This fair isle knit hat pattern is quick to knit up and very cozy. This is a great pattern for beginners at colorwork knitting who want to give it a try! Only two colors are involved.
Materials
- MC: 100 yards of worsted weight yarn.
- CC: 100 yards of worsted weight yarn.
- 5mm (US size 8) circular knitting needles (at least 16 inches).
- One stitch marker
- OPTIONAL: 5mm (US size 8) double-pointed knitting needles.
- OPTIONAL: craft needle to weave in the ends.
Finished Size
The final beanie will measure approximately 8.5 inches high after blocking.
Gauge after blocking: 4” x 4” = 22 stitches x 30 rows
Sizing Note: a few test knitters have noted that the hat seems a bit small. Since I do have a bit of a small head, I wanted to note that the colorwork chart can easily be adapted to larger/smaller sizes by adjusting the cast on stitches in increments of 10. For example, you could cast on 90 stitches (instead of 80 as noted below) and achieve a larger size.
Abbreviations
This pattern is written in standard US terms.
- CO: Cast on
- PM: Place marker
- P: Purl
- K: Knit
- K1tbl: Knit one through the back loop
- MC: Main color
- CC: Contrasting color
Pattern
Brim:
CO 80 stitches in the round. PM to mark the beginning of the round.
Rows 1-5: *K1tbl, P1* repeat to the end of the row.
Body:
Rows 6 & 7: Knit all stitches
Follow the colorwork chart below for the remaining rows of the body. The colorwork chart contains 10 stitches that will repeat 8 times per row. The chart is read from bottom to top, right to left. The green represents your main color (MC) and the white represents your contrasting color (CC)
Pro Tip: Keep your floats fairly loose. This will help ensure that the hat can stretch when you put it on. If your floats are too tight when switching colors, the hat will be constricted and won’t fit correctly when worn.
Decrease:
Switch to double-pointed needles as needed when the stitches become too tight on the circular needles.
Rows 1-2: Knit all stitches.
Row 3: *K2tog, knit 6* repeat to the end of the row.
All even rows 4-10: Knit all stitches.
Row 5: *K2tog, knit 5* repeat to the end of the row.
Row 7: *K2tog, knit 4* repeat to the end of the row.
Row 9: *K2tog, k3* repeat to the end of the row.
Row 11: *K2tog, k2* repeat to the end of the row.
Row 12: *K2tog, k1* repeat to the end of the row.
Row 13: *K2tog* repeat to the end of the row.
10 stitches will remain on the needle. Cut the yarn and weave the end through the remaining stitches. Pull tight to close and tie a knot to secure. Weave in any loose ends. If desired, you can sew a faux fur pom to the top as I have done in the sample photos.
Did you enjoy this pattern? For another free knit hat pattern, check out Knit Classic Ribbed Beanie.
thanks been looking for this.
I made this hat as a newbie to stranded knitting and it turned out great. It was just a *little* snug so I think I will make another one with with an extra repeat. Took me about 2 days to finish. Great pattern.
Typically items are made larger by increasing needle size. However it sounds like you may need to go up a size.
Great job!!!
Making me and hubby opposite hats reversing the colors. Thank you for the pattern
I plan on making this hat in double knitting.
i might have missed it but how many times are we supposed to do the chart repeats? is it once or more? or up to the person who is making it
Hi Calina! The colorwork chart is worked a total of three times. Thanks!
nice hat but decrease is too quick and created a puckered top which doesn’t look great
Hi! Struggling to understand the color work repeats especially when comparing to pictures – is the chat supposed to be worked 3 times from row 1 to row 23, resulting in 69 rows of the color work? Thanks!
As I am new to knitting beanies for adults, would you be happy to let me know your head circumference so I can gauge if I need to do extra repeats/stitches please? I want to make some for my kids and their partners for Easter, and the guys will probably need a larger size I’m guessing.
Thank you.
Hi Kerry! Based on feedback from my test knitters, I recommend casting on at least 90 stitches for an average adult. The pattern was written based on my head circumference (a petite female) of around 19 inches. Hope this helps!
Such a cute colorwork pattern! This was my first ever knit hat. The first time I made it with size 8 needles and repeated the pattern 9 times instead of 8. It barely fit my 7 year old! (And I was sure to keep my colorwork loose, so that definitely wasn’t the issue) 😭😭
I made another one, this time using size 10 needles, still with 90 stitches. The width was perfect but it got too tall.
If I were to do it again, I would use size 9 needles and repeat the pattern 10 times around. Just fyi for anyone else looking to use this pattern!
Such a cute colorwork pattern! This was my first ever knit hat. The first time I made it with size 8 needles and repeated the pattern 9 times instead of 8. It barely fit my 7 year old! (And I was sure to keep my colorwork loose, so that definitely wasn’t the issue) 😭😭
I made another one, this time using size 10 needles, still with 90 stitches. The width was perfect but it got too tall.
If I were to do it again, I would use size 9 needles and repeat the pattern 10 times around. Just fyi for anyone else looking to use this pattern!