Dear Ann:
I hate to be the one to bring this up, but the holidays are approaching. It’s true: they are approaching, whether I bring them up or not. Every year, I take the pledge not to embark on a holiday knitting voyage of doom, and every year around December 15, I break it. I get caught up in the Christmas knitting spirit, and before long I’m all intense and pressurized about it (and having a fantastic time).
Kristin’s hat from her Sambuca sweater leftovers got me thinking: aren’t hats great? What kind of holiday-handknit party pooper would turn up their nose at a nice warm hat? I started looking around, and discovered that great unisex hats are the low-hanging fruit of Ravelry. So many excellent designers have published free hat patterns–loving gifts to knitters–and so many of the hats look like they are not only beautiful and useful, but fun to knit. So here’s my list of 9 great free hat patterns. Stick it up on the fridge, and you’ll be ready, should the impulse strike.
(Wide ribbing and a fashionable slouch.)
(Part of an eBook that includes the stunning Antler Cardigan, which you can knit to fit the whole family, from tiny tot to adult size 4XL. Now that’s hardcore holiday knitting!)
Regular Guy Beanie by Chuck Wright
(Because regular guys are all about the stockinette. Knits on the RS, purls on the WS, as God intended.)
(Again with the gendering of inanimate objects. This reversible hat is for everybody, including that fussy guy on your list who likes his headgear very classic.)
(Slouchy, but not too slouchy.)
Garter Ear Flap Hat by Purl Soho
(Sized for baby, toddler, teen and adult. Also gnomes.)
(17,000 Ravelers can’t be wrong. This hat is a beloved rite of passage and the best use ever for scraps of Noro Silk Garden (which even I cannot KonMari–they are too precious)).
(Ingenious welts that trap warm air.)
Rikke by Sarah Young
(Stretchy garter goodness. Such a clean, modern look.)
If your holiday crafting leads you to the sewing machine, check out Fringe Supply Company’s first-ever sewing pattern, for the Stowe bag.
I’ve got one of these (not made by me), and it is the perfect boxy bag to hold a knitting project. Sitting on the floor nicely is such a practical quality in a knitting bag, or any bag, really. I can’t wait to see these popping up in a rainbow explosion from people’s sturdy-fabric stashes.
Love,
Kay
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Serendipity. I needed a hat pattern to knit for charity this morning and but received notice of new posting here so came to read before heading to Ravelry. Great compilation of patterns and just what I needed – thank you!
Cap-tastic! Love that boxy bag. Thanks for the great ideas.
I started holiday hat knitting last weekend after hearing about and buying the fantastic hat collection by Claire Dynes. It’s called The Tea Collection and thank goodness the patterns are great because I may have bought it even if they weren’t because the idea of hats named for different types of tea is such a cute one! Already on my third one of the collection! Addicting and fast! Plus she includes two cowl patterns to match two of the hats. Well worth the price of the collection, and no, I don’t even know the woman, I’m just that enamoured!
Oops, her name is Claire Devine. Here’s a link:
http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/sources/the-tea-collection
Thanks for the great list. I have forwarded this list on to my meetup group, Sisters In Stitches.
Great idea Barbara! I will notify my knitting group, too.
LoveDiane
Kay, this post is a holiday GIFT TO US!
Almost everyday with the posts! Thank you both so much!!! Twitter and Instagram are nice snacks, but this frequent posting is quite the treat.
I bought that bag pattern the instant I saw it on Fringe Assn. – then I remembered that I purged almost all of my fabric, especially the sturdy ones that I haven’t used for 10 years. Of course, now I can tell myself that I would have made TONS of those bags if I had the fabric.
Brilliant post. Thanks for the pattern links. There’s snow predicted tonight here in Toronto! Time to get those needles flying.
I so appreciate this, Kay. Thanks.
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Always interesting to see hat suggestions, especially at this time of year. May I add one? I am about to cast on a third 1898 Hat (pattern by the wonderful Kristine Byrnes for the Seaman’s Church Institute/Christmas at Sea program) rav link: http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/1898-hat
This is hands down the most fun hat I have ever, ever knit, and the best answer I have ever found to “what should I do with this single skein of Cascade 220?” There is a clever self-folding double headband section that gently and warmly cups the wearer’s ears…it is delightful! And the top part then knits up quickly, which is great because you don’t have to wait very long to experience that ear-cupping phenomenon.
Have been reading your blog from day 1..maybe day 3. Lol.
In my excitement to post, I neglected to comment that I’ve knit almost all of these hats. If you want a really, really warm hat that was oodles of fun to knit in a lovely, soft merino – check out a free knitty pattern called Tychus. Pics on my ravelry page of my FO: same user name. Lol
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HATS!
Going to look through my stash right now.
Came back from Rhinebeck with my friend and we immediately started knitting hats, it seems that’s all we can think of after viewing all the cute sheep hats and other beautiful warm hats we saw. I have since noticed that other Rhinebeck folks have gotten the same bug and everyone is talking about knitting hats.
