When I first got back into knitting, this was the FIRST pattern I decided to try. I don’t think I’d made a hat, and I’d never tried out the Fisherman’s rib stitch, but thought the colors in their pictures were too fun to not try. It was knit with a chunky yarn that knitted up quick and resulted in a super soft and squishy fabric that’s cozy and fun to wear.
The bright colors they have are pretty irresistible, so good luck picking one. My hat is knitted in the Bright Poppy color and I adore it! Who doesn’t love a good bright pop of red in the winter?
High Seas Hat—Chunky Knit Hat from Purl Soho
One thing to note on this hat is that it is pretty thick, so it’s definitely a different look than your typical tight fitting, thinner beanie. I loved that the pattern was free, easy to follow and had multiple sizes, even for kids. I decided I’d knit one for myself then knit 2—one for each of my boys who are 4 & 7 years old.
What You’ll Need:
Pattern: High Seas Hat (free)
Needles: US 11 (8 mm), 16-inch circular needles and a set of US 11 double pointed needles
Yarn: 2 skeins of Purl Soho’s Super Soft Merino, 100% merino wool yarn or 1 skein for kids’ size
Extras: stitch markers, including one unique
Here’s what I learned: measure your head before!
This was my first project that had different sizes and now that I’ve also done sweaters and more, I can tell you that measuring and making test swatches is absolutely essential to getting the right fit! I ended up going for the Adult Small/Medium Size and using the kid sizes for my two boys hats (they’re 4 and 7 years old).
When casting on, it tells you to do either a long tail cast on or a tubular cast on. The tubular cast on is definitely a bit more tricky, but I knitted my hat the first time with a long tail cast on and it was so tight that it gave me a headache to wear. A year later, I ripped the whole thing out, did the tubular cast on and it fits much more comfortably now. If it gets too loose, you can always run some elastic thread through the cast on edge to give it more of a tighter fit, but too tight is not comfortable—trust me on this!
I actually did do a long tail cast on for my boys’ hats and just made sure it was VERY loose. It was a little fitted at first, but it’s given over time and fits them both great now.
Overall, this was a fun beginner project that I completed quickly. I think each hat took me about a day and a half. It would also make for a cute gift as well! The yarn is super soft and they have such fun colors. I especially love it for kids! As an adult, personally, I prefer a thinner beanie, but it’s still a cute one and the red is such a fun pop of color!
P.S. Join the Maker’s List to stay updated with new pattern and project ideas and much more!
