Classic Ribbed Hat In New Colors
Need a project you can take on the go? Classic Ribbed Hat. Want a no-look TV-friendly knit? Classic Ribbed Hat. Looking for the perfect gift that you can knit up in a wink? Classic Ribbed Hat. It may not be the answer to all our problems, but our Classic Ribbed Hat sure solves most of our knitting ones!
As straightforward as it gets, you cast on and knit in one-by-one rib from cuff to crown, adding in decreases to create that beautiful spiral detail.
To make the simple stunning, all it takes is the right yarn. And our Cashmere Merino Bloom is just right. Seventy-five percent extra fine merino and 25% cashmere, this yarn is sumptuous and soft, with a gentle halo that illuminates the detail of your stitches.
Since cashmere is even warmer than wool, it’s not just warm, it’s over-the-top cozy, too!
Cashmere Merino Bloom has two even plies, giving this ribbed fabric an even look and a beautiful hand.
Plus, its tidy twist and merino content make Cashmere Merino Bloom hard-wearing, as well… Good news, because this hat is going to be your favorite!
With over twenty colors, it’s hard to choose just one. But that’s okay because, with sizes from tiny baby to big grandpa, you’re going to want more than one of these … so pick a palette and cast on!
Designed by Purl Soho designer, Jake Canton. Click here to see even more of Jake’s designs!
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoClassicRibbedHat, and #PurlSohoCashmereMerinoBloom. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 1 (1, 1, 1, 2) skein(s) of Purl Soho’s Cashmere Merino Bloom, 75% extra fine merino and 25% cashmere. Each skein is 218 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 95 (140, 180, 200, 265) yards required
- US 3 (3.25 mm), 16-inch circular needles, for Adult sizes
- A set of US 3 double pointed needles, for all sizes
- Stitch markers, including one unique
We knit the following sizes in the following colors…
Baby: Wheat Flour
Kid: Warm Honey
Adult Medium: Conch Shell
GAUGE
32 stitches and 33 rounds = 4 inches in 1×1 rib, unstretched
SIZES
Baby (Kid, Adult Small, Adult Medium, Adult Large)
- Finished Circumference (unstretched): 10½ (12, 13½, 15, 16½) inches, comfortably stretching to approximately 13–16 (15–18, 17–20, 19–23, 21–25) inches
- Finished Height (uncuffed): 8 (9¼, 10½, 11½, 12½)
PATTERN
BEGIN
Cast 84 (96, 108, 120, 132) stitches onto double pointed or 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: *K1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Round 1 until piece measures 6¼ (7, 8¼, 9, 9½) inches from cast-on edge.
CROWN
NOTE: If using circular needles, change to double pointed needles when necessary.
Set-Up Round: Remove unique end-of-round marker, k1, replace marker for new end-of-round, *[p1, k1] 7 (8, 9, 10, 11) times, pm (place marker), repeat from * to end of round, omitting final stitch marker. [6 stitch markers placed, including unique end-of-round marker]
KID, ADULT SMALL, ADULT MEDIUM, AND ADULT LARGE SIZES ONLY
Round 1: [*P1, k1, repeat from * to 2 stitches before next marker, knit 2 together (k2tog)] 6 times. [6 stitches decreased]
Round 2: [*P1, k1, repeat from * to 1 stitch before next marker, k1] 6 times.
Round 3: [*P1, k1, repeat from * to 3 stitches before next marker, p1, k2tog] 6 times. [6 stitches decreased]
Round 4: *P1, k1, repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Rounds 1–4 – (0, 1, 2, 3) more time(s). [84 stitches remain]
ALL SIZES
Round 1: [*P1, k1, repeat from * to 2 stitches before next marker, k2tog] 6 times. [6 stitches decreased]
Round 2: [*P1, k1, repeat from * to 3 stitches before next marker, p1, k2tog] 6 times. [6 stitches decreased]
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 four more times. [24 stitches remain]
Next Round: *P1, k1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [18 stitches remain]
Next Round: *P1, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [12 stitches remain]
Next Round: *K2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [6 stitches remain]
Cut yarn and thread tail onto a tapestry needle. Thread tail through remaining stitches. Pull taught and bring tail to inside of hat to weave in.
Weave in the ends and block as desired.
How many skeins for a baby hat and what length of #3 circular needles?
Hi Judy,
Thanks so much for your question! Just 1 skein of Cashmere Merino Bloom is needed for the baby size hat. And you would need US 3 (3.25 mm) double pointed needles for this size or, alternatively, US 3 (3.25 mm) circular needles that are long enough for magic loop if you’d prefer that technique more! Around a 40″ cable would be perfect for magic loop. I hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
How do you suggest keeping the knit and the purl stitches even? Switching from one to the other often seems to result in a loose side of the knit stitch.
