Our Lovely Ribbed Hat may take its cue from the classic watchman cap, but you don’t have to be a stevedore to wear this perfectly constructed little head warmer!
Our version retains the soul of the ones worn on docks and decks since who-knows-when, but it has certainly dispensed with the itch. Knit up in our incredibly soft Season Alpaca, this simple hat is sumptuous and warm and wonderful on the head!
Wear your Lovely Ribbed Hat like Jacques Cousteau, neat and trim with a turned up rim, or leave it long for a more tossed-off look. It’s happy either way!
And in a 2 x2 rib, you’ll just be alternating a couple of knits with a couple of purls. If you can do that, you can make one for everyone in your life, from toddlers to adults. And it’s an ideal project to take with you anywhere… You’ll just need one skein for all but the largest size, which only takes 2!
Designed for Purl Soho by Laura Ferguson.
Materials
- 1 (1, 2) skeins of Purl Soho’s Season Alpaca, 100% baby alpaca. We used the colors Pink Taupe (Baby Fawn, Dove Gray).
- US 2, 16-inch circular needles (or 12-inch for Baby size)
- A set of US 2 double pointed needles
- 4 stitch markers, including one unique marker
Gauge
36 stitches and 32 rows = 4 inches in stitch pattern
Sizes
Toddler/Kid Small (Kid Large/Adult Small, Adult Large)
To fit actual head size of 14 to 16¼ (19 to 22, 23½ to 27¼) inches
- Finished Circumference (unstretched): 10¾ (14¼,17¾) inches
- Finished Height: 7¾ (11, 12¼) inches
Pattern
Begin At Bottom Edge
Cast 96 (128, 160) stitches onto circular needles. We used a Long Tail Tubular Cast On, because it’s nice and stretchy, but a basic Long Tail Cast On would also do! If you use the Long Tail Tubular Cast On, don’t forget to work the three Foundation Rows before joining in the round (they are described both in our tutorial and below).
If you did a Long Tail Tubular Cast On…
Foundation Row 1: *Knit 1 through the back loop, slip one purlwise with yarn in front (wyif), repeat from * to end of row.
Foundation Row 2: *K1, slip 1 purlwise wyif, repeat from * to end of row.
Place a unique marker and join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Foundation Round 1: *K1, knit the second stitch on the left needle letting the first stitch temporarily fall off the left needle, place that fallen stitch back onto the left needle, p2, repeat from * to end of round.
Continue to the Continue In 2 x 2 Rib section.
If you did a Long Tail Cast On or similar…
Place a unique marker and join for working in the round, being careful to not twist the stitches.
Continue to the next section, Continue In 2 x 2 Rib.
Continue In 2 x 2 Rib
Round 1: *K2, p2, repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Round 1 until piece measures 6½ (8¾, 9) inches from cast-on edge.
Shape Crown
NOTE: Change to double pointed needles when necessary.
Set-Up Round: Remove unique end-of-round stitch marker, k1, replace unique end-of-round stitch marker, [(k1, p2, k1) six (8, 10) times, place marker] three times, *k1, p2, k1, repeat from * to end of round.
Round 1: [(K1, p2, k1) two times, ssk, *p1, k2, p1, repeat from * to 2 stitches before next marker, k2tog] four times. [8 stitches decreased]
Round 2: [(K1, p2, k1) two times, k1, *p1, k2, p1, repeat from * to 1 stitch before next marker, k1] four times.
Round 3: [(K1, p2, k1) two times, ssk, *k2, p2, repeat from * to last 4 stitches, k2, k2tog] four times. [8 stitches decreased]
Round 4: [(K1, p2, k1) two times, k3, *p2, k2, repeat from * to 1 stitch before next marker, k1] four times.
Round 5: [K1, p2, k1) two times, ssk, *k1, p2, k1, repeat from * to 2 stitches before next marker, k2tog] four times. [8 stitches decreased]
Round 6: [(K1, p2, k1) two times, *k2, p2, repeat from * to 2 stitches before next marker, k2] four times.
