Toasty Hat + Mittens
Our wonderful new Fiddlehead is so special, whether you give a set of our cozy-soft Toasty Hat + Mittens or you surprise the knitters in your life with a Fiddlehead Bundle, everyone is going to feel the love!
Our 100% alpaca Fiddlehead is everything you want for a winter accessory. It is incredibly soft, wonderfully lightweight, and super fun to knit, too!
Each of its loops is made of two strands of roving, sometimes the same color and sometimes two different ones. Either way, Fiddlehead’s structure, together with its fiber, make for an irresistibly adorable texture of soft, little curls.
And to give them a little extra nubbliness, we knit both the hat and mittens (or hand warmers, if you choose!) and then turned them purl-side out for wearing. Beautiful!
Available in individual skeins, Fiddlehead also comes in two-skein gift bundles that are just the right amount for making the Toasty Hat + Mittens, or our other Fiddlehead accessories: the Coziest Cowl, and the Loop + Tuck Scarf.
Whether you pick up some skeins or a Fiddlehead Bundle or two, your cockles will be warmed!
Designed for Purl Soho by Gaby Bush.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoToastyHatAndMittens, and #PurlSohoFiddlehead. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
You’ll need our Fiddlehead Bundle, which includes…
- 2 skeins of Purl Soho’s Fiddlehead, 100% FS Alpaca. Each skein is 65 yards/ 100g; approximately 30 (43, 50) yards required for Hat; and 35 (60, 85) yards required for Mittens or Hand Warmers. We used Silver Lilac, Desert Gray, and Warm Ginger.
NOTE: For an Adult Large set, you may need an additional skein of Fiddlehead. We recommend leaving your third skein unwound so you can return it for store credit if you don’t need it after all. See our full Return Policy here!
You’ll also need…
HAT
- US 13 (9 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- A set of US 13 double pointed needles
- Stitch marker
MITTENS + HAND WARMERS
- A set of US 13 (9 mm) double pointed needles
- Stitch markers, including 1 unique
- A stitch holder, or scrap yarn
GAUGE
7¼ stitches and 13½ rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
SIZES
HAT
Toddler/Kid (Adult Small, Adult Large)
- Finished Circumference: 16½ (19¾, 23¼) inches
- Finished Height: 7½ (9¼, 10) inches
MITTENS + HAND WARMERS
Toddler/Kid (Adult Small, Adult Large)
- Finished Circumference at Palm: 5½ (7¾, 10) inches, comfortably stretching about 1 inch
- Finished Length from Cuff to End of Palm of Hand Warmer: 8½ (10¼, 11) inches, with instructions to modify
- Finished Length from Cuff to Tip of Mitten: 9 (11¼, 12½) inches, with instructions to modify
NOTES
CONSTRUCTION
You will knit this Hat + Mitten (or Hand Warmer) set right (stockinette) side out and then turn the pieces wrong (reverse stockinette) side out for blocking and wearing. Be sure to weave in the ends on the stockinette side!
SLIP STITCHES
Slip all slipped stitches purlwise.
HAT PATTERN
Loosely cast 30 (36, 42) stitches onto circular needles. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Place unique marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Round 1: Knit to end of round.
Repeat Round 1 until piece measures approximately 5½ (6½, 6¾), or 2 (2⅔, 3⅓) inches shorter than desired height.
CROWN
NOTE: Change to double pointed needles when necessary.
- Toddler/Kid: Start with Decrease Round 3.
- Adult Small: Start with Decrease Round 2.
- Adult Large: Start with Decrease Round 1.
Decrease Round 1: *K5, knit 2 together (k2tog), repeat from * to end of round. [36 stitches]
Knit 1 round.
Decrease Round 2: *K4, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [30 stitches]
Knit 1 round.
Decrease Round 3: *K3, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [24 stitches]
Knit 1 round.
Decrease Round 4: *K2, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [18 stitches]
Knit 1 round.
Decrease Round 5: *K1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [12 stitches]
Knit 1 round.
Decrease Round 6: *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [6 stitches]
Cut yarn and pull tail through remaining stitches.
