High Seas Hat
Our High Seas Hat is a super-speedy knit that will help you navigate the end of gift-knitting season with ease (and beauty!).
You knit this hat in Fisherman’s Rib, a super lofty stitch that creates deep channels similar to brioche stitch but way simpler.
For Fisherman’s Rib, you use the technique of working into “the stitch below.” It’s no harder than a regular knit or purl stitch, and our tutorial ensures it’ll be smooth sailing!
Super Soft Merino adds its famous soft touch to the cushy depth of Fisherman’s Rib. It is a loosely spun single ply, which means all its fine merino fibers are at their softest. The downiness of the spin also captures air in the yarn, insulating your head in toasty warmth!
Super Soft Merino is a quick-knitting chunky weight, so you can choose from three dozen colors and whip up a fleet of High Sea Hats in no time at all!
If you love the yarn used in this project, you’ll love all of our other yarn, too! Explore our 35+ lovingly created yarn collections, in nearly every natural fiber and spectacular color you can imagine… Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn shop!
Designed for Purl Soho by Tayler Harris. Based in Utah, Tayler finds inspiration for her designs from the unique landscapes of her home state. From the beautiful mountains and canyons to the national parks and natural landscapes, she loves to incorporate the colors, textures, and shapes of her favorite places.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho, #PurlSohoBusyHands, #PurlSohoHighSeasHat, #PurlSohoGoodWool, and #PurlSohoBrume. We can’t wait to see what you make!
Materials
- 1 (2, 2) skein(s) of Purl Soho’s Super Soft Merino, 100% merino wool yarn. Each skein of this bulky weight yarn is approximately 87 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 85 (130, 165) total yards required.
- US 11 (8 mm), 16-inch circular needles
- A set of US 11 double pointed needles
- Stitch markers, including one unique
We knit our samples in the following sizes and colors…
Toddler/Kid: Clover Green + Peachy Pink
Adult Small/ Medium (on model): Seashell Pink + Golden Green
Adult Medium/ Large: Fresh Pickle + Heirloom White
GAUGE
9 stitches and 28 rounds = 4 inches in Fisherman’s Rib (see Notes), unstretched
SIZES
Toddler/Kid, (Adult Small/ Medium, Adult Medium/ Large)
- Finished Circumference: 14¼ (17¾, 21¼) inches unstretched, comfortably stretching to 17 (21, 24) inches
- Finished Height: 10 (12¼, 13½) inches uncuffed, with instructions to modify
NOTES
WORKING INTO THE STITCH BELOW
NOTE: For more help with this technique, including step-by-step how to’s, visit our Working Into The Stitch Below Tutorial.
K1b (knit one below): Insert tip of right needle into stitch below next stitch from front to back, knit normally (wrapping yarn around needle and pulling it back through stitch below), and let stitch above fall from left needle.
P1b (purl one below): Insert tip of the right needle into stitch below next stitch from back to front, purl normally (wrapping yarn around needle and pulling it back through stitch below), and let the stitch above fall from left needle.
FISHERMAN’S RIB DECREASES
NOTE: When you slip a stitch from the row below, you get two strands on the needle: the stitch you slipped plus the one you dropped. For these decreases, those two strands count as one stitch.
DD-L (Left Leaning Double Decrease): Insert right needle into stitch below next stitch from front to back and slip it to right needle knitwise, k2tog, pass slipped stitch over (see Note, above). [2 stitches decreased]
DD-R (Right Leaning Double Decrease): Slip next two stitches purlwise, one at a time, to right needle, insert right needle into stitch below next stitch from back to front and slip it to right needle purlwise, slip all three stitches (see Note, above) back to left needle maintaining their orientation, k3tog. [2 stitches decreased]
PATTERN
UPDATE December 8, 2023: We originally published this pattern without a set-up round, which some people found confusing and fiddly to knit. We heard you and have since added a k1, p1 set-up round, which should clear things up! If you would like a copy of the previous version, please contact us at customerservice@purlsoho.com.
