Lovely Ribbed Hat In Linen Quill Worsted
Nothing scratches the knitting itch like casting on for a hat! Just a dozen or so inches of knitting, and ba-da-bing ba-da-boom, the very thing you’ll wear every single day until the lion cedes to the lamb!
This particular Lovely Ribbed Hat is not only one of our most beloved and classic hat patterns, it also introduces our very newest yarn, Linen Quill Worsted!
Just like it sounds, this is our fingering-weight Linen Quill plumped up to a gorgeous worsted weight. The same fine highland wool, alpaca, and linen blend, this version is a perfect five stitches to the inch, just right for just about everything. Available in 28 of everyone’s favorite Linen Quill colors, this is our new go-to… Practical, knit-able, durable, but also blow-you-away beautiful!
Originally designed by Purl Soho designer, Laura Ferguson.
Share your progress + connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoLovelyRibbedHat, and #PurlSohoLinenQuillWorsted. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 1 (2, 2) skeins of Purl Soho’s Linen Quill Worsted, 50% fine highland wool, 35% alpaca, and 15% linen. Each skein is 164 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 118 (206, 293) yards required.
- US 5 (3.75 mm), 16-inch circular needles (or 12-inch for smallest size)
- A set of US 5 double pointed needles
- 4 stitch markers, including one unique marker
We made our samples in the following colors …
- Toddler/Kid Small Size: Bright Flamingo and Vintage Celadon
- Kid Large/Adult Small: Cobalt Blue and Super Orange
- Adult Large: Kiln Red
Gauge
34 stitches and 26 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): 11¼ (15, 18¾) inches
- Finished Height: 7¾ (11, 12¼) inches
Pattern
We followed our Lovely Ribbed Hat pattern exactly, except for new needles and gauge. Even though these are bigger than the original pattern, the 2×2 rib stitch has enough stretch to create similarly sized hats. For the free pattern, please visit our original Lovely Ribbed Hat story!
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!
I am very frustrated. There was a time when I could get the free Purl Soho patterns which I loved. I am on a limited budget. Now I cannot get or print them. When I click on “Get Free Pattern” I get nothing. What is going on? I would love to get the Lovely Ribbed Hat pattern. I can see the material but not the instructions.
Hi Dolores,
Thanks for writing in, and I’m so sorry you are having trouble downloading our pattern! I assure you that it is most certainly still available for free, but some customers have been reporting similar issues with the print function. Please reach out to customerservice@purlsoho.com and we will make sure you are able to get a copy of any of our free patterns that you would like!
Best,
Julianna
Same issue of PDF not allowing me to save. Nothing come up; just a blank space. I’ve stopped trying. It’s very disappointing. Someone in your ZiT department should be able to fix it without me having to take the time to email every time I want a free pattern. ?
Hi Melissa,
I am so sorry that you are also experiencing this issue! Our web team is currently working on a solution for this, so we would certainly appreciate it if you could reach out to customerservice@purlsoho.com so we can send your report to the web team!
Best,
Julianna
You may want to check your computer’s settings. It’s not necessarily a problem on the purlsoho site but is likely the way your PDF settings are set in your browser.
It could also be the browser you are using. Not all browsers support functions (especially Adobe). This is most common when people use outdated versions of supported browsers (update your browser) or if you use a browser that is no longer supposed by even the creator of the browser (IE).
~Kat
Hi, Should I use the same cast on numbers for the worsted weight hat as for the fingering hat? I’m reading the pattern as everything is the same with the exception of using US 5 needles instead of US 2. Do I have this right?
Hi Shelly,
Thanks for reaching out! Yes, that is correct – for our Linen Quill Worsted version, we did follow the original Lovely Ribbed Hat pattern exactly, including the same cast on number, but used a US 5 needle. This does make the hat come out a little bit bigger, but due to the extremely elastic nature of 2×2 rib, we found that the hats still fit the same size range quite comfortably!
Best,
Julianna
Same as everybody else. Don’t get a pattern, just this page. I guess I could probably do this hat without a pattern until I got to the top. Probably could figure out how to reduce the number of stitches until it was few enough to just pull tight. It probably would look as nice.
