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If You Knit, You Know Hat
A hat that speaks your language! Knit up in our buoyant Good Wool yarn, our super giftable If You Knit, You Know Hat pattern spells out the secret language of knitters. And while these hats give a wink to those in the loop, you can personalize yours any way you want: initials, acronyms, or even your own inside joke.
A simple folded hem kicks off this charming hat, with the inner hem worked on smaller needles so it gently hugs your head with no need for ribbing. From there, you’ll knit a canvas of smooth stockinette before working four spokes of easy decreases to shape the crown… And just like that, it’s time for the fun part!
Use trusty duplicate stitch and our handy chart of letters and numbers to add whatever knitting phrase, abbreviation, monogram, or message you like. If you’re new to duplicate stitch, it’s wonderfully simple, and our step-by-step Duplicate Stitch Tutorial will help you get a beautiful result.
Cast on with Good Wool, a yarn that sparks your imagination with every stitch… So sproingy, so beautiful and so, well, good! Spun from the fleeces of highland sheep who have adapted to the cold conditions of Peru’s high-altitude Altiplano, this yarn is wonderfully durable, warm, and softer than you may expect, making it just right for classic hats.
You need just one skein of this sport-weight yarn to knit a hat in any of five sizes, plus a little extra for your personalization. Pick up a few skeins of Good Wool so you can knit a hat in each color, then mix and match the monograms with what’s left! With five undyed natural shades and a big rainbow of heathers dyed over them, Good Wool offers endless inspiration for thoughtful, handmade gifts.
Soft, warm, and playful, our If You Knit, You Know Hat says it all… It’s the perfect cozy gift for knit wits and kindred spirits of all kinds!
Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 55 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
- Purl Soho’s Good Wool, 100% Andean highland wool yarn. Each skein of this sport- to light worsted/dk-weight yarn is 383 yards/ 100 grams.
- Main Color: 1 skein; approximately 95 (120, 155, 195, 245) total yards required. We used the colors Yellow Olive, Fresh Loganberry, and Pink Salt.
- Contrast Color: 1 skein; approximately 5 yards required. We used Dark Spruce with Yellow Olive, Wild Guava with Fresh Loganberry, and Olive Oil with Pink Salt.
- US 3 (3.25 mm) 12- or 16-inch circular knitting needles OR US 3, 32-inch circular needles for Magic Loop
- US 4 (3.5 mm) 12- or 16-inch circular needles OR US 4, 32-inch circular needles for Magic Loop
- If using short circular needles: A set of US 4 double pointed needles
- Stitch markers, including one unique
GAUGE
26 stitches and 38 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch on larger needles
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 Large)
To fit actual head circumference of 14–16 (16–18, 18–20, 20–22, 22–24) inches
- Finished Circumference: 13½ (14¾, 16, 18½, 21) inches
- Finished Height: 5½ (6½, 7¾, 8¾, 9½) inches
SAMPLE: Our samples are all the Adult Small size.
PATTERN
CUFF
With Main Color, loosely cast 88 (96, 104, 120, 136) stitches onto larger 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.
WORK INNER CUFF
Switching to smaller circular needles, knit every round until piece measures 1 (1½, 2, 2, 2½) inches from cast-on edge, unrolled.
WORK OUTER CUFF
Switching to larger circular needles, knit every round until piece measures 2 (3, 4, 4, 5) inches from cast-on edge, unrolled.
HEM CUFF
NOTE: For additional help with this section, please visit our Knit Hem Tutorial.
Fold cast-on edge up inside of Cuff, aligning cast-on stitches with working stitches, purl sides together.
Next Round: *Slip tip of left needle under purl bump right under cast-on edge in same column as next stitch, knit next stitch and picked-up stitch together, repeat from * to end of round.
BODY
Still with larger circular needles, knit every round until piece measures 3½ (4¼, 5¼, 6, 6¼) inches from folded edge of Cuff.
CROWN
NOTE: If using short circular needles, change to double pointed needles when necessary.
Set-Up Round: K11 (12, 13, 15, 17), place marker (pm), [k22 (24, 26, 30, 34), pm] 3 times, knit to end of round. [4 stitch markers placed; 5 total markers, including end-of-round one]
Decrease Round: [Knit to 2 stitches before next marker, knit 2 together (k2tog), slip marker, slip slip knit (ssk)] 4 times. [8 stitches decreased]
Next Round: Knit to end of round.
Repeat last two rounds 8 (9, 10, 12, 14) more times. [16 stitches remain]
Cut yarn and thread tail onto a tapestry needle. Draw the needle through remaining stitches, pull taut, and bring tail to inside of hat to weave in.
MONOGRAM
NOTE: For duplicate stitch pointers, please be sure to visit our Duplicate Stitch Tutorial.
With a length of Contrast Color yarn threaded onto a tapestry needle, follow our Alphabet + Number: Sport-Weight Chart, below, to create a duplicate-stitch knitting abbreviation. We placed the bottom of our letters nine rounds above the hem-line and centered them between the two front decrease spokes of the Crown. Have fun!
Alphabet + Number: Sport-Weight Chart
FINISHING
Weave in the 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 GOOD WOOL + ALL OUR BEAUTIFUL YARNS
Good Wool adds loads of character, beauty, and integrity to this knit! A sport-weight yarn whose lofty 2-ply spin can also bloom into a light worsted/DK-weight yarn, Good Wool is made from 100% Andean highland wool, a toothy fiber with a deeply natural appeal. This yarn has a spectacular palette of complex and subtly varied colors, including 5 undyed shades. Very close to the hearts of our customers, Good Wool is a true knitter’s yarn!
More Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our vast collection of (mostly free!) Good Wool knitting patterns and cast on!
More Sport-Weight Yarns + Light Worsted/DK-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of sport-weight yarn
- Shop our entire collection of light worsted/DK-weight yarns (What does DK-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to DK yarn will answer your questions and demystify.)
- 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, our Yarn Substitution article, and our Complete Guide To Yarn for lots of helpful information.
More Yarns With Similar Fiber
- 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!
Love it! You never cease to amaze!
Would this pattern work if I make it using your Cashmere Merino Bloom? I just bought a skein, intending to make one of the basic ribbed hats you recommend for the yarn — then saw this pattern, which would probably knit up a lot faster, without the ribbing. But maybe cashmere merino is a bit soft for this pattern, and needs the structure of the ribbing? If you think it’d work, do I need to change # of c/o stitches?
Hi Anne,
Thanks for writing in! You could absolutely use Cashmere Merino Bloom for this pattern. We always recommend knitting a quick gauge swatch just to check your tension but since this hat uses duplicate stitch you could also use our Simply Hemmed Hat pattern for your base hat and then the duplicate stitch charts for the motif!
Happy knitting,
Gavriella
Would love to see all your patterns!
Pat
What a charming idea. Perfect for me and for gifts!
Could I do this in Echo Cashmere? Any adjustments?
Hi Mimi,
Thanks for reaching out! The gauge for this hat will work with Echo Cashmere, but it will be a less dense fabric. We recommend knitting and blocking a swatch to make sure you are able to make gauge and like the look and feel of the fabric before casting on. I hope this helps but please let us know if you have any questions!
All the best,
Andrea
Would this work in Wigeon, too?
Hi Kristin,
Yes, Wigeon would be a great yarn to use for this pattern! It’s always a good idea to do a gauge swatch before you cast on, most especially when you’re substituting yarns. If you need help with that step, be sure to check out our All About Gauge Tutorial. It will get you off on the right foot!
Please let us know if run into any more questions along the way… We’re here to help!
Best,
Whitney
I am struggling with the Knit Hem. I watched the video, but it demonstrates how to do the hem using double pointed needles. I am using a circular needle, and I don’t see how you can accomplish this maneuver using a circular needle, even though your instructions say you can. I found a demo online and hope that will work. This is very frustrating.
Hi Laurie!
Thanks so much for reaching out, and I’m really sorry this has been frustrating. The knit hem can definitely feel tricky to visualize on circular needles even though it is possible. Sometimes seeing it done in real time makes all the difference. If you’d like, please email us at [email protected]
and we’d be happy to provide some visual guidance or walk you through the technique. We’re happy to get you back on track!
Warmly,
Megan
I’m also struggling with the knit hem and the description you provide. It says «PURL sides together», but the knit hem tutorial describes KNITTING sides together. How does one purl them together? And how do I make sure I start with the right stitch on the cast-on side? Also, can you post a demo/description of how to do this on circular needles?
Hi Helene!
Thank you for your question! To clarify, you do knit the stitches together, but you fold the fabric so the purl sides are facing each other. That’s all the pattern means by “purl sides together.” When you fold the hem, make sure the cast-on edge lines up neatly behind the live stitches. You’ll then lift one stitch from the cast-on edge onto your left needle and knit it together with the next live stitch.
If you’d like us to walk through a few stitches with you, feel free to email a photo to [email protected], or we’d be happy to show you live in a free 1-on-1 Help Session.
Warmly,
Megan
I love this so much! Any chance you could add an asterisk to the chart please?
Hi Nicole,
We’re so thrilled you’re a fan of this pattern! We checked in with our team about creating an asterisk duplicate stitch chart, but I’m afraid it looks like the proportions would be a bit off in relation to the other letters and symbols; the asterisk would need to be about 5 stitches tall to be able to accommodate the star shape, and that would cause it to be quite large! While a chart might not be possible in this case, we absolutely encourage you to experiment with how to add this to your project, and our design team mentioned that embroidering the asterisk could be a really wonderful option, too! With embroidery, you could make it the size you prefer without having to rely on the stitch counts, and the star would be very crisp-looking as well.
Please let us know if you have any other questions!
Kindly,
Cat
I need some clarification on the set up round for starting the crown. I have 6 markers including the end of the round. I can’t see how to end up with only 5. It says to k15pm, k30,pm three times if I take out the end of round marker I will have 5 markers. This I can sort of understand but then I’m supposed to decrease 2 stitches 4 times so do I just skip the last marker? Please help as this is not making sense.
Hi Lallie!
Thank you for your question! This part can definitely feel confusing at first! After the Set-Up Round, you should have five markers total: the original end-of-round marker plus four new ones that divide the crown into four sections. Those four interior markers are the ones used for shaping. In the Decrease Round, when it says to repeat the decrease sequence four times, you’ll work one decrease section before each of those four markers. You’ll simply skip the end-of-round marker when doing decreases; it’s only there to mark the beginning of the round.
I hope that helps everything make more sense, and if anything still feels unclear, we’re happy to walk through it with you!
Warmly,
Megan
I’m very confused about this instruction
*Slip tip of left needle under purl bump right under cast-on edge in same column as next stitch, knit next stitch and picked-up stitch together, repeat from * to end of round.
Do you have some images of how this works?
Hi Leslie!
Thank you for writing in! That step can definitely be tricky to visualize the first time. We do have a Knit Hem tutorial with clear photos and videos that walks through this exact technique step by step, and it should really help make things click. Once you see it in action, it usually makes a lot more sense!
And truly, once you’ve done it a couple of times, it becomes much more intuitive. You’ve got this!
Warmly,
Megan