How could you possibly resist casting on one of these gorgeous baby hat knitting patterns for a tot you know? Make one and you'll probably find yourself making all six! There's a chick, cat, dinosaur, bear, bunny and piglet to choose from, and they were designed by Rosee Woodland for Simply Knitting issue 76.
Rosee's easy baby hat pattern is ideal for beginners who are learning how to knit in the round. If you're new to using DPNs, these little hats are great for practising your skills on! For a perfect result, remember to pull the first and last stitch on each double-pointed needle more tightly, to avoid unsightly 'ladders' appearing at the joins between the needles.
Very young children often have sensitive skin, so it’s important to use a yarn that won’t irritate them. Each design comes in four sizes, from birth to two years, so why not knit a few as a sweet gift for a new baby? And don't forget to check out our children's knitting patterns for more great ideas for baby knits!
Although I think the rabbit is probably the cutest, the piglet is actually my favourite just because it makes me giggle.
Designer Rosee Woodland
This pattern is written in UK metrics but it's really easy to convert, just check out our yarn weight conversion chart and beginner’s guide.
To knit this baby hat you need:
- Sublime Extra Fine Merino DK (100% extra fine Merino, 50g/116m) and Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK (75% extra fine Merino, 20% silk, 5% cashmere, 50g/116m), or alternative dk yarn. See quantities below
- To buy or find your nearest stockist visit Sirdar.com
- A set of 3½mm double-pointed needles
- A set of 4mm double-pointed needles
- A small amount of toy stuffing
- Two stitch markers
- A darning needle
Chick baby hat
Sublime, Extra Fine Merino DK, 1 ball each of Limone 203 (or Sunday 349) and Red Hot 167
Bear baby hat
Sublime, Extra Fine Merino DK, 1 ball each of Biscuit 006 (or Caramel 376) and Alabaster 003
Dino baby hat
Sublime, Extra Fine Merino DK, 1 ball each of Red Hot 167 and Blueberry Pie 229 (or Black Cherry 364)
Cat baby hat
Sublime, Extra Fine Merino DK, 1 ball each of Black 013 and Alabaster 003
Bunny baby hat
Sublime, Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK, 1 ball each of Vanilla 003 and Piglet 001
Piglet baby hat
Sublime, Baby Cashmere Merino Silk DK, 1 ball each of Cheeky 048 and Rosy 126 (or Little Piggy 358)
Free easy baby hat knitting patterns:
You'll find our standard knitting abbreviations used in this pattern.
Tension
Yarn used knits as DK to this tension: 24 sts and 30 rows to measure 4x4in (10x10cm) over stocking stitch using 4mm needles
Basic hat
Cast on 68 (72: 80: 88) sts in MC on 3½mm needles and join to knit in the round. Place marker to indicate the beginning of the round.
Sizes 0-3 & 3-6 only
Rounds 1-4 (Knit 2, purl 2) to end.
Round 5 Switch to CC and continue rib.
Rounds 6-9 Switch back to MC and continue rib.
Sizes 6-12 & 1-2 only
Rounds 1-5 (Knit 2, purl 2) to end.
Round 6 Switch to CC and continue rib.
Rounds 7-12 Switch back to MC and continue rib.
All sizes
Change to 4mm needles. Knit 14 (18: 21: 24) rounds.
Size 0-3 only
Round 24 [(K4, k2tog) twice, K3, k2tog] 4 times. [56 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Round 27 [(K3, k2tog) twice, K2, k2tog] 4 times. [44 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Round 30 [(K2, k2tog) twice, K1, k2tog] 4 times. [32 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Round 33 [(K1, k2tog) twice, k2tog] 4 times. [20 sts]
Knit 1 round.
Round 35 [(K2tog) twice, K1] 4 times. [12 sts]
Break off yarn, thread through sts and fasten off.
Size 3-6 only
Round 28 (K4, k2tog) 12 times. [60 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Round 31 (K3, k2tog) 12 times. [48 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Round 34 (K2, k2tog) 12 times. [36 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Round 37 (K1, k2tog) 12 times. [24 sts]
Knit 1 round.
Round 39 K2tog 12 times. [12 sts]
Break off yarn, thread through stitches and fasten off.
Size 6-12 only
Round 33 (K6, k2tog) 10 times. [70 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Round 36 (K5, k2tog) 10 times. [60 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Round 39 (K4, k2tog) 10 times. [50 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Round 42 (K3, k2tog) 10 times. [40 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Round 45 (K2, k2tog) 10 times. [30 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Round 48 (K1, k2tog) 10 times. [20 sts]
Knit 1 round.
Round 50 K2tog 10 times. [10 sts]
Break off yarn, thread through stitches and fasten off.
Size 1-2 only
Row 36 (K6, k2tog) 11 times. [77 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Row 39 (K5, k2tog) 11 times. [66 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Row 42 (K4, k2tog) 11 times. [55 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Row 45 (K3, k2tog) 11 times. [44 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Row 48 (K2, k2tog) 11 times. [33 sts]
Knit 2 rounds.
Row 51 (K1, k2tog) 11 times. [22 sts]
Knit 1 round.
