The Perfect Knit Basic Hat

There is just something about a nice fitting knit hat that hugs your head in warmth. It starts with choosing a comfortable yarn that also has a nice stretch to it. I like Caron Simply Soft, and big twist yarns for a couple of commercial yarn choices and while I enjoy knitting with natural fibers and handspun yarns, I don’t yet have a favorite for this particular project, except to say that I enjoy blends with Alpaca in them.

The perfect beanie starts with a good ribbing that secures the hat to your head just right. My favorite part of a knit hat compared to a crochet one, is the ribbed band that holds it snug to your head. For this Basic Knit Beanie Hat pattern I chose to use a K2p1 ribbing. This rib stitch has a nice clean look to it and just the right amount of stretch. You also have to create a ribbed hat band that is wide enough. The pattern has you knit the ribbing for about two inches, but sometimes I really like an even thicker band so sometimes I will do 3 inches.  If you choose to knit your ribbing for more rounds, just be sure to adjust the number of rounds needed for the body of the hat before the crown shaping so you will still have a nice fit.

One of the best parts about making a simple hat, is how fast it knits up. On a good day, with few interruptions I can whip out a Basic Knit Beanie Hat in a few hours. Otherwise, it still only takes about a day to complete one as you get a chance to do a few rounds here and there. Another great thing about keeping your hat pattern simple, is that you can showcase a favorite yarn, or easily add a pop of color with a stripe or two.
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The purl row in my pattern that separates the ribbing from the body of the hat adds an element of texture and simple design to an otherwise ordinary hat. This Basic Knit Beanie Hat pleases the fingers of the beginning knitter and the expert knitter as you create whether it is a gift or for yourself, you can’t go wrong.

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I know there are lots of hat patterns out there to choose from. But there are also bazillions of scarf and blanket patterns. My pattern was born from my experiences as a knitter and a crocheter. I started out as a crocheter, and hats were definitely a go-to project for me. Starting at the crown and working my way down was my favorite way to crochet a hat. I liked the nice rounded shape it gave. When I switched over to knitting, and making hats from the ears up, I found it challenging to find a crown shaping that I liked.

Because of this, I did want to find a basic knit hat pattern that had the right crown shaping. I tried a lot of knit hat patterns over the years. At some point, I picked out my favorite features of a couple of different designs, tweaked them to my preferences and created The Perfect Basic Knit Hat that now is the starting point for pretty much every hat I knit or design. Sometimes I make it longer and turn it into a slouchy style, and sometimes I just add striping or a fancier stitch pattern to the body of the hat. Starting with the Perfect Basic Knit Hat, even as a beginner, you will be able to advance into my other knit hat patterns easily.
Click the image below to get the pattern!  ;-)

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