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Wool Standard Hat
Our Wool Standard Hat pattern is a nod to all things tried-and-true, knit in our gorgeous new Big Mountain Cormo Worsted yarn from our wonderful friends at Earthstar Farm in Montana. All the wool for this incredibly special yarn comes from their beloved flock of Cormo sheep, a breed prized for exceptionally soft, springy, and lightweight wool that feels amazing in your hands, on the needles, and against your skin.
This hat pattern is totally no-frills, yet every detail is carefully considered, leaving your attention free to focus on the beautiful Montana wool on your needles. You start with 3×3 ribbing for the cuff, and for the perfectly peaked crown, you decrease in three spokes that line up exactly with the folded cuff’s knit columns.
Every stitch with Big Mountain Cormo Worsted connects you to a happy flock of Cormo sheep who thrive in the high mountain air of the Montana Rockies. Beloved by knitters for its lively hand and gentle bounce, Cormo wool is incredibly squishy thanks to its distinctively crimped fibers, which are made even springier by the tight and tidy spin of this three-ply worsted-weight yarn.
A small, regenerative, organic farm tucked at the foot of Big Mountain’s snowy slopes, Earthstar Farm’s practices are gentle to the earth and its animals. Once sheared, the wool is combed and spun into yarn by an artisanal family mill in Wyoming. The whole process for this small-batch, breed-specific yarn, from shearing to milling, happens just once a year, making every skein a rare and wonderful treat for wool-loving knitters.
Happy Cormo sheep at Earthstar Farm, who grow all the wool for our new Big Mountain Cormo Worsted yarn | Photo courtesy of Earthstar Farm
Big Mountain Cormo Worsted comes in five undyed shades that celebrate the natural beauty and variation of Earthstar Farm’s flock. We knit our Wool Standard Hats in all five colors: Swan, a soft creamy white; Eiderdown and Dove, two subtle, heathered grays; Merlin, a warm moorit taupe; and Raven, a rich brown-black.
With timeless appeal, velvety next-to-skin softness, and sizes for babies through adults, the Wool Standard Hat is a true essential. Pick up a skein or two of Big Mountain Cormo Worsted to knit your new standard for cozy, everyday wear and enjoy the deep pleasure of knitting with a truly extraordinary wool yarn!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 45 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!
Pattern designed and written by Purl Soho designer, Gianna Mueller. See even more of Gianna’s work on her Instagram!
Story written by Andrea Lotz for Purl Soho.
Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!
Materials
- 1 (2, 2) skein(s) of Purl Soho and Earthstar Farm’s Big Mountain Cormo Worsted, 100% undyed Cormo wool yarn. Each skein of this worsted/aran-weight yarn is 110 yards/ 50 grams; approximately 110 (185, 220) total yards required. We knit a sample in every color!
- US 6 (4 mm) 12- or 16-inch circular knitting needles OR US 6, 32-inch circular needles for Magic Loop
- If using short circular needles: A set of US 6 double pointed needles
- Stitch markers, including one unique
GAUGE
20 stitches and 29 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch
22 stitches and 34 rounds = 4 inches in 3×3 rib stitch
SIZES
For help choosing a hat size, check out our complete guide on How to Knit the Right Hat Size!
Baby/Toddler (Kid/Adult Small, Adult Medium/Large)
To fit actual head circumference of 14–17 (17–20, 20–23) inches
- Finished Body Circumference: 14½ (18, 21½) inches
- Finished Cuff Circumference: 13 (16¼, 19¾) inches, with stretch
- Finished Height: 8½ (11½, 12) inches, uncuffed
Samples: We knit the Baby/Toddler size in the colors Swan and Merlin, and the Kid/Adult Small size in the colors Dove, Eiderdown, and Raven.
PATTERN
CUFF
Cast 72 (90, 108) 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: *K3, p3, repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Round 1 until piece measures 2¾ (3½, 3½) inches from cast-on edge.
BODY
Work in stockinette stitch, knitting every round, until piece measures 5½ (7¾, 8) inches from cast-on edge, or 3 (3¾, 4½) inches shorter than desired un-cuffed length. (For example, if you’re making the Kid/Adult Small size for a little Kid, you may want to work until the piece measures only about 6½ inches.)
CROWN
NOTE: If using short circular needles, change to double pointed needles when necessary.
Set-Up Round: Remove unique end-of-round marker, k4, replace marker for new end-of-round, *k24 (30, 36), place marker, repeat from * to end of round, omitting final stitch marker. [3 total stitch markers, including unique end-of-round marker]
Round 1: [K1, slip slip knit, knit to 2 stitches before next marker, knit two together, slip marker] 3 times. [6 stitches decreased]
Round 2: Knit to end of round.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 nine (12, 15) more times. [12 stitches remain]
Cut yarn and thread tail onto a tapestry needle. Sew tail through remaining stitches. Pull taut and bring tail to inside of hat to weave in.
FINISHING
Weave in ends and block as desired.
Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!
LEARN ABOUT BIG MOUNTAIN CORMO WORSTED + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
Our Big Mountain Cormo Worsted brings the heart of the Montana Rockies to this project! Spun from the fleece of a single, happy flock, this 100% Cormo wool yarn from Earthstar Farm is a small-batch treasure and a celebration of the breed’s soft, springy, and wonderfully warm wool. A round, worsted-weight yarn with beautiful stitch definition and velvety next-to-skin softness, every stitch tells the story of its place, its sheep, and the care taken to create it.
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our growing collection of Big Mountain Cormo Worsted knitting patterns and cast on!
More Worsted/Aran-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of worsted/aran-weight yarn (What does worsted-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to worsted-weight yarn will answer your questions and more!)
- 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 and our Yarn Substitution article for lots of helpful information.
More Yarns With Similar Fibers
- Shop wool yarn
Looking for more inspiration? Explore all of our knitting patterns (including tons of 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!
Want more pattrrns
Hi Phyllis,
We’re working on them! In the meantime, is there something in particular you want to make with Big Mountain Cormo Worsted? We would be very happy to point you in the direction of a pattern that would work with this yarn. Thank you so much for writing in!
Best,
Whitney
Looks good, getting yarn and going to make the hat.
And looking for a pattern like this that tells you the sizes of the hats thank you for publishing this
I have some dk weight wool that a friend gave me and I’d like to use this pattern. Can you help me with the adjustments? I’m still sort of a beginner. Thank you!
Hi Michelle,
Thank you for writing in! The most important thing to consider here is the gauge you’re getting with your yarn. If your tension matches the pattern, you can go ahead and follow it as written. If you’re getting more stitches per inch, you will want to go up a needle size and if you are getting less stitches per inch, you will want to go down a needle size. I’d also recommend checking out our DK weight hat patterns for the perfect project for your yarn! I hope this helps but please let us know if there is anything else we can do for you!
All the best,
Gavriella