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Lovely Ribbed Hat in Ochre
Now in our expressive Ochre yarn, our classic Lovely Ribbed Hat pattern gets its cushy softness and easygoing washability from superwash wool and its irresistible earthy charm from a touch of linen!
Quick and easy to knit, machine-washable, and with a super forgiving stretch that allows just three sizes to fit everyone from babies to adults… Sounds like a perfect gift knit to us! The Lovely Ribbed Hat is all elastic 2×2 ribbing knit in the round, with simple decreases shaping the crown and resolving the ribbing into a charming, dimpled peak!
Ochre is 90% superwash merino wool, making it cozy warm, soft enough to wear right next to your skin, and easy to care for. The other 10% is elegant Belgian linen, its long fibers running throughout the yarn and bursting from the strand. While the original Lovely Ribbed Hat is knit in Season Alpaca—our lustrous sport-weight super baby alpaca yarn—Ochre brings a thicker gauge and an equally beautiful but very different feeling. This DK- to worsted-weight yarn is springy rather than relaxed and supple; more organic than refined; and buttery-soft and squishy rather than cloud-like.
A hat-you’ll-want-to-knit-for-everyone meets a yarn-you’ll-want-to-use-for-everything in our Lovely Ribbed Hat in Ochre. Pick from a palette of warm, heathered colors inspired by the earth’s abundant palette and cast on for a hat that’s practical and durable but also blow-you-away beautiful!
Pattern designed and written by Purl Soho designer, Laura Ferguson.
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’s Ochre, 90% superwash merino wool and 10% linen. Each skein of this light worsted- to worsted-weight yarn is 177 yards/ 100 grams; approximately 115-135 (210, 280) total yards required. We used the colors Autumn Leaf and White Peppercorn.
- US 5 (3.75 mm), 12- or 16-inch circular knitting needles OR 32-inch circular needles for Magic Loop, or size you need to get the correct gauge
- If using short circular needles: A set of US 5 double pointed needles
- Stitch markers, including one unique
GAUGE
34 stitches and 30 rounds = 4 inches in 2×2 rib, unstretched
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 14-17½ (19-23, 24-29) inches
- Finished Circumference (unstretched): 11¼ (15, 18¾) inches
- Finished Height (unfolded): 7¾ for Baby/ 8¾ for Toddler (11, 12¼) inches
SAMPLES: The Autumn Leaf hat is the Baby/ Toddler size and the White Peppercorn hat is the Kid/ Adult Small size.
NOTE
DOUBLE POINTED NEEDLES OR MAGIC LOOP
This pattern includes instructions for working on either double pointed needles or on long circular needles using the Magic Loop method. We have tutorials for both techniques, so just pick the approach you prefer.
For help, visit our How To Knit With Double Pointed Needles Tutorial and our Magic Loop Tutorial.
PATTERN
CAST ON
Cast 96 (128, 160) stitches onto circular needles. We used an Italian 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 AN ITALIAN CAST ON…
Foundation Row 1 (wrong side): *Knit 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.
Foundation Round 3 (right side): *K1, knit the second stitch on left needle letting first stitch temporarily fall off left needle, place fallen stitch back onto left needle, p2, 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.
WORK IN 2X2 RIB
Round 1: *K2, p2, repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Round 1 until piece measures 6¼ for Baby/ 7½ for Toddler (8½, 8⅝) inches from cast-on edge.
SHAPE CROWN
NOTE: Change to double pointed needles if/ when necessary.
Set-Up Round: Remove unique end-of-round stitch marker, k1, replace unique end-of-round stitch marker, [(k1, p2, k1) 6 (8, 10) times, place marker] 3 times, *k1, p2, k1, repeat from * to end of round. [4 markers, including end-of-round one]
Round 1: [(K1, p2, k1) 2 times, slip slip knit (ssk), work in pattern (knitting the knits and purling the purls) to 2 stitches before next marker, knit 2 together (k2tog), slip marker (sm)] 4 times. [8 stitches decreased]
Round 2: *Work in pattern to next marker, sm, repeat from * to end of round.
Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 three (7, 11) more times. [64 stitches remain]
Next 2 Rounds: *Ssk, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round. [16 stitches remain]
Cut yarn and thread tail onto a tapestry needle. Draw needle through remaining stitches, pull taut, and bring tail to inside of hat to weave in.
FINISHING
Weave in remaining 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 Ochre + All Our Beautiful Yarns
This project gets its soft and rustic appeal, stunning flaxen beauty, and toasty warmth from our Ochre yarn, 90% superwash merino wool and 10% Belgian linen. The superwash wool is very special, treated with a biodegradable plant-based polymer to make it super soft and machine wash- and dry-able, and the lively linen bursts from the strand with lots of earthy character. A versatile DK-weight to worsted-weight yarn, Ochre has a round 4-ply spin, a wonderful liveliness on the needles, and a cushy feel you will love!
More Free Knitting Patterns
- Be sure to explore our free Ochre knitting patterns and cast on!
More Light Worsted/DK-Weight Yarns + Worsted-Weight Yarns
- Shop our entire collection of light worsted/DK-weight yarn (What does DK-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to DK yarn will demystify!)
- Shop our entire collection of worsted/aran-weight yarn (What is worsted-weight yarn? 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, our Yarn Substitution article, and our Complete Guide To Yarn for lots of helpful information.
More Yarns With Similar Fiber
- Shop superwash wool yarn
- Shop merino wool yarn
- Shop linen yarn
- Shop machine-washable 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 55 gorgeous natural fiber yarns in 1,000s of magnificent colors, designed to bring integrity, beauty, and joy to your next knitting project and only available at Purl Soho!
