circular needles was located in the wrong place. We have corrected the pattern above and moved it to the “Continue Even” section.
Our apologies for any confusion that this may have caused!
Cassy
So this is my first top down hat and I’m pretty excited about how far I’ve gotten (with help of the previous comments here?). My question is during shaping the ear flaps for an adult large, if I placed previous 33 sts onto a holder, how would I continue on to bind off the next 44 sts if I’m now on a holder? I hope this question isn’t to silly. Thank you in advance
Hi Micki,
Thank you for writing in! You can think of stitches on scrap yarn or a stitch holder as passive; you’ve already worked them and now they are hanging out until you’re ready for them later. Both ends of your needles should be free to continue knitting, or in this case binding off. By the end of this row you’ll have 33 stitches on a stitch holder for one ear, and 33 stitches left on your needles for the other ear!
I hope this helps!
Gaby
Love this hat! …In the process of making a second one t using Cotton Pure this time. What other yarns would work with this pattern?
Hi Gloria,
We’re so happy that you love this hat so much!! This hat would also work up nicely with our Mulberry Merino and our Good Wool. Both are very nice sport weight yarn.
Happy knitting,
Oscar
Help! While knitting in stockinette for the main body of the beanie I accidentally dropped my unique marker and kept knitting. How do I figure out where to put it? Thank you so much for any help you can give!
Hi Trisha,
Thanks for writing in! In a top-down hat, putting the marker in at exactly the right place is nearly impossible, but fortunately, there is a little bit of wiggle room! Your marker was right in the middle of one of the columns of decreases, so at this point, you can choose any column of paired decreases and trace a line straight down from the middle of that column to the stitches currently on the needle to place your marker. It’s okay if you’re off by one or two stitches, but as long as your beginning of round marker is aligned with one set of decreases, your ear flaps will end up in the correct spots!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
I’m making this cap with cotton yarn for a few kids, age 4 – 8, and they all have 20 inch circumference heads. The kid small – and even adult small – sizes seem like they’d be too small to fit. Should I go with adult medium sizing?
Hi Josey,
Thanks for writing in! Hats actually fit best with two to four inches of negative ease, meaning the finished measurement of the hat should be two to four inches smaller than the wearer’s head. I think the 18″ Kid Small would probably be the best fit for these kiddos!
I hope that clears things up!
Julianna