Cast 32 (40, 48) stitches onto circular needles. We used a Long Tail Tubular Cast On (beginning with a purl cast-on stitch after the slip knot), but a basic Long Tail Cast On would also be beautiful (and less complicated!).
If you used a Long Tail Tubular Cast On
Foundation Row 1 (wrong side): *K1 through the back loop, slip 1 purlwise with yarn in front (wyif), repeat from * to end of row.
Foundation Row 2 (right side): *K1, slip 1 purlwise wyif, repeat from * to end of row.
Place unique marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Next Round: *K1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.
If you used a basic Long Tail Cast On
Place unique marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Set-Up Round: *K1, p1, repeat from * to end of round.
BODY
Round 1: *Knit 1 below (k1b, see Notes), p1, repeat from * to end of round.
Round 2: *K1, purl 1 below (p1b, see Notes), repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until piece measures 8 (9½, 9¾) inches from cast-on edge or to 2 (2¾, 3¾) inches short of desired length, ending with Round 1.
CROWN
NOTE: Change to double pointed needles when necessary.
Set-Up Round: [K1, p1b] 8 (10, 12) times, place marker, *k1, p1b, repeat from * to end of round.
Decrease Round: [K1b, p1, DD-R (see Notes), continue in established pattern to 6 stitches before next marker, DD-L (see Notes), p1, k1b, p1, slip marker] 2 times. [8 stitches decreased]
Working in Fisherman’s Rib as established, repeat Decrease Round every 6th round 1 (2, 3) more time(s). [16 stitches remain]
Cut yarn and thread tail onto a tapestry needle. Draw twice through remaining stitches and pull tightly to secure. Bring tail to inside of hat.
FINISHING
Weave in all ends and gently wet block to finished dimensions.
LEARN ABOUT SUPER SOFT MERINO + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
The best reason to use Super Soft Merino for this project is because it is the dreamiest, cuddliest, toastiest yarn you can imagine! A single ply of 100% merino wool, Super Soft Merino has a nice, loose spin that shows off the softness of its fiber and keeps it nice and lightweight. Its gauge ranges from a chunky/bulky-weight to super bulky-weight (2.75-3.25 stitches per inch), making it a great choice for quick (and beautiful!) hand-knit gifts. And more… Super Soft Merino comes in over 30 amazing colors, too!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our vast collection of (mostly free!) Super Soft Merino knitting patterns and cast on!
More Chunky/Bulky + Super Bulky-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of chunky/bulky weight yarns
- Shop our entire collection of super bulky-weight yarns
- If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial!
More Yarns With Similar Fibers
- Shop merino wool
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!
If you use the long tail cast on, how do you knit one below when just starting?
Hi Christie,
That’s a great question! If you did the Long Tail Cast On, then you will do the K1B directly into the cast-on edge. I hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
Can you please do a DDL and DDR tutorial video? Thank you so very much. 🙂
Hi Kristen,
Thank you so much for your feedback! That’s a great suggestion and I’ll be sure to pass it along to our team. In the meantime, please feel free to comment or email us at [email protected] if you have any other questions. We’re always happy to help!
All the best,
Cat
I would also love a follow along on the ddl and ddr. I have made 3 hats and am on the 4th and the leans aren’t as separated as yours. I know it’s something a more experienced knitter would get. But when doing the leans I am struggling.
When using the long tail cast on do you do a set up row of knit? Otherwise I don’t see a stitch below to begin with..
Hi Peggy,
Thank you for reaching out! If you cast on with the Long Tail Cast On, then you’ll be doing the K1B into the cast-on edge! Hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
Hi,
Would I use the same amount of stitches with this yarn if I wanted to knit and pearl, instead of using the stitch below method?
Thanks,
dale
Hi Dale,
Thanks for reaching out! Yes, you can use the same number of cast-on stitches and knit regular rib stitch instead of Fishermen’s Rib! Your row gauge might be a bit different, though, so I recommend having a tape measure at hand to make sure the height of your project matches up with the pattern as you’re knitting. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
Hi! How would you suggest I adjust the pattern for chunky/bulky yarn weight (as opposed to super bulky)?