Hi Cheri,
Thanks for writing in! You can find the pattern on our original Lovely Ribbed Hat page, which is also linked above. For our Linen Quill Worsted version, we followed the pattern exactly, including the same cast on number, using a US 5 needle. This does make the hat come out a little bit bigger, but due to the extremely elastic nature of 2×2 rib, we found that the hats still fit the same size range quite comfortably!
Best,
Julianna
Hi there! You said that you folllowed the pattern for the Lovely Ribbed Hat exactly, but the number of stitches cast on would alter, no?
Thanks!
Niomie
Hi Niomie,
Thanks for reaching out! We actually did not change the cast on number – all we changed was the needle size! This does make the hat come out a little bit bigger, but due to the extremely elastic nature of 2×2 rib, we found that the hats still fit the same size range quite comfortably!
Best,
Julianna
Greetings from Oregon, Purl Soho!
Love your yarn, love your patterns… ordered yarn to make hats for the whole family! But I’m having a devil of a time getting gauge. I am a tight knitter, often needing to go up a needle size to get gauge; however, in this case, I’ve gone down to size 4 needles (using Linen Quill Worsted) and am still massively off — your 34 stitches gets me 6 inches in 2×2 rib! ? Anyone else having a similar issue? Any suggestions?
Thanks!
Katie
Hi Katie,
Thanks for reaching out, and I’m so sorry you are having trouble getting the correct gauge! We haven’t had any similar reports, but it’s hard to say what might be going wrong without seeing your knitting. You should not be stretching your ribbing at all when measuring it for this pattern – just let it relax and contract as much as it wants to. If you are only casting on 34 stitches, you may also have to try casting on more stitches. When knitting a gauge swatch, for the best results, you should cast on more than the amount you will be measuring. Everyone’s selvage or edge stitches tend to turn out a bit distorted, so you should try not to include them in your gauge measurement, and sometimes ribbing needs a larger swatch to pull in properly. I would recommend casting on about 40 stitches and working about 5 inches in 2×2 rib. You can then measure the center 4 inch square, excluding the edge stitches and cast-on, for the most accurate gauge measurement possible!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Knock knock – is this thing still on? I am having the exact sam issue! By all other test swatches, I’m pretty average tension and I’m usually spot on with pattern recommendations. I’m nearing 6” to get 34 sts. I used purl’s “Plenty” worsted in Fresh Pickle, and I have a nice dense fabric now but nowhere near the recommended gauge. I fear casting on 100 something stitches will result in a hat too big for any human head.
If you see this Katie- let me know if you pressed on!
Hi Anastasia,
Thanks for writing in! We always recommend knitting a gauge swatch due to varying tensions from knitter to knitter. This can be the case for designers as well since we each have our own styles of knitting. It sounds like you need to go down a couple of needle sizes but if your fabric is too dense, then I would recommend knitting the smaller size (cast on of 96)! If you were to continue knitting at the current gauge, your hat is going to be way too big! I hope this helps but please let me know if you have any more questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
Hi, I’m new to knitting and bought a pair of circular needles so that I could try to knit this hat for my dad. I didn’t see though that I would also need a pair of double pointed needles for shaping. I don’t own a pair, and not sure I would know when/how to use them as you describe in your pattern note “NOTE: Change to double pointed needles when necessary”. Do I need DPNs for this pattern, and if so, how and when should I use them, “when necessary”? Thank you!
Hi Chloe,
Thanks so much for getting in touch! After knitting the body of the hat, you’ll begin decreases to shape the crown, and at some point in that process, you’ll have fewer stitches than fit comfortably on your circular needles – the best way I can describe it is it will start to feel like your knitting is stretched on the circular needle. That’s the point at which you’d switch to the double points. We have a handy tutorial on knitting with double pointed needles, here – I hope this helps – please feel free to write again if there’s anything else I can help with!
Best,
Cassandra
Thank you Cassandra!
a question for you! in the needle length requirements, is the 16 inches referring to just the length of the cord itself, or the length of the whole needle from needle tip to tip?
thanks so much 🙂
Hi Jessica,
Great question! When measuring circular needles, you should measure all the way from tip to tip, not just the cord!
Happy knitting!
Julianna
Hello! I’ve already made one hat for my toddler and it turned out lovely. I plan to make 2 more for my nieces shortly and I wonder if it would possible to add a pom pom to the top? If so, could you advise the best way to proceed or recommend another pattern to follow?
