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.

If You Knit, You Know Hat | Purl Soho

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!

If You Knit, You Know Hat | Purl Soho

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.

If You Knit, You Know Hat | Purl Soho

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.

If You Knit, You Know Hat | Purl Soho

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.

If You Knit, You Know Hat | Purl Soho

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 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!

If You Knit, You Know Hat | Purl Soho

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

If You Knit, You Know Hat | Purl Soho
  • 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!

If You Knit, You Know Hat | Purl Soho
If You Knit, You Know Hat | Purl Soho
If You Knit, You Know Hat | Purl Soho

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

More Sport-Weight Yarns + Light Worsted/DK-Weight Yarns

More Yarns With Similar Fiber

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!