Hi C.G.,
Thank you so much for reaching out! That’s a great question! I think the simplest way to utilize a slightly thinner yarn for this project is to increase your needle size so that you are still getting the same horizontal gauge (9 stitches = 4 inches in Fisherman’s Rib) as the pattern. This way, you can follow the pattern as written! Your vertical gauge may be a bit different (the pattern is knit at 28 rounds = 4 inches in Fisherman’s Rib), but if that’s the case, you can just knit the body of the hat until it measures 2 (2¾, 3¾) inches short of your desired length from the cast-on edge, ending with a Round 1 as stated in the pattern.
We have a fantastic tutorial on swatching in the round which will be very useful for determining which needle size you’ll need to substitute, and you can find that here (Swatching for Circular Gauge).
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
I’m trying to knit hats for two men with very large heads! Is there a recommendation for how to upsize the med/large a bit? Thank you for your great patterns–I’ve been making the Garter Earflap hat for like 15 years now!
Hi Lauren,
Thank you so much for your question! You could try going up a needle size, which will increase the size of the hat overall! But before doing so, I’d recommend knitting a gauge swatch and blocking it to see how the final fabric behaves after washing and blocking. Super Soft Merino is a lofty, single-ply yarn so it will grow a bit after being blocked. You might find that after the fabric relaxes, the gauge is perfect for what you need and you might not need to change needle sizes after all!
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Cat
Sorry, I dont know if this is stated already and Im just not seeing it, but what are the 3 sizes that are shown 32 (40, 48)? Im just looking for an adult “normal” size
Hi Anne,
Thanks for reaching out! The three sizes for this hat are Toddler/Kid, Adult Small/Medium, and Adult Medium/Large. We don’t have an adult size in between the small/medium and the medium/large, but I’d recommend taking a look at the SIZES section to determine which of the two is best for you to make! You can take a measurement of your head circumference in inches and then select the size that has a finished circumference that’s about 2 – 4 inches smaller. You’ll want to choose a size that has negative ease like this so that the hat fits snugly around your head!
I hope this helps, and please let me know if you have any other questions about choosing your size!
All the best,
Lili
Hi Purl Soho, Thank you so much for your wonderful tutorials and patterns. I am working on the High Seas Hat and I am unsure how to work the purl 1 below. If you’ve worked the previous two rows correctly, you have two loops on the needle for your purl stitch. When you work the purl stitch do you stick your needle between those two loops or below the two loops? I hope that’s clear.
Thank you.
Hi Beni,
That’s a great question! When you see the two loops on your purl stitches, you will be purling those stitches as normal. This means you are on a k1b,p1 round! You can check out our Working into the Stitch Below tutorial to get a better idea on how you can work those k1b and p1b stitches. I hope this helps but if you have any other questions, feel free to let us know!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Hi there. I love this hat, but I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong with the decreases. After the first decrease row I’m ending up with 36 stitches instead of 32. Is something missing in the pattern? Seems like there would be 2 DDRs and 2 DDLs on each decrease row
Hi Clay,
We are so happy you are enjoying this hat! Before you begin your decreases, you should have worked a setup round to place an extra stitch marker at the halfway point.
After this is done, you will work 1 double decrease on each side of the two markers leaving you with 8sts decreased at the end of each decrease round. I believe there might have been a missed step here so I’d suggest going back a round to separate your stitches. I hope this helps!
All the best,
Gavriella
Happy new year, Gavriella.
Thanks for your reply. I see there are similar questions below. I’ll be sure to check them out.
Thanks!
Clay.
I’m also having a hard time with the decrease. I did the set up round but don’t come out with the right amount of stitches either. If I follow the instructions i can’t get it to the 6 stitches before, it’s always 5 for some reason. I have to be missing something! Are there any reference videos for the decrease ? I’m a visual gal.
Hi Nicole,
Thank you for writing in! At the moment we do not have a specific video for the double decreases but I am going to share a little further clarification on how you can work the DD-L. For the Double decrease left, you will first begin by slipping two stitches purlwise from the left needle to the right needle. Then you will slip one by inserting your needle into the stitch below of the next stitch on your lefthand needle. At this point, you will have slipped three stitches.