Thanks!
Hi Kristin,
Thanks for writing in! I think a pom pom would be a fantastic addition to this hat! Our Snow Day Hat pattern has great instructions for how to attach a pom pom to a hat, and if you need a way to make the pom pom itself, our Pom Pom Maker Set is super easy and fun to use.
Happy knitting (and pom pom-ing!)
Julianna
Hi,
Could you please let me know how to measure the hat size circumference?
Thank you,
Amanda
Hi Amanda,
Thanks for reaching out! The circumference of the hat is the measurement horizontally along the edge of the hat doubled. Unstretched it should be 11¼ (15, 18¾) inches
All the best,
Gianna
Is this the typical way to measure circumference? I usually take the measuring tape around the entire garment. Should this make any difference in the measurement? (Verses measuring horizontally and then doubling.)
Hi Natalie,
Thanks for reaching out! Either way of measuring should work as long as you are getting consistent measurements!
All the best,
Gianna
Can I substitute Anzula’s For Better or Worsted?
Hi Natalie,
Thanks for writing in! Yes you can substitute Anzula For Better or Worsted! Just be sure to work up a gauge swatch to insure that you are consistent with the pattern!
All the best,
Gianna
Thanks.
Would you say the same for Purl Soho’s Worsted Twist?
Also, if using the Worsted Twist, might I require more than one skein for Kid Large/Adult Small?
Hi Natalie,
Thanks for writing in again! I would recommend 2 skeins of Worsted Twist for the Kid Large/Adult Small!
All the best,
Gianna
Hi Natalie,
Thanks for reaching out! Yes, same for our Worsted Twist!
All the best,
Gianna
Can the number of stitches cast on be adjusted, as long as it’s a multiple of 4? Will the pattern still work out?
Hi Natalie,
Thanks for reaching out! Yes that is correct, keeping the cast on as a multiple of 4 will work with the pattern.
Best,
Gianna
Hi,
I made my gauge swatch with the Worsted Twist.
On #5 I got 32 st/in, and on #4 I got 33 st/in.
I thought going down to #3 would be a little too small for the yarn…. do you think I will be fine knitting the Kid Large size with the #4? I’m aiming for it to fit a 21″ size head.
Hi Natalie,
Thanks for writing in! The Kid Large/Adult Small size should fit a 19 to 22″ head, with the gauge you are getting on a size 4 needle you should be fine as you are very close to our recommended gauge.
All the best,
Gianna
I’ve just printed about 30 pages, and an used hour of my time trying to print the updated worsted Lovely Ribbed Hat. What’s up with that?
Hi Margaret,
Thanks for reaching out! I am sorry to hear that. The best way to print out patterns from our site is to find the “print” icon in the right column just below the “Save To Favorites” button. If you’re on a mobile version of the site, you will find a “print” icon below the pattern and above the comments. (If you use File-Print from the top tool bar it will print the entire page including the comments section!) From there you can 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. To remove the images or sections of the pattern, click the drop down next to the image icon and change from 100% to 0%.
I hope this helps, happy knitting!
Gianna
Oh boy! I messed up. I ordered the original Linen Quill for this pattern, instead of the Linen Quill Worsted. I didn’t catch my mistake until I was able to cast on (meaning I’ve already wound the skeins into balls and can’t return). Is there anyway I could make this hat with the original Linen Quill double stranded? I have two balls–do you think I’d need to get another two balls? Any help you can provide would be much appreciated. Thank you!
Hi Janie,
Thanks for reaching out! Oh no!! Well no worries! You should be able to knit this hat holding the Linen Quill doubled, you should have plenty of yarn to complete the hat with the two skeins you have! I do recommend working a quick gauge swatch in the stitch pattern to see how it compares to the pattern or if there are any adjustments necessary.
I hope this helps!
Warmly,
Gianna
I did the same thing exactly! Thanks for asking,
Hi there,
I Just want to check… So I follow the “Lovely Ribbed Hat’ pattern exactly just ignoring the ‘k1 p1’ ribbing and just swap it for ‘k2 p2’ ribbing, and the decrease will follow the pattern exactly?
thanks so much!
