Jane’s Hat Free Knitting Pattern
This is admittedly my first hat pattern since the closure of Joann Fabrics. My daughter and I went to Michael’s to check out their yarn selection and she picked this worsted yarn in pink, light purple, and a darker purple. It’s soft, and her favorite colors. But it is busy and a bit lighter worsted than I usually knit with. Let’s Dive further into the process and instructions for Jane’s Hat!
This is the first hat pattern that I’ve published in a minute. And it has been a minute. I’ve been dealing with low energy, insomnia, brain fog, and a boat load of other symptoms. I haven’t had the energy, or the mental clarity needed to put together a pattern. But knitting brings me so much peace that I really wanted to forge on. My daughter was so excited to get a hat with this yarn that she hand picked. I frogged this pattern so many times for how simple it is. It was infuriating. But we finished it and it’s super cute and she loves it. Also, It’s a bit different. Which makes it fresh.
What You Need to Knit Jane’s Hat:
Yarn:
Grab your favorite worsted yarn and get ready for a fun knit. This hat was knit with Loops & Threads Flecks Yarn. This is an acrylic blend of acrylic and polyester. I didn’t see it when I purchased this yarn but the care instructions are to hand wash. These skeins are hefty at 355 yards.
I love Lion Brand’s yarn for hats. It’s soft, machine washable and the colors are fabulous. You could also knit this in Caron Simply Soft, or any other worsted yarn for that matter. Please don’t be a yarn snob and come at me for synthetics. I knit for a toddler and kindergartner and I try to offer budget friendly options. By all means, if you want to use a higher end, natural fiber yarn, it will look great!
Needles:
In my patterns, I like to size down from the recommended needle to make the hats tighter and warmer. The Loops and Threads yarn calls for US Size 7 or 4.5 mm needle. I size down to a US Size 5 needle for my hats. This puts the gauge for this pattern at: 16 stitches by 16 rounds for a 2 by 2 inch swatch in the 1/2 twisted rib. The smaller sizes will require magic loop or double pointed needles. I use DPNs for my cable needles.
Skills:
In my patterns (Jane’s Hat included), I try to write everything out as simply as possible. My patterns do not contain charts or confusing symbols. At most there will be abbreviations, but they are both written fully and explained in the pattern notes. Knit through the back loop is used to create the half twisted rib for the hat brim and sections of the hat. You can knit these stitches as normal, but the KTBL provides greater stitch definition for this rib. There is a bit of cabling in this hat. These instructions are explained fully in the pattern.
