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
• 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!

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!