Hi Rebekah,
Thanks for reaching out! The Lovely Ribbed Hat is a 2×2 rib pattern not 1×1 rib so you should be able to follow the pattern as written!
Warmly,
Gianna
Hi! I am hoping to make this hat for a friend who is vegan. I ordered some of the Blue Sky Worsted Cotton that you carry. Do you think this will yarn will be a reasonable substitute?
Hi Jay!
I think you can absolutely make the Lovely Ribbed Hat out of the Blue Sky Worsted Cotton! Since you’re doing a substitution for the Linen Quill, I would work up a little gauge swatch before beginning to ensure you’re matching the gauge called for in the pattern. But they’re very close, so I think it will be a great fit!
Hope this helps, and happy knitting!
Kelsey
What would be the level of difficulty for this pattern? I’m new to knitting. Thanks!
Hi Ana,
Thanks for writing in! We don’t rate the difficulty of our patterns because we want people to feel free to try things that are “too hard” for them; we want to encourage people to discover that learning new techniques enriches the process of making. Ultimately, we hope that you will take little leaps into the unknown and find that the satisfaction was worth the challenge!
That being said, I want to let you know of some of the techniques involved in this pattern, so you can feel prepared for what’s to come! I’m including links to our tutorials on them as well: Knit Two Together (k2tog), Slip Slip Knit (ssk), Long Tail Tubular Cast On, Long Tail Cast On, Double Pointed Needles.
I hope this helps you get a sense of this pattern, and please know that you can always reach out to us at customerservice@purlsoho.com if you get stuck or confused! We’re happy to help!
All the best,
Lili
Hi Lili,
That makes perfect sense, thank you! The techniques help tons, I’ll go ahead and give the pattern a try!
Thanks again!
Is the gauge 34 sts? Or maybe 24?
Hi Julie,
Thanks for reaching out! The gauge is correct as written, it should be 34 stitches and 26 rows = 4 inches in stitch pattern!
Warmly,
Gianna
Where does this pattern say how many stitches in the new yarn?
Hi Julie,
Thanks for the question! We followed the original Lovely Ribbed Hat pattern exactly, except for the new needles and gauge. For the free pattern, please visit our original Lovely Ribbed Hat story, from there you can find the instructions under the PATTERN section of the page! You will cast on 96 (128, 160) stitches depending on the size you are making.
I hope this clears things up!
Gianna
Kathie – maybe you should just continue with the hat and forget about making it according to the directions…
Hi Kathie,
Thanks for checking back in. It looks like I replied to your question on Thursday! It was actually on a different page, and you can find it right here.
All the best,
Lili
Hi there! I feel like this is a silly question but why do you go down to smaller needle sizes than then is recommended for the yarn (based on the what is written on the page where you can buy the yarn) for both the Linen Quill Worsted and the Season Alpaca in this pattern?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Lesley,
Thanks for reaching out. The needles we chose to use in this pattern are a design feature! While we recommend a range of needle sizes for these yarns in general, designers often choose sizes outside of that depending on how dense they’d like the knit fabric to be. This pattern uses a smaller needle than expected because the hat is meant to be very dense and warm!
All the best,
Lili
Hello!
I have tried this pattern several times and can’t get the fit quite right. I saw the comment that you could use any stitch counts that is a multiple of 4. I cast on 104 and now I’m at the decreases, sts but the pattern doesn’t line up with the stitches. I’m 2 stitches off. How can I do the decreases with my stitch count? Currently, I’ve placed markers every 26 stitches and moved the BOR to between 2 knit stitches as per the pattern. Every other marker is between purl stitches. Do I need to make 2 sections 2 sts bigger to be in the correct spot?
Best,
Lexie
Hi Lexie,
I’m so sorry this pattern has given you so much trouble! It looks like we were the ones to errantly recommend a multiple of 4 stitches and are so sorry about that… We’ll go back and amend the previous comment that suggested this and in the meantime wanted to make clear that the the stitch count needs to be a multiple of 16 in order to work within the instruction of this design.
Since 104 is a multiple of 4, but not 16, it is not going to work for this pattern. I’m sure this is not the news you want to hear since you’re already well into your hat, but we hope that bit of information will help you with future fits.
I hope that helps, but please don’t hesitate to let us know if there’s anything else we can do to get you back on track!
All the best,
Gavriella