The goal here is to get the K1b stitch onto your needle so that you can now knit those 3 stitches together. One thing to keep in mind is that the stitch that you slipped one below into may look like 2 stitches but you will want to make sure you are k3tog into the full stitches and not just partial of the slip 1 below stitch. If it helps, you can try placing removable stitch markers around the stitches to be decreased. This will help you visually see the 3 stitches in total that should be worked.
I hope this helps but please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
I am confused on decrease rounds. After doing the first decrease round does the next step mean to continue pattern for 6 rows and then do a decrease round 3 times for a total of 18 rows? Or just continue decrease every round?
Hi Peggy,
That’s a good question, and I’m happy to clarify! Yes, your first instinct is correct. You will work 5 rows in pattern between each Decrease Round, working the Decrease Round as the 6th round. Once you do this 3 more times, you’ll have worked a total of 18 rounds!
All the best,
Lili
Hi…I am having a hard time with the decrease rows. Can you type out exactly what we have to do? At what point would I lace the second marker. I think that may be the problem. Thank you in advance. 🙂
Hi Kristen,
So happy to hear you are making the High Seas Hat! In the first steps of the crown section, you will begin by working a setup row to place your second stitch marker. This round is worked as follows: [K1, p1b] 8 (10, 12) times, place marker, *k1, p1b, repeat from * to end of round. This will get you set up with your second stitch marker at the halfway point of your hat. Another way to read this setup round is: work in pattern for 16 (20, 24) sts, place marker, work in pattern to end of round.
After that you will begin your double decrease rounds on every 6th round. I hope this helps but please feel free to reach out to us if you need this explained further at [email protected]
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Hi, is this pattern available in a PDF to print? Thank you.
Hi Amy,
That’s a great question! If you’re on a desktop version of the site, you will find a “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.
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 images, click the drop-down next to the image icon and change from 100% to 0%. You can also hover your mouse over any portions of the pattern you wish to delete, and click the trash can icon that appears. Then, you can click “Print” or “PDF” along the top left of the pattern preview box to print or save the pattern!
Happy making,
Gavriella
Hello,
I’m currently stuck on the first decrease round (K1b, p1, DD-R (see Notes), continue in established pattern to 6 stitches before next marker) and I’ve ended up with 4 stitches before the marker instead of 6. I followed the instructions for DDR in the Notes section but I’m also wondering if my execution of DDR may have been incorrect somehow. As an FYI, I’ve made sure there is a marker between the 2 sets of k1, p1b (each set being 12 iterations) and counted the stitches to make sure I was still at 48 stitches per the guide for an adult large hat.
Thank you kindly for your assistance in advance!
Hi Asai,
Thank you for writing in! That is correct, you are indeed going to end up with 4 stitches before the marker after working the double decrease as this technique decreases two instead of one! I hope this helps but if you need further assistance or if I have misunderstood your question, please let us know and we can have deeper look!
Warmly,
Gavriella
Hi, if I want to make this high sea hat with bulky/chunky skeins, decrease rows still be every 6 rows or more often? Thank you
Hi Kye,
Thank you for writing in! You are in luck! This pattern is written for just those weights of yarn so you should be able to follow the pattern as is for your hat. I hope this helps but please let me know if you have any more questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
How many skeins of wool do you need to make an average-sized adult hat?
Hi Z!
Thank you for writing in! You will need 2 skeins to make the adult size small/medium and medium/large! Please let us know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Does it work to make the fisherman’s rib with two colors? Alternating from stitch to stitch? Does that make the hat to bulky? I can give it a try but wondering if someone out there has already done it. Thank you!
Hi Lucas,
Thank you for writing in! A two-color version of this hat sounds wonderful! It might add a little bit more bulk but should be a lovely hat either way!
Happy making,
Gavriella
I have a question about making this hat with a cuff. Is there a unique row when knitting to make the cuff turn upwards? I know this is the case with other hat patterns I have knit but didn’t see it here. Is there a method certain length of cuff that the hats in the photos are? I am making an adult small, medium. Thank you!