Thanks for these great patterns, I will definitely be knitting a few of them!
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Great list!. ‘Graham’ & ‘Bankhead’ calling my name. I’ve knit many Rikke & Wurm hats…currently a colordipped hat on the needles… good ‘ol hat knitting – portable & quick
Excellent post, thank you so much.
I looked up Regular Guy Beanie from yesterdays post. I just starting knitting hats but have found using smaller needles(sometimes even a size smaller than suggested) ensures a nice ribbed band that won’t fall off. I’ve had to “overlap” two completed hats already to make them fit and I do not have a tiny head!
Thank you for the links!!
Mmmmm … Man Hat + Osprey = great quick gift. Love the texture on that.
And Karen’s bag….sheesh, she (and Jen) hit it out of the park with that little gem. Looks like a perfect quick sew that you could then fill with a book, or jam, or whatever. A good remnant buster too….
You could have made it an even ten by including SIMPLE PLEASURES by Purl Soho. Doubled laceweight for blending fun or single fingering weight, simple design, slouchy, easy to knit. Hands down one of my favorite things to knit and yes, the pattern is free!
hats are my go to project when I want something easy to knit and something quick—besides making great gifts–I think they are the very best warm charity knitting item—since I have pretty much exhausted knitting hats for the whole family—I knit them most years to give away to charities which hand out warm hats and coats to folks who need them. These are good looking patterns–I now usually just make hats without any pattern-just make them up as I knit along which keeps me from getting bored with creating hats. Oh, and I love that bag!
Love the hats, but it’s the bag with the flat bottom that really caught my attention. Any idea where one could get one ready-made? I don’t sew, I’m afraid.
I think Fringe Supply Co. still sells them? She used to. That’s how I got mine.
Carol, the newer Field Bag is the even-better version, and comes readymade: http://www.fringesupplyco.com/product/fringe-supply-project-bag
I checked the Fringe website when I saw yours but there were no finished bags for sale there. Maybe I’ll have to order a kit and then convince a friend who sews to make it up for me.
I’ve knit two Bankheads and a Graham, and can totally vouch for their greatness. That Antler hat is calling my name!
Ann and Kay, I just love you guys.
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Fabu List! A style for every head/face combo! Brilliant per usual.
Except for the occasional baby hat, I had not been moved to knit hats for adults until I saw Ann’s earlier post about Laura Nelkin collecting knitted hats for the refugees in Munich. Since I don’t believe I’ve ever thrown any yarn away, I dug into my stash and started in several weeks ago. It has been amazingly enjoyable. It was a treat to see today’s post and realize I had been using several of the patterns listed (downloaded from Ravelry). I find the Graham to be particularly satisfying. So, even after I’ve shipped my box of hats off for Laura’s cause, I’m pretty sure nearly everyone will get a hat for Christmas this year and will be giving more of these patterns a whirl.
Thanks for the continued great posts!
Great minds! I was awake at 12:19 am (not on purpose) and got up to look at hats for possible Christmas bazaar knitting. Ravelry tells me there are 151 hat patterns in my library that were very relaxing to look at (until about 3:46am). We don’t overlap in our lists, strangely enough.
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Glad you’re back!
I’m so glad to have you guys back. It’s very fun and comforting!
Trying to resist the call of holiday and birthday knitting.
I’ve made a couple of the garter ear flap hats as baby gifts. They are fun to knit and have a high “oooh, ahhh” factor. Darling on a sweet baby head! Thanks for the list – lots of good man/unisex hats!
Allow me to add Earthen by Alicia Plummer to the list of eminently reknittable unisex hats that look great on men and women! Not free but, like all Two Little Plums productions, worth every penny. http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/earthen
Hats are one of my favorite things to knit! I’ve only knit one of these (the Man Hat), but have seen and liked many of the others. Two more excellent free patterns are Thorpe, (another earflap hat) and the Mermaid Slouchy Tam for slip stitch fun!
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Wonderful post! I’m ready to get started. Thanks so much and a gift to have you back. Have missed you both so much.
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Where were you 2 weeks ago when I suddenly realized I need to knit 4 hats for DD’s daycare teachers before she moves up to the “big kid room” (3-4 YO)? LOL.
I have made that garter earflap hat and it is the cutest thing in the universe!
I made 2 versions of The Vermonter (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/the-vermonter-2), Baby It’s Cold Out There (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/baby-its-cold-out-there-helix-hat), and Tidal (http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/tidal-2) in the last week. My favorite is Tidal, although The Vermonter has its perks–make one in an hour or two, depending on the size of the yarn you use.
I’m so happy you are blogging regularly again. Your posts are always inspiring. Thanks for today’s suggestions for great stash-busting hats (many old favs, long gifted and forgotten) and perfect knitter’s tote.
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I am so glad you are blogging again!
Happy Hats for Holidays!
Ann and Kay, I love any hat by Wooly Wormhead. She specializes in hats and has so many fantastic patterns. She invents some awesome techniques to keep it interesting. Thanks for all the hat ideas.