Sockhead Hat
Craft: knitting
Skill Level: Rookie-Apprentice-Virtuoso-Genius
Skills: knit, purl, K2tog
Sizes: adult medium (fits approx. 20-23″ head)
Finished Measurements: approx. 14” from CO to top (unfolded), 9” wide (lying flat)
Gauge: 32 sts and 46 rows = 4” in st st on 3 mm (28 sts = 4″ on 2.75 mm as given on ball band)
Yarn: less than 100 g (3.5 oz.), 437 yds (400 m) fingering weight (4 ply) yarn
Suggested Brand: 1 skein Misti Alpaca Hand Paint sock yarn shown in 07 Miriam; or 1 skein Malabrigo Sock yarn
Needles/Hooks: 3 mm 40 cm (US 2.5 16″) circular, 3 mm dpns
Other Materials: 1 ring marker, tapestry needle or teeny crochet hook
Instructions:
Note: Many people like to go down a needle size for the ribbed brim, so I would recommend a 2.5 mm (US 2), but it’s not necessary for this hat.
CO 144 sts (or multiple of 8) with long-tail method.
Join in the rnd being careful not to twist sts.
Pm for beg of rnd.
Rnd 1+: work K2 P2 rib for 4 inches.
Next: work in st st for 9 inches (13 inches total from CO) or to desired length.
Dec Rnds:
Change to dpns when the sts become too tight on circs.
You will be decreasing 18 sts every third rnd unless otherwise stated.
Rnd 1: *K6, K2tog*; rep from * to * to end of rnd.
Rnd 2-3: knit (126 sts).
Rnd 4: *K5, K2tog*; rep from * to * to end of rnd.
Rnd 5-6: knit 108 sts).
Rnd 7: *K4, K2tog*; rep from * to * to end of rnd.
Rnd 8-9: knit (90 sts).
Rnd 10: *K3, K2tog*; rep from * to * to end of rnd.
Rnd 11-12: knit (72 sts).
Rnd 13: *K2, K2tog*; rep from * to * to end of rnd.
Rnd 14-15: knit (54 sts).
Rnd 16: *K1, K2tog*; rep from * to * to end of rnd.
Rnd 17: knit (36 sts).
Rnd 18: K2tog around.
Rnd 19: knit (18 sts).
Rnd 20: K2tog around.
Rnd 21: knit (9 sts).
Cut yarn. Weave through rem sts and tie off.
Weave in ends. Enjoy!
Very cute hat! I like that it isn't as tight as most knitted hats/caps. Thanks!
HOW DO I NIT THIS HAT
When I was a teenager the fad was a "stockingcap" — must like this one except it was about 3 feet long and doubled as a scarf. I LOVED to knit but didn't have the drive to knit such a long thing. They were in every colour and usually striped. Nice to see the *comeback*
I love your designs!
loooove this! i have a bunch of sock yarn that i plan on using to make this hat : )
is it absolutely necessary to use the long tail cast on? i hate it!
b r m
No, not at all! I love it for the flexibility in the fabric, but I must be a freak because everyone else hates it. I'd recommend a cable cast-on if you can stand it or just regular old long-tail.
I just finished my Sock hat and I LOVE IT!! Now if I could only finish that "other" sock.
Thank you for the awesome pattern.
Worsted funk Monkey 🙂
I'm just about done with this pattern for my husbands (very late) v-day gift. Do you mind if I post links about your site on my blog?
Not at all! Have at 'er. Thanks for asking, though. 🙂
Check it out, thanks for the great pattern!
http://tippingteapots.blogspot.com/2011/03/static.html
If I was to do this on US#6 dpns and circular( as that is all I have), how would that change the number of stitches and decreases?
I wouldn't recommend using those needles with sock yarn as the fabric will be too loose – unless you have a supremely tight gauge. If you insist, I would cast on 120 sts and follow the pattern as given. You could also try with a heavier yarn and fewer stitches (just make sure it's a multiple of 8 and you won't have to adjust the instructions).
Made mine with Knit Picks Stroll Hand-Dyed in Tree Fort. Mine isn't as slouchy– I tend to knit tightly. But, I like it. 😉
To see a couple of pictures of the finished product, stop in at my blog (which I no longer update): http://160jack.blogspot.com/2011/06/my-sockhead-hat.html
Gorgeous!! I love how the colours striped up.
Alpaca is definitely the key to a proper floppy hat, but the Sockhead seems to look great no matter what!
I love the hat design, but I don't have sock yarn. Can this pattern be made using 5weight bulky yarn? Do you know of a pattern like this using that kind of yarn?
Hi there….check out Ravelry.com – you can input all kinds of criteria into the search engine. Try searching for a slouch hat or watchman's cap in bulky weight yarn.
I thank you very much for your wonderful patterns and generosity. I am new to knitting and live in Colorado so I am crazy about your hats for my whole family. I wanted to let your "Web site" tech people know that the printing commands for your patterns are not done properly. They eat up 3-5 pages trying to set to print and printing that doesn't stay on one page. It is in the set up of your "sites" print commands. I am sure it can be sorted out so the pattern prints with minimal paper waste. I thank you in advance for sharing your passion and patterns for knitting.
Hi there,
Thank you so much for pointing this out. The problem should be fixed now – each post has a "print friendly" button. Alternatively, you can always copy and paste into a word document so you can choose which information to print. I really hate paper waste so I'm grateful to you. 🙂
This is such a lovely hat and I can't wait to make it. I just have one question. Did you knit your gauge swatch flat or in the round? I just want to be sure since I always get very different results between the two.
Thank so much for sharing this pattern.
…….gauge swatch?! I love to advise people on doing a gauge swatch, but I hate doing them myself. Honestly, for this hat, I have never done a gauge swatch, but you should always do a gauge swatch with the same method and needles as the project – otherwise you will get different results (between straight and circulars, even metal and wood needles). Making a gauge swatch is always a good idea, however, this hat fits a wide range of sizes, so as long as you are using a sock yarn and the gauge on the label is close to the one given here, you should be okay.
Love this hat. I'm knitting one now and have the yarn to make one for my DD. Started one in Fame Trend and ripped it out to use smaller needles because that yarn is a little thick-n-thin, so to me a tighter gauge looks better.
Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you can do with some pics to drive the message home a little bit, but instead of that, this is great blog. A fantastic read. I'll certainly be back.
Good day! This post couldn't be written any better! Reading this post reminds me of my old room mate! He always kept talking about this. I will forward this article to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Many thanks for sharing!