Round 7: [K1, p2, k1) two times, ssk, *p2, k2, repeat from * to last 4 stitches before next marker, p2, k2tog] four times. [8 stitches decreased]
Round 8: *K1, p2, k1, repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Rounds 1-8 zero (1, 2) more time(s). [64 stitches]
Next Round: *Ssk, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [32 stitches]
Repeat last round. [16 stitches]
Cut yarn and thread the tail onto a tapestry needle. Draw the needle through the remaining stitches, pull taut, and bring the tail to the inside of the hat.
Finish
Weave in the ends and block as desired.
PRINT
Can I do this on straight needles ?
Hi Dienie,
Thanks for reaching out! The instructions for this hat are only available written in the round. However, we do have another hat that uses this lovely yarn that is knit flat and can be made on straight needles. Our Four Spokes Hat may work well for you!
Best,
Cassy
It seems to me that any pattern in the round can be knitted with straight double-point needles. But, maybe there is fiddliness when using them over the circular needles.
Hi Jayne,
You are correct! Just about any pattern written in the round can be knit using double pointed needles instead! For this pattern anf for most hat patterns, DPNs work well just so long as they are long enough! Generally speaking, we find that straight needles refer to straight single pointed needles and the pattern being knit flat and seemed. While you certainly can alter a hat pattern to be knit flat, it does take a fiar bit of work!
Best,
Cassy
Hi Dienie,
Thanks for your question! It is possible to knit this hat on straight needles but it will require some slight pattern adjusting! I would recommend casting on 2 extra stitches, 1 at each edge, to have as a selvedge to be seamed up later. The only difference is that there is a right side and a wrong side when knitting flat.
I hope this helps!
Carly
Hello! What size yarn is this? Could I use “A Touch of Alpaca” from LionBrandYarn? http://www.lionbrand.com/touch-of-alpaca.html
Thanks
Hi Sophie,
Thanks for reaching out! The Season Alpaca that we used for this lovely hat has a gauge of 6-7 stitches per inch and it looks as though the yarn that you are hoping to use has a gauge of 4.75 which is a good deal thicker. I think that, with this in mind, it would not make a good substitute here. If you would like to use an alternate yarn, I would suggest looking for a yarn with a gauge of 6-7 inches per inch!
I hope that this helps!
Cassy
Very helpful! Thank you for responding 🙂
This pattern ticks all boxes and the colours used are very different – and I just LOVE that 🙂
This looks like a perfect hospital hat for a newborn! If I wanted to make it a bit smaller than the toddler size what cast on number would you suggest?
Hi Kiomi,
I agree, our Season Alpaca would be so snuggly and soft for a newborn! The next smallest cast on that the pattern would work with is 80 stitches which is a big jump down; however, I think the toddler size could fit a newborn with plenty of room to grow. Ribbing is very stretchy by nature, and the toddler size unstretched measures 10 3/4″ which is not too far off from an average newborn’s head. You could also try working the hat on US 1 needles for a bit tighter gauge to shrink the hat a bit.
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Can this hat be knit up in understory? I realize understory is thicker, but would you happen to know how many stitches of understory would be needed to cast on for an adult small hat ? I have 3/4 or more of a skein left over from another project.
Thanks!
Hi Alice,
Thanks for writing in! Unfortunately that is quite a big jump in gauge, and we are not able to alter patterns that require gauge for fit in the comment section. We don’t have any hats quite like the Lovely Ribbed Hat written in the correct gauge for Understory, but I would recommend taking a look at our Travelling Cable Hat, either as an option to use up your yarn, or as a jumping off point for modifying the Lovely Ribbed Hat pattern!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hello, I love all your patterns. I don’t understand, why is there two different instructions for foundation row 1? Thank you,
Hello Emilsen,
Thank you for reaching out! This lovely hat pattern has to options for casting on so the foundation row correspond to whichever cast on method you choose to use, the long tail tubular cast, or the long tail cast on.
I hope this clears things up for you and happy knitting!
Marilla