Weave in all ends on the right (stockinette) side of hat. Turn inside out so wrong (reverse stockinette) side is facing you, and gently wet block.
MITTEN + HAND WARMER PATTERN
CUFF
Loosely cast on 10 (14, 18) stitches and divide over 3 double pointed needles. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.
Place unique marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Work in stockinette, knitting every round, until piece measures approximately 3¾ (4, 4¼) inches from cast-on edge.
GUSSET
Set-Up Round: K5 (7, 9), place marker (pm), yarn over (yo), pm, knit to end of round. [11 (15, 19) stitches]
Round 1: Knit to next marker, slip marker (sm), knit 1 through the back loop (k1 tbl), sm, knit to end of round.
Round 2: Knit to end of round, slipping markers as you come to them.
Round 3 (Increase Round): Knit to next marker, sm, yo, knit to next marker, yo, sm, knit to end of round. [2 stitches increased]
Round 4: Knit to next marker, sm, k1 tbl, knit to one stitch before next marker, k1 tbl, sm, knit to end of round.
Round 5: Knit to end of round, slipping markers.
Repeat Rounds 3–5 zero (1, 1) more time(s) [13 (19, 23) stitches]
Next Round: Knit to next marker, remove marker, slip next 3 (5, 5) stitches onto stitch holder or scrap yarn for Thumb, remove next marker, and joining two ends of gusset together, knit to end of round. [3 (5, 5) stitches on hold for Thumb; 10 (14, 18) stitches on needles for Palm]
PALM
Continue in stockinette stitch in the round until piece measures approximately 3 (3½, 4) inches from end of Gusset or until approximately ½ (1, 1½) inches from desired finished length.
HAND WARMERS ONLY
Bind off loosely knitwise, going up a needle size or two if necessary to keep bind-off loose.
Continue to Thumb section, below.
TOP OF MITTEN
Round 1: Slip slip knit (ssk), k1 (3, 5), knit 2 together (k2tog), pm, ssk, k1 (3, 5) k2tog. [6 (10, 14 stitches]
Round 2: Knit to end of round.
ADULT SMALL + LARGE ONLY
Round 3: Ssk, knit to 2 stitches before next marker, k2tog, sm, ssk, knit to last 2 stitches, k2tog. [– (6, 10) stitches remain]
Round 4: Knit to end of round.
ADULT LARGE ONLY
Repeat Rounds 3 and 4 one more time. [6 stitches remain]
ALL SIZES
Cut yarn and thread tail onto tapestry needle. Draw needle through remaining stitches, removing markers, pull taut, and leave tail on outside of mitten.
THUMB
Slip 3 (5, 5) on-hold thumb stitches onto 3 double pointed needles.
Join yarn at base of Palm.
Set-Up Round: K3 (5, 5) stitches, and before joining in the round, pick up and knit 1 (1, 2) stitch(es) from Palm at the base of Thumb. [4 (6, 7) stitches]
Join for working in the round and work in stockinette stitch until Thumb measures 2 (2½, 3) inches, or for Hand Warmers, until ¼ inch from desired Thumb length.
HAND WARMERS ONLY
Bind off loosely knitwise, going up a needle size or two if necessary to keep bind-off loose.
Make another identical hand warmer.
MITTENS ONLY
Cut yarn and thread tail onto tapestry needle. Draw the needle through the remaining stitches, pull taut, and leave tail on outside of Thumb.
Make another identical mitten.
FINISHING
Weave in all ends on right (stockinette) side, closing any holes at Thumbs. Turn inside out so wrong (reverse stockinette) side is facing you and gently wet block.
I would love to crochet the hand warmers and hat. Do you happen to have a crochet pattern as well?
Gratefully,
Hi MK,
Thanks for reaching out. I’m afraid that we have not written a crochet version of the hand warmers and hat yet. We’re so sorry for the inconvenience! I will absolutely pass along your message to the design team, so they know that there’s interest in seeing a crochet version of these patterns!
All the best,
Lili
Thank you.
I would also be interested in a crochet version of this hat and mittens pattern!
Hi is the fiddlehead pattern for hat and mittens an easy pattern for a beginner. They look so soft and I need an easy pattern to try.