Beautiful hat! Could I get one adult small and one adult large out of three skeins? Also, is it possible to make an “adult medium”?
Thank you.
Hi Ann,
Thanks for your interest in the Lovely Ribbed Hat! The adult small uses about 210 yards and the adult large uses about 280 yards, for a total of 490 yards. Three skeins of Ochre gives you 531 yards, so you should be able to make both hats with 3 skeins!
The ribbing makes this hat very stretchy, so it’s very forgiving on size! The adult small size fits head circumferences from 19-23 inches, which should accommodate head sizes from a larger child to a medium adult. The adult large fits 24-29″. If you’re knitting for someone in between sizes, I’d pick based on whether they prefer a snug fit or a loose one! My own head is actually exactly between sizes at 23.5″, and I would personally knit the large because I like my hats to fit loosely.
I hope this helps!
Sylvie
I don’t know how you can achieve a gauge of 34 Sts over 4 inches in the ribbing with this weight of wool…I am puzzled. thanks for your help.
Hi Lorraine,
This is a great question! Ribbing, especially 2×2 ribbing, pulls in a surprising amount, and the gauge for this pattern is measured using a swatch that’s blocked without pins, but not stretched. This lets the ribbing pull in all the way, which is how so many stitches can fit into 4″.
Depending on your personal gauge, you may need to use a larger or smaller needle to match the pattern gauge. Substituting a different yarn would impact the gauge, and your gauge will also be different worked flat vs. in the round.
I hope this helps!
All the best,
Sylvie
The sizing is confusing to me Which numbers are for a child?
Hi Kim,
Thanks for your interest in the Lovely Ribbed Hat! This hat is very stretchy, so the second size will fit children or adults with head circumferences from 19-23″! The smallest size fits head circumferences of 14-17½”, and fits larger babies, toddlers, and smaller children.
All the best,
Sylvie
Ochre states it uses needle sizes 6-8 this pattern says size 5!
Hi Karen,
Thank you so much for reaching out about the Lovely Ribbed Hat in Ochre. I’m happy to help clarify the needle size!
The suggested needle sizes for a yarn are recommendations based on a handful of knitters’ gauge swatches to comfortably make a nice-looking fabric. Tension is unique to each knitter, so these suggestions are designed to guide you on where to start if you want to swatch the yarn without a pattern in mind. To swatch for a pattern, you’ll want to start with the suggested needle size for the pattern and see if you might need to adjust your needle size from there.
Sometimes, designers will intentionally choose a tension outside the suggested range to produce a fabric with a specific function. Here, we worked at a tighter tension for the ribbing. Ribbing is commonly worked at 1 to 2 sizes below the suggested range to create a fabric that expands and contracts (in this case, to stay on the wearer’s head).
I hope this helps point you in the right direction, and please feel free to reach out anytime!
All the best,
Hills
I noticed that the hat is not completely flat on top. My boys want hats that are snug without any noticeable deviation on the crown. Does this hat lay flat on top?
Hi Regina,
Thanks for writing in! The Lovely Ribbed hat doesn’t lay completely flat on top, so your boys might prefer the Classic Ribbed Hat, which uses the same weight yarn and has a flatter top. A lot of our models have long hair, which tends to push hats up in the back. If your boys have shoulder length or shorter hair, their hats will be able to sit down a little lower in back, which helps with the close fit look. You can also fold the cuff up a little further to help with that!
All the best,
Sylvie
I managed to achieve the correct gauge by sizing down to size 3 needles, but somehow my hat diameter is still 23” vs the 15” adult small sizing given above. Unsure what to do; I can’t imagine blocking fixing an 8” discrepancy.
Hi Kelly,
I’m so sorry you’ve run into trouble with your Lovely Ribbed Hat in Ochre, and I’m happy to help you look into it!
I totally understand your hesitation here, and I can assure you that this is part of some very unique design features! A couple of things are contributing to this effect. The Italian Cast-On is a very stretchy cast-on, and when you combine that with the 2 x 2 rib, you get a really stretchy fabric. It takes a couple of inches of working to see the magic happen as the ribbing draws in a ton! Due to the nature of this fabric, there are fewer sizes provided, as they’ll fit a larger range of heads. We hope that this makes for the perfect holiday gifting project!
I hope this helps, and if you’re still running into trouble, please feel free to email us a photo of your work to [email protected]. We would love to take a look!
All the best,
Hills
Is this pattern suitable for Aran yarn? What is the difference between Aran and Ochre yarn? I want to make for an adult male. Thank you!
Hi Jennie,
Thanks so much for reaching out. I’m happy to help clarify!
Aran is a designation for the weight, or thickness, of the yarn. This pattern calls for a worsted/aran-weight yarn, of which Ochre is an example. You could substitute other aran-weight yarns, but you would always want to knit and block a gauge swatch (especially when substituting yarns). The weight is a reference to give an estimate of which needles you might use and how thick your fabric will be. You’ll want to match the weight of your yarn to the pattern. You can read more about worsted weight yarns, substituting yarns, gauge, and yarn weight in our “Learn” section (where you’ll find tons of helpful articles and tutorials).
You’ll want to measure the recipients head to make the most accurate sizing estimate, I’m providing that information below, as well.
From the Materials section:
And from the Sizes section:
I hope this helps! Please feel free to reach back out anytime.
All the best,
Hills
Would Knitting Yarn DK be an option for this pattern?
Hi Judy,
Thanks for writing in! You’ll want to knit a swatch to confirm, but I think that Knitting Yarn DK would be a great choice for this pattern!
Happy knitting,
Sylvie