Hi Lucas!
That is a great question! We did not use any special method in particular to get the folded brim. You could simply knit the brim to the height that you’d like! I hope this helps but please let me know if you have any other questions!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Hi,
I just started making the kid size and it seems so small? What is the next number of stiches I would use to make the hat a bt larger? The hat is for my 7 yr old grand daughter.
Hi Sophie,
I’m sorry to hear that your hat feels too small! Can you please let me know what your gauge measurements are? It could be that your gauge is too tight, in which case I’d recommend switching to larger needles.
All the best,
Lili
Hi Team,
I do not know what I am doing wrong – but once I cast on 40 stitches for the middle size, on the 8mm 16″ circular needles, there does not seem to be be any way I can join the ends to knit in the round. They are too far apart. I am using a 16 ply wool. Which fits between the chunky/ bulky and super bulky range of wool. Do you have any advice to offer please?
Kind regards,
Ray
Hi Ray,
I am happy to help! It sounds like your cast on might be just a bit too tight. I’d recommend casting on much looser to allow your stitches to spread across your cable. You can also use larger needles if you have them to cast on and then switch back to the called for size after the first round or two. The cast on round is always the tightest so your work should fit more comfortably on your needles after you work a few rows. I hope this helps!
All the best,
Gavriella
I was also struggling with the DDR and DDL. After a LOT of trial and error I ended up skipping the set-up round and following the DDR and DDL instructions in the tutorial below and this worked very well for me. Hope helps others!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urTGNO1y3_w&list=PLiCQ35jTSb6qcXMXpDpk0On7dEfJAy8UQ
I’m struggling with how you decrease 8 stitches in the decrease round — you do only ddr and two ddls, correct? That’s only six stitches, what am I missing? Thank you so much for any help!!
Hi Hannah,
We are so sorry to head you are running into trouble here! I am determined to help get you back on track. So in the decrease section, you are actually going to work two DDR and then two DDL. I think what may be happening here is you are forgetting to go back to the very beginning of the row instruction to work the entire thing two times total. That would work out to 8 stitches decreased. I hope this helps clarify but please let me know if you have any other questions!
All the best,
Gavriella
Just wanted to say thank you for this beautiful pattern! This was my first time knitting. a hat and I’m just obsessed with how cushy the end result is, and the symmetry of the DDRs and DDLs looks so cool. I’ll be knitting many of these for friends and family this year!
I am just ordered the yarn to make this hat but I want to add a silky lining for hair protection. Any suggestions on the best way to do that?
Hi Shen,
That’s a great idea! I would suggest knitting essentially another hat, using a silk yarn, and seaming it to the inside of the High Seas Hat. You’ll want to make sure that the finished circumference of the lining measures the same as the circumference of the inside of the hat so that it can fit inside (with a super bulky yarn like Super Soft Merino, the inner and outer circumferences can differ quite a bit)! I’d also recommend flipping the lining so that the purl bump side is facing the outer wool hat, which will make sure that the smoother, stockinette side is the one that comes in contact with your hair.
Hope this helps give you some ideas!
All the best,
Lili
Hello! After the first decrease round, the instructions say to continue in established pattern. Is that the k1b, p1 of the decrease round every round until we decrease again? Or am I alternating the k1b/p1b rounds from the body of the hat- in which case, I’m unclear which row I start with after the decrease round. Can you help? I’m stuck!
Hi Ashley,
In this case, working in pattern means following the 2-round repeat of the fisherman’s rib pattern! Since the Decrease Round happened on what was essentially a Round 1, then you will work a Round 2 next, followed by a regular Round 1, etc. Hope this helps!
All the best,
Lili
Can you follow this pattern as a basic rib, and not a “working into the stitch below” rib? Do you need to make any alterations?
Hi Rey,
I’d recommend trying out our Snow Day Hat for a basic rib alternative to this pattern. Since basic ribbing would affect the gauge, your hat isn’t guaranteed the same result in size!
All the best,
Gavriella