28 Free Knit Hat and Beanie Patterns

You’ll love this pattern collection of 28+ easy knit hat patterns. From beanies to slouch hats, these patterns are the perfect way to keep warm this winter. We’ve searched everywhere for modern knit hats that anyone would love to wear.

However, before we get to the list, we want to outline some basic principles of hat knitting for those that may be closer to the beginner skill level.

Beginner Knit Stitches & Methods

Hats or beanies are perfect projects for beginner knitters to take on. Knitted hat patterns usually take only a couple of hours, and only a skein or two of yarn (sometimes even less!).

If you’ve ever wondered how to knit a beanie for beginners, you’ve come to the right place.

To get you started, we go over some of the more common techniques used when knitting a hat.

Casting On

All knitting starts with casting on. Doing so creates loops of yarn on the knitting needle, which will become the first row of stitches for your hat.

While there are a few casting methods, the single cast on and longtail cast on methods are the first ones I’d recommend learning, but we will only focus on the single cast on method here:

First, we need to make a slip knot. Start by making a loop with the yarn.
Bring the yarn through the loop, creating another loop with a knot at the end.
Next, we cast on. Slide the slip knot onto the needle, and pull the yarn to tighten the knot.
Wrap the working yarn (the end connected to the ball of yarn) around your thumb, so you have a loop around your thumb.
Bring the needle under and up through the loop around your thumb.
Remove your thumb from the loop and pull the yarn.
Continue from step 4 until you have the desired number of stitches casted on your needle.

Knit Stitch

Once you’ve learned how to cast on, the next step is to learn your first knit stitch.

The knit stitch is another basic knitting technique that you’ll need to know to make many of the knit patterns found on this page. In fact, this basic stitch is the foundation of knitting.

I found that it is easiest to learn the knit stitch with circular needles, so you don’t end up losing one. A knit stitch worked back and forth is called a garter stitch, which is what I used to create this beginner knit blanket pattern.

To provide a visual, we’ve found this wonderful Knit Stitch video tutorial by Sheep & Stitch.

Knit Hat Sizes

About half of the free knit hat patterns we listed below come with multiple sizes. These are most commonly listed as small, medium or large sizes. However, with some ingenuity and a little measuring, it is actually pretty easy to resize a hat.

Hat sizes based on the circumference of the wearer’s head. To get this measurement, take the tape measure and wrap it around the person’s head at the forehead level. This measurement is called the “head circumference”, and will correspond to one of the 11 hat sizes in our resizing chart.

Tools & Supplies for Knit Hats

Obviously, you will need yarn to create a knit hat. The most common yarn weights using in knitted hats are medium/aran/worsted and bulky/chunky. The lighter the yarn weight, the tighter the knit stitching will be, which is usually what a knit hat is known for.

Natural yarn such as wool or alpaca is most commonly used in knitted hats. By using natural yarn, you end up with a much more refined drape and the extra warmth needed to deal with cold winters.

Most knitted hat patterns will also call for either straight or circular needles (unless you are doing hand-knitting). Some may even require both! This will most often occur when a pattern has multiple parts, such as a main hat section plus ribbing.

I would recommend using wooden needles when starting out. They are easier to handle and are fairly inexpensive.