Hi Fran,
That’s a great question, and that’s actually a really common problem for many knitters to run into! If you knit using the English style (holding the working yarn in your right hand), you’ll get a bit of slack when switching between a knit and purl stitch. To minimize this slightly, you could try tugging a bit more on your working yarn as you work the purl stitches, but this won’t get rid of the extra space entirely. The best way to get around this effect is to try out continental knitting (holding the working yarn in your left hand). But that’s a big undertaking, so I totally understand if you’re hesitant to make that change! But it will tighten up the gap between your knit and purl stitches completely.
All the best,
Lili
Hi Fran,
I’m popping in here to add onto Lili’s response. It’s true that Continental knitters tend to have fewer tension issues switching between knits and purls, but English-style knitters can make these adjustments without learning a new style of knitting. Sometimes that loose side of the knit stitch you talk about is caused by knitting too tightly. I’d suggest knitting a bit more loosely, which may mean having to go down a needle size in order to still get the correct gauge. It may seem counter-intuitive that a loose stitch may be caused by tight knitting, but try easing up on your tension and let us know what you think!
Best,
Whitney
If I wanted to omit the folded brim, how much shorter should I knit it before working the crown? For example on the adult medium size?
Thanks
Hi Mary,
Thanks for reaching out! It looks like the cuff is folded up about 2 inches, so I’d say that you can knit the Adult Medium size to about 7 inches before beginning the crown. However, the very best way to determine where to begin the crown would be to try on the hat as you knit it! Once the cast-on edge just covers the bottom of your ears (or is however long you want it to be, for your preferred fit), then you can move to the CROWN section. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
How long should the US 3 double pointed needles be? 6 “? 8”? Something else?
Thank you.
Hi Amy,
Thanks for reaching out. You can use either 6″ or 8″ DPNs! Some knitters have a preference for one length over the other, but either will work for this pattern. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi-
I have Purl Soho Plenty yarn and would like to know if you would be able to adjust the Classic Rib hat pattern to make the hat using PS Plenty? I made the Soft and Cushy hat using Plenty and have two other colors of Plenty that I would like to use in different patterns and this one looks good.
Hi Kari,
Thanks for reaching out. You can absolutely use Plenty for this hat, you would just need to adjust the cast-on number so that it comes to the correct size!
To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern with Plenty. Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the finished circumference of the size you’re making and cast on the nearest multiple of 12. Then you can follow the pattern essentially as written!
The only par you’d need to change is the Set-Up Round for the CROWN. So here’s how to work Set-Up Round of CROWN with any multiple of 12 stitch count:
Set-Up Round: Remove unique end-of-round marker, k1, replace marker for new end-of-round, *[p1, k1] (cast-on / 12) times, pm (place marker), repeat from * to end of round, omitting final stitch marker which is end-of-round marker. [6 stitch markers placed, including unique end-of-round marker]
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
I accidentally purchase a worsted weight yarn instead of DK for this pattern. Is it still recommended to follow the same pattern, or are there any modifications I should make?
Hi Anna,
Thanks for reaching out. You can absolutely use a worsted weight for this hat, you would just need to adjust the cast-on number so that it comes to the correct size!
To figure out your cast-on number, you will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern with Plenty. Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the finished circumference of the size you’re making and cast on the nearest multiple of 12. Then you can follow the pattern essentially as written!
The only par you’d need to change is the Set-Up Round for the CROWN. So here’s how to work Set-Up Round of CROWN with any multiple of 12 stitch count:
Set-Up Round: Remove unique end-of-round marker, k1, replace marker for new end-of-round, *[p1, k1] (cast-on / 12) times, pm (place marker), repeat from * to end of round, omitting final stitch marker which is end-of-round marker. [6 stitch markers placed, including unique end-of-round marker]
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Hi, could I use Linen Quill or Linen Weight to knit this pattern? And if so, is there anything I should be aware of before I start besides being careful about my gauge?
Hi Jackie,
There are two routes you could go to use a fingering weight yarn like Linen Quill or Line Weight for this pattern. Because the hat is designed for a DK weight yarn, you could either use a fingering weight yarn at another gauge and adjust the stitch count, or you could hold it double at the same gauge.
If you opt for the first method, then here’s how to figure out your cast-on number: You will want to first knit a gauge swatch in pattern with the alternate yarn. Once you know how many stitches you are getting per inch, you can multiply that number by the finished circumference of the size you’re making and cast on the nearest multiple of 12. Then you can follow the pattern essentially as written!
The only part you’d need to change is the Set-Up Round for the CROWN. So here’s how to work Set-Up Round of CROWN with any multiple of 12 stitch count:
Set-Up Round: Remove unique end-of-round marker, k1, replace marker for new end-of-round, *[p1, k1] (cast-on / 12) times, pm (place marker), repeat from * to end of round, omitting final stitch marker which is end-of-round marker. [6 stitch markers placed, including unique end-of-round marker]
If you opt instead to hold two strands of a fingering weight yarn at once, then you can follow the pattern as written! Just be sure to knit up a gauge swatch, since you may need to size up or down your needles in order to get the correct gauge.
All the best,
Lili