Row 53 (K2tog) 11 times. [11 sts]
Break off yarn, thread through sts and fasten off.
Ears for Bunny Baby Hat
Make two in MC with 4mm needles.
Make two in CC with 3½mm needles.
Cast on 9 sts.
Row 1 and every alt row Sl 1, purl to end.
Row 2 Sl 1, knit to end.
Row 4 Sl 1, K3, M1, K1, M1, K4. [11 sts]
Row 6 As row 2.
Row 8 Sl 1, K4, M1, K1, M1, K5. [13 sts]
Row 10 As row 2.
Row 12 As row 2.
Row 14 As row 2.
Row 16 Sl 1, K3, SSK, K1, K2tog, K4. [11 sts]
Row 18 As row 2.
Row 20 Sl 1, K2, SSK, K1, K2tog, K3. [9 sts]
Row 22 As row 2.
Row 24 Sl 1, K1, SSK, K1, K2tog, K2. [7 sts]
Row 26 As row 2.
Row 28 Sl 1, SSK, K1, K2tog, K1. [5 sts]
Row 30 SSK, K1, K2tog. [3 sts]
Row 31 Sl 1, P2tog, PSSO. Fasten off remaining stitch.
Ears for Piglet Baby Hat
Make two in MC with 4mm needles.
Make two in CC with 3½mm needles.
Cast on 9 sts.
Row 1 and every alt row Sl 1, purl to end.
Row 2 Sl 1, knit to end.
Row 4 As row 2.
Row 6 Sl 1, K3, M1, K1, M1, K4. [11 sts]
Row 8 Sl 1, K4, M1, K1, M1, K5. [13 sts]
Row 9 Sl 1, knit to end.
Row 10 Sl 1, K3, SSK, K1, K2tog, K4. [11 sts]
Row 12 Sl 1, K2, SSK, K1, K2tog, K3. [9 sts]
Row 14 Sl 1, K1, SSK, K1, K2tog, K2. [7 sts]
Row 16 Sl 1, SSK, K1, K2tog, K1. [5 sts]
Row 18 SSK, K1, K2tog. [3 sts]
Row 19 Sl 1, P2tog, PSSO.
Fasten off remaining stitch.
Ears for Bear Baby Hat
Make two in MC with 4mm needles.
Make two in CC with 3½mm needles.
Cast on 9 sts.
Row 1 and every alt row Sl 1, purl to end.
Row 2 Sl 1, K3, M1, K1, M1, K4. [11 sts]
Row 4 Sl 1, K4, M1, K1, M1, K5. [13 sts]
Rows 6 & 8 Sl 1, knit to end.
Row 10 Sl 1, K3, SSK, K1, K2tog, K4. [11 sts]
Row 12 Sl 1, K2, SSK, K1, K2tog, K3. [9 sts]
Row 14 Sl 1, K1, SSK, K1, K2tog, K2. [7 sts]
Row 15 Sl 1, cast off purlwise.
Triangle head pieces for Chick, Cat & Dino Baby Hats
Chick Using CC, make one in large size, and two small.
Cat Using MC, make two in large size.
Dino Using CC, make three in large size.
Cast on 20 (24) sts using 3½mm DPNs and join to knit in the round.
Knit 4 rounds, placing markers at sts 1 and 11 (13).
Row 5 K1, SSK, K4 (6), k2tog, K2, SSK, K4 (6), k2tog, K1 [16 (20) sts]
Row 6 Knit.
Row 7 K1, SSK, K2 (4), k2tog, K2, SSK, K2 (4), k2tog, K1. [12 (16) sts]
Row 8 Knit.
Small size only
Row 9 K1, SSK, k2tog, K2, SSK, k2tog, K1 [8 sts]
Large size only
Row 9 K1, SSK, K2, k2tog, K2, SSK, K2, k2tog, K1 [12 sts]
Row 10 Knit.
Row 11 K1, SSK, k2tog, K2, SSK, k2tog, K1. [8 sts]
Graft remaining 8 sts together to form a triangular shape.
To make up
Sew in ends of hat.
For Bunny, Bear and Piglet ears, sew wrong sides together using MC yarn. Turn right sides out and lightly stuff with toy stuffing. Block gently. Pin in place on hat using image as a guide. Sew front to hat using CC and back to hat using MC.
For Cat, Dino and Chick, block appendages gently and stuff firmly. Pin in place on hat using image as a guide. Sew to hat using CC.
Download your easy baby hat knitting pattern:
To download your free baby hat knitting pattern, click on the link below and it will open in a new window. You can then save the pattern.
Free animal baby hat knitting pattern PDF
We hope you've enjoyed our easy baby hat knitting pattern for beginners. If you make any of these hats tag us in a picture on Instagram using #gatheredmakers.
More like the animal baby hat knitting pattern
Enjoyed knitting this animal baby hat pattern? You might also like this sweet and snuggly free premature baby knitting pattern designed in extra-small sizes for tiny babies. Whip one up as a special gift for a new parent using the softest machine-washable yarn from your stash. You could even make a few to donate to a neonatal charity or your local maternity unit! Check out our baby mittens knitting pattern, too.
