1.5 Hour Free Chunky Hat Knitting Pattern

Jump to:

• Free Chunky Knit Hat Pattern for Beginners
• How to Knit a Super Bulky Hat
• Skill Level + Knitting Skills You’ll Practice
• Chunky Yarn Made for Quick Gratification
• All-in-One Knit Kit
• Knit Flat Chunky Hat – Free Pattern
• Invitation to our Facebook group

Related: How to knit an easy circle scarf using straight needles

How to Knit a Super Bulky Hat

This beanie is easy to knit using jumbo-weight yarn and straight or circular needles. Whether you’re making a child-size hat or one for an adult, the basic steps are the same:

Step 1: Cast on, leaving a long tail for seaming later. 

Step 2: Work flat rows in the rib stitch to create the bottom brim of the hat. 

Step 3: Continue in the same rib stitch pattern until the hat is about as tall as you’d like. 

Step 4: Complete a row of decreases to taper the top of the beanie. 

Step 5: Cut yarn, leaving a long tail. Using a tapestry needle, thread yarn tail through the remaining stitches on the needle. Pull the seaming yarn tight to close top of hat.

Step 6:  Use the mattress stitch to seam the sides of the hat into together.

Step 7: Add a yarn pom-pom or faux fur pom-pom if you’d like.

Skill Level + Knitting Skills You’ll Practice

Even beginner knitters will find these pattern instructions quite straightforward. This is the perfect beginner hat if you’re intimidated by working in the round. 

Skills you’ll practice in this chunky hat knitting pattern include:

• casting on
• knit stitch
• purl stitch
• decreasing
• working in flat rows
• seaming
• weaving in ends

New to knitting? Learn all the basics in our how to knit for beginners guide.

Chunky Yarn Made for Quick Gratification

For this pattern, we’re using a jumbo weight yarn called Lion Brand Wool Ease WOW! If you love the look of big, squishy knit stitches with tons of texture and definition, this yarn is for you. 

Another way to say jumbo weight, is a category 7 yarn. This is basically as big and bulky as it gets! Of course, you have to pair yarn this thick with big needles. In this case, we’re using US size 35 (19.00 mm) straight knitting needles. 

One skein of Wool-Ease WOW! includes enough yardage to make two chunky hats, so this is an ideal quick knitting pattern to make for craft fairs or holiday gifts. 

Substituting Different Yarns

If you don’t have access to a category 7, jumbo weight yarn, you can try holding two strands of a category 6 yarn together instead. In my experience, two strands of Wool-Ease Thick & Quick is fairly similar to the thickness of a single strand of WOW.

Similarly, you could try holding three strands of a category 5 yarn together, such as Hue + Me.

Of course, it’s always a good idea to check your gauge. This chunky beanie pattern is quite forgiving though, and I provide notes below on how to adjust the size if necessary.

Supplies + Materials

Order an all-in-one kit from Lion Brand.

• Lion Brand Wool Ease WOW! (Weight: 7/Jumbo weight –  66 yds, 8.5 oz, 240 g)
  
  – 1 skein [approx 150-220g]
  
  Colors Pictured:
  • Pumpkin Spice (624/401Q)
    
  • Blush (624/102AH)
    
• Size 35 (19 mm) knitting needles (straight or 24-inch circular needles)
  or size needed to obtain gauge
  
• Tapestry needle with extra-large eye

Abbreviations and Glossary

CO – cast on
dec – decrease
K – knit
P – purl
psso – pass slipped st(s) over last worked stitch
rep – repeat
RS – right side
sl – slip
st(s) – stitch(es)
WS – wrong side

Overall Pattern Sizing notes

To change the hat’s circumference,  increase or decrease the initial cast-on by two stitches. 

Main Body of Hat

Notes:

• Hat is worked flat and seamed at the end. 

• When casting on, leave a 36” tail to use for seaming later on.

• Place a marker after Row 1 to indicate the wrong side of fabric for seaming.

Print This Pattern: purchase the ad-free, printable PDF

Baby Size Chunky Hat (6 months – toddler)

Note: I don’t recommend this hat for newborns and very young infants because the scale is too bulky for their tiny heads. 

Foundation Row: Cast on 16 sts using long tail cast on method. 

Row 1 (WS): *K 1, P 1, rep from * to end of row. 

Row 2-11: Repeat Row 1. 

For a slightly taller hat as pictured in the Pumpkin Spice sample, work one additional round before decreasing. 

Row 12 (RS dec):  *K first st, slip next 2 sts onto needle knitwise, P 1, pass both slipped stitches over purl stitch (2 sts decreased), rep from * to end of row. 

You should have 8 stitches on your needle now. 

Leave stitches on needle. Do not bind off. Fasten off leaving a 12 “ tail for seaming top of hat. 

Child Size Hat 

Foundation Row: Cast on 22 sts using long tail cast on method. 

Row 1 (WS): *K 1, P 1, rep from * to end of row. 

Row 2-13: Repeat Row 1. 

For a slightly taller hat as pictured in the Pumpkin Spice sample, work one additional round before decreasing. 

Row 14 (RS dec):  *K first st, slip next 2 sts onto needle knitwise, P 1, pass both slipped stitches over purl stitch (2 sts decreased), rep from * to end of row. 

You should have 11 stitches on your needle now. 

Leave stitches on needle. Do not bind off. Fasten off leaving a 12 “ tail for seaming top of hat. 

Adult Size Hat

Foundation Row: Cast on 28 sts using long tail cast on method. 

Row 1 (WS): *K 1, P 1, rep from * to end of row. 

Row 2-17: Repeat Row 1. 

For a slightly taller hat as pictured in the Pumpkin Spice sample, work two additional rounds before decreasing. (This will require about 220g of yarn for the hat in total.)

Row 18 (RS dec):  *K first st, slip next 2 sts onto needle knitwise, P 1, pass both slipped stitches over purl stitch (2 sts decreased), rep from * to end of row. 

You should have 14 stitches on your needle now. 

Leave stitches on needle. Do not bind off. Fasten off leaving a 12 “ tail for seaming top of hat.

Seaming – All Sizes

Step 1: Using tail from last row of hat and tapestry needle, remove one stitch at a time from the knitting needle as you thread it onto the tapestry needle. Pull seaming yarn tight to close top of hat. Weave in tail, then fasten off yarn. 

Step 2: With wrong side of fabric exposed and side edges touching: With the cast on tail and tapestry needle, use the mattress stitch to seam first rows of hat from bottom of brim upward. 

• Baby sized hat, seam first 5 rows.
• Child sized hat, seam first 6 rows. 
• Adult sized hat, seam first 8 rows.

Step 3: Turn hat right side out and bring seaming yarn to front of fabric. With edges continuing to touch and right side facing out, seam remaining rows using mattress stitch. Weave in tail, then fasten off yarn. 

Pull on your gorgeous new kit hat like the chic winter warrior you are, and dive headfirst into the nearest snowbank.