Thank you!
Kathy Rizzo
Hi Kathy,
Thanks for writing in! I would say that these patterns are perfect for a beginner. And if you ever run into any confusing points, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us here, or at customerservice@purlsoho.com, and we’ll be happy to help clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
Is the pattern included with the bundle or do you just download it from your website.
Hi Doreen,
Thanks for writing in! We do not include a hard copy of the pattern with the bundle, so the best way to access it would be by downloading it from this page. Alternatively, you could write us a message in the Special Instructions field on the checkout page to include the pattern, and we’ll print it out and send it with your order!
All the best,
Lili
Hello, rather than a 13 16″ circular, could I use a 13 32″ circular needles? Thank you.
Hi Linda,
Thanks for reaching out. Unfortunately, you will not be able to use a 32″ circular needle for the Toasty Hat pattern. That’s because the stitches won’t fit all the way around it! The finished circumference of this hat is 16½ (19¾, 23¼) inches (depending on which size you’re making), so you’ll need to use needles that are shorter than that length for them to work at all. Hope this helps clarify things!
All the best,
Lili
Thanks for the lovely patterns! Do you have a sense of how much yarn one would need for just hat alone?
Hi Julia,
Thanks for writing in! You will need approximately 30 (43, 50) yards for one hat, depending on which size you’re making. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi Julia
My friend got me the kit in black eyed Susan to make the cowl. I had enough yarn left over on second skein, to make the matching hat. So yes, one skein will work just fine. You will love the yarn, and hat and cowl is easy to knit for beginners.
Hi Cheryl,
Thanks so much for your kind words! We’re so happy to hear that you’re enjoying knitting with Fiddlehead!
All the best,
Cat
I would be interested in a crochet version. Will be looking forward to seeing this come to pass.
Good morning to you!
I love these patterns, also because of the curly yarn. And thank you for the free patterns!!
Question: why do you use yo’s instead of m1’s, since you state:
‘Not only does this technique increase your stitch count by 1, yarn overs also leave you with a neat little eyelet that can be a decorative increase, an element in lacework, or even a buttonhole.’
A M1 does not leave an eyelet in my opinion, is your choice of yo because of the yarn?
Kind regards,
Elsje
Hi Elsje,
Glad to hear that you’re enjoying the patterns and the yarn! I believe that we meant that the yarn overs created little eyelets in that statement, not make 1 increases. You’re right though, make 1 increases should create a solid knit fabric with no spaces!
In this pattern, we used yarn overs in this pattern instead of m1 increases because the curly nature of the yarn makes the m1’s more difficult. By doing a yo and then knitting that yo through the back loop on the next round, that gives you more yarn to work with as you increase! Also, knitting it through the back loop closes up the eyelet, so there shouldn’t be any extra spaces left with this technique either.
All the best,
Lili
Hi there. For the hat, my head circumference is larger than the adult small but the adult large is too big. Do you think there’s some stretch circumference-wise with this yarn? Thanks!
Hi Lexie,
Thanks for reaching out. I’d recommend choosing the Adult Small size! Since all knit fabric has stretch to it, we always recommend selecting the smaller size when knitting a hat. Hats fit best with a few inches of negative ease, so I have a feeling that the Adult Small will fit nice and snug!
All the best,
Lili
I have restarted the hat pattern several times. I usually can fit into an adult regular size, however the adult large is too small for my head. My head measures 20” circumference. I even tried a casting on 46 stitches and it was still too small. Any recommendations would be great! (This yarn is tough to pull stitches out)
Hi Geana,
Thanks for reaching out, although I’m sorry to hear that you’re having trouble finding a size that fits! Have you knit up a gauge swatch yet? Since your hat keeps turning out too small, it sounds like your stitch gauge might be too small as well. I’d recommend measuring your gauge, if you haven’t done so already, and swatching once more with a larger needle. That should make the entire hat come out to the correct dimensions!
If this is daunting, I’d recommend checking out a tutorial called All About Gauge, which covers some incredibly helpful information. I even learned some interesting, new tidbits myself while looking over it, and you may, too! You can find it right here.
All the best,
Lili