Knit Your Own Rib Hat from Scratch - No Pattern Needed!
I knit this hat for my Dad in under four hours with no pattern. It’s a rib pattern with an extended 4 inch brim.
“Maxine! Is that K on the phone? Tell her I my head is cold and she promised to take care of me.” Sunday night my dad asked me to knit him a hat – while I am smack in the middle of crocheting a replica of a $1,900 designer sweater (by christmas). Really Dad? I needed a quick, right-in-a-hurry, satisfying hat to squeeze in. Winging a ribbed hat was the perfect solution for me — something with a memorizable pattern repeat and minimal shaping.
Ready to knit a rib hat with no pattern? Knitting a ribbed hat is a rewarding project that combines simplicity with style. In this blog post I’ll share my notes so that you can cast on and knit the brim, body, and crown of your hat for a good fit. Get started with this recipe and you’ll create your own beautifully fitted hat that’s perfect for yourself or as a thoughtful gift for the begging loved one in your life.
Before you cast on, stop by Miss Purl and see me for some yummy and versatile worsted weight yarn selections, including Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted Superwash, KraeO Uncle Mulberry, SweetGeorgia Superwash Worsted, and Blue Sky Fibers Woolstok.
The idea of knitting a ribbed hat from scratch might seem daunting, but trust me, it's an incredibly liberating experience. You get to be the designer, the creator, and the maker all at once. You can choose any yarn, any color—the possibilities are endless, and that's what makes knitting without a pattern so appealing.
One of the biggest challenges people face when knitting without a pattern is getting the sizing right. The beauty of knitting a ribbed hat is that once you understand the proportional measurements of a basic hat and choose a pattern repeat, you can let creativity take over. To give you a head start, I'm sharing my notes for knitting a basic ribbed hat. Grab a skein of worsted weight yarn and give my recipe a try.
Fine details: Listen up mavericks. Do you, I love that. Please know that this recipe is for a particular pattern, with a specific yarn weight and specific needle size. OK? Results will vary drastically if you go off the range in any way. Hugs
Materials
This pattern is designed for worsted weight yarn. Here are some beautiful options in-stock options:
Universal Yarn Deluxe Worsted Superwash: This 100% superwash wool yarn is springy and durable, making it perfect for everyday wear.
KraeO Uncle Mulberry: Hand-dyed in small batches in Chicago, this worsted weight yarn is a blend of 85% Merino wool and 15% Mulberry silk. It's soft, luxurious, and perfect for special projects.
SweetGeorgia Yarns: Known for their vibrant, hand-dyed colors, SweetGeorgia offers a range of yarns for knitters, crocheters, spinners, and weavers. Their yarns are crafted in small batches in Vancouver, Canada, ensuring high quality and unique colorways.
Blue Sky Fibers Woolstok: This worsted weight, non-superewash yarn is spun from 100% Highland wool, offering an ideal balance of softness, structure, and stitch definition. It's perfect for everyday garments and accessories.
Needles
The hat is knit in the round. You’ll need to be comfortable knitting small circumferences in the round. (If you need help, knitting in the round, come to a Drop-In Clinic and I’ll teach you) I used a size 8 needle. Since we are not gauge swatching for this recipe, please use either a US 8 - US 9 needle with worsted weight yarn to achieve similar results. Some hat knitters use a smaller needle for the brim section. However, when I make a rib hat, I choose to make the entire hat in one needle size. I do not follow the smaller needle convention because ribbing creates an elastic fabric throughout the hat. No need to build in additional stretchiness across the brim’s noggin unless you are perpetually hard-headed or annoyingly big-headed (in my judgey opinion).
Construction
When you are knitting a ribbed hat in the round, without a pattern, it's essential to divide the hat into three main sections. The brim, the body, and the crown are knit proportionately into a perfectly fitting hat. My recipe has already calculated those proportions for you. I got you friend!
Hat Height
The total height of the hat varies by size. You can estimate the length of your hat by placing a tape measure over your head and measuring ear lobe to ear lobe. Take that measured number and divide by two (17 inches = 17 / 2 = 8.5 inches)
Small (S): 8.5 inches finished length
Medium/Large (M/L): 9 inche finished length
Extra Large (XL): 9.5 inches finished length
Big hair? I care! If the recipient has curly, thick or voluminous hair, the trick isn’t necessarily to make the hat wider. Choose a finished size with more length in the body. If you are up for the challenge, the body section of the recipe includes instructions on how to increase the body section a chosen size.
Sizing and Cast On
For adult sizing, ribbed hats typically range from 18 to 20 inches in finished circumference. Measure the circumference of the recipient’s head and subtract 1 (or 2) inches from the measured circumference to compute a negative ease with a comfortable or (snug) fit. Choose a size and cast on amount closest to the calculated negative ease number.
Small (S) 18 in. finished circumference: Cast on 90 stitches.
Medium/Large (M/L) 19 - 20 in. finished circumference: Cast on 96 stitches.
Extra Large (XL) 21 -22 in. finished circumference: Cast on 102 stitches.
Ribbing
Decide whether you want to use a K2, P2 rib or a K1, P1 rib. This will be your pattern repeat for throughout the project project. Rib patterns alternate between knit and purl stitches on the same row. Pay attention to the appearance and feel of each stitch to become more familiar with identifying them by memory, which is essential for following the ribbed hat pattern accurately.
Knit Stitch (K)
Appearance: On the right side of the fabric, knit stitches look like small "V" shapes.
Feel: Knit stitches are smooth and flat.
Back Side: On the wrong side, knit stitches appear as bumps.
Purl Stitch (P)
Appearance: On the right side of the fabric, purl stitches look like small bumps or ridges.
Feel: Purl stitches have a textured, bumpy feel.
Back Side: On the wrong side, purl stitches look like "V" shapes (similar to knit stitches on the right side).
Tips for Identifying Stitches While Knitting
Look at the Fabric: Examine the stitches on your needle. If you see "V" shapes that appear to “hang” from the needle, those are knit stitches. If you see bumps that are “flush with/right underneath” the needle, those are purl stitches.
Feel the Stitches: Run your fingers over the fabric. Knit stitches will feel smooth, while purl stitches will feel bumpy. In a rib pattern, the purl stitches appear to recess in the fabric, while the knit stitches protrude forward a bit.
Check the Yarn Position: When knitting, the working yarn exits the stitch at the back of the work and needle. When purling, the working yarn exits the front of the work and needle.
Brim and Body
Now we are ready to knit! Cast on the size in the rib pattern of your choice. Knit the brim to your desired length.
Brim Instruction
Small (S): Knit chosen rib pattern for 1 inch.
Medium/Large (M/L): Knit chosen rib pattern 1.5 inches.
Extra Large (XL): Knit chosen rib pattern 2 inches.
For a folded brim, increase the length in the brim section by knitting more rounds in 1/2 inch increments. I chose to knit my Dad’s hat with a 4-inch folded brim.
Wanna get fancy and create a brim fold line? When the brim section is complete, knit one round (knit every stitch) and then proceed to the Body section. When the brim is folded up, the knit stitches will create a faux crease with the purl stitches on the wrong side.
After the brim, begin to the knit the body.
Continue with Body Instruction
Small (S): knit an additional 5.5 inches in the established rib pattern
Medium/Large (M/L): knit an additional 6 inches in the established rib pattern
Extra Large (XL): knit an additional 6.5 inches in the established rib pattern
For a slouchy body style, add more length to these measurements in half inch increments (i.e. knit the M/L to 6.5 inches or 7 inches). Adding more length in the body section is a strategy to accommodate curly, thick or voluminous hair.
Crown Decreases
Final section! Hooray! The crown is the most active part of the hat, since you’ll need to decrease or read stitches every rouund. Review the primer above to distinguish knit and purl stitches.
Tips for Crown Decreases
Stay Organized: Use stitch markers to keep track of your decreases. This helps maintain even spacing and prevents mistakes.
Maintain Rib Pattern: As you decrease, try to maintain the rib pattern as much as possible. This might mean adjusting your stitches slightly to keep the pattern consistent.
Check Your Work each round: Periodically check your work to ensure the decreases have been complete and the crown is shaping is progressing. This way, if you miss a decrease, you can more easily tink back and correct.
After the body, begin to decrease the crown.
Place four evenly spaced markers on the needles.
Follow this decrease pattern (see the instructions for decreases below)
Round1: (k2tog, knit to two stitches before the marker, ssk, sm) repeat to end of the round
Row 2: Follow the rib pattern as established, As you decrease, the pattern may be interrupted, but ensure you knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches as you come to them.
Continue decreasing until there are 4 stitches between each section.
Cut the yarn, thread the tail through a darning needle, and draw the threaded needle through the live stitches to close the top of the hat.
How to k2tog (knit two stitches together)
Insert the right needle: Insert the working needle into the front loops of the next two stitches on the corresponding needle, as if to knit.
Wrap the yarn: Wrap the yarn around the working needle as you would for a regular knit stitch.
Pull the loop through: Pull the yarn through both stitches at the same time, creating a single, right-leaning stitch.
Here's how to perform a slip, slip, knit (SSK):
Slip the first stitch knitwise: Insert the working needle into the first stitch as if you were going to knit it, and slip it onto corresponding needle.
Slip the second stitch knitwise: Insert the working needle into the next stitch as if you were going to knit it, and slip it onto the corresponding needle.
Insert the corresponding needle: Insert the corresponding needle into the front of the two slipped stitches on the working needle.
Knit the two stitches together: Knit these two stitches together through the back loops. This creates a single, left-leaning stitch
You did it!
Voilà! Celebrate and pat yourself on your whole back! If you have any questions or need further assistance, feel free to reach out. We’d love to see your finished projects, so don’t forget to share your photos with us on social media using the hashtag #MissPurlChicago. Mwah!