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Men’s Cabled Hat Pattern
Published by Shana | Filed under Free, Knitting, Patterns
With how brutally cold it’s been, it’s depressing to think we are just a month into winter. It seems like Kansasians have given into the permanence of the cold. Random comments about how ‘nice’ it is outside can be overheard when the thermometer inches above the 20 degree mark. It’s possible the lack of sun has made us delirious.
Needless to say, it is time for heavy duty knit ware. Lace and silk are nice and all, but these balmy 5 degree days demand wool and cables. Designed the below for the fella. I wanted a guy-friendly design that wasn’t just ribbing and a rolled up cuff so he can double up on his ears. I really love the outcome, and it was a really fast knit (2 days of fairly regular knitting).
OMG, my ears have never been so warm.
A Hat Fit For a Fella Pattern
Size
Adult Women’s/Men’s
Gauge
18 sts = 4 inches in stockinette
Materials
- One skein (4 oz, 190 yards) Lamb’s Pride Worsted weight. 85% wool, 15% mohair
- Size 8 (5 mm) 32” circular needles for magic loop method or DPNs, depending upon preference
- Cable Needle
- Darning needle
Abbreviations
K – Knit
P – Purl
K2tog – knit 2 together
Ssk – Slip 2 stitches knitwise and k2tog
Sl, k2tog, psso – Slip on st to the right needle, k2tog, pass slip stitch over
CL – Cable Left – Slip 3 sts to cable needle, hold to front, k3 from left needle, k3 from cable needle
CR – Cable Right – Slip 3 sts to cable needle, hold to back, k3 from left needle, k3 from cable needle
Directions
Cable cast on 80 (90) sts
Ribbing
*P2 (3), k3, p2 (3), k3, p3, k3* Repeat from * to * around until ribbing measures 2.5 (3) inches.
Body of Hat
Work the following pattern three times
- Work 6 (7) rows of *P2 (3), k3, p2 (3), k9* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
- *P2 (3), k3, p2 (3), CR, k3* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
- Work 6 (7) rows of *P2 (3), k3, p2 (3), k9* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
- *P2 (3), k3, p2 (3), k3, CL* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
Men’s only. Replace the final round of the third repeat with:
- *P2, ssk, k1, k2tog, p2, k3, CL* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
Yes, I realize I say this is a man’s hat, yet here I am wearing it. This became acceptable about the time shoulder pads came into style.
Crown
*P2, k3, p2, ssk, k5, k2tog* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P2, k3, p2, k7* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P2, k3, p2, ssk, k3, k2tog* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P2, k3, p2, k5* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P1, ssk, k1, k2tog, p1, k5* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P1, k3, p1, k5* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P1, k3, p1, ssk, k1, k2tog* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P1, k3* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P1, k3, p1, sl1, k2tog, psso* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P1, k3, p1, k1* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P1, sl1, k2tog, psso, p1, k1* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P1, k1* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
Ssk around.
Cut yarn and pull end through remaining sts.
Weave in ends.
Rock it.
Edited 1/24/11 to correct ribbing and final round before crown.
Edited 3/28/11 to change k3 to k1 on 7th round of crown.
Edited 4/11 to add note about magic loop
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March 7th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
Hi, I really like this hat, and want to make it for my boyfriend. I wondered if you could tell me the head diameter the larger dimensioned hat fits? My boyfriend has a rather large head and I want to work out how much I'd need to adjust the pattern by.
Thanks!
March 8th, 2011 at 4:46 pm
About 23 inches.
March 28th, 2011 at 7:34 pm
I want you to know I just love this pattern. I've knit 2 of them so far. Used the men's size for my adult son and the women's size for my 12 year old grandson. It's still very cold here in ND. They are so nice and stretchy they will fit anyone. I have more people to knit for and hopefully this summer I will get around to doing one for myself. Thanks for sharing this pattern.
PS, I think there's an error in the 7th round of the crown. I think the "k3" between the ssk and the k2tog should be "k1"
March 28th, 2011 at 7:39 pm
Thanks so much for the comment! It makes me happy to hear that people enjoy my patterns.
You were right about the k3, and I've corrected it in the pattern. Thanks for the heads up!
April 11th, 2011 at 6:17 pm
Oh, yeah, sorry. I always do Magic Loop and forgot to note it. I've edited to add it.Thanks for the note.
The particular method for working in the round shouldn't matter, though, so do whatever you prefer.
April 11th, 2011 at 4:28 pm
So I was wondering, do you knit magic loop? I was trying to do this pattern with the US 8-32 in circular needle, casting on 90 stitches for the larger size and it was way too short… Am I misreading the pattern somehow or is it a typo? If you could let me know that would be so great, I really want to make this pattern for my dad. Thanks!
May 31st, 2011 at 2:58 pm
Heya,
I saw this pattern and was instantly desperate to make it. However this is the first time i’ve ever knitted on a circular needle & as a relatively amateur knitter there’s a few things I’m struggling with & was hoping you could point me in the right direction!
Firstly on the last line of the ‘body of the hat’ with the CL do you knit the last three knitted stitches or purl (which shifts the whole pattern) & then with the ‘mens only’ last repeat (for the same line) is this only for the last round of the last ‘body of the hat’ line (I hope that makes sense) but I’ve undone the hat a few times to get it perfect & think this is the few lines I’m messing up on!
Thank you so much! It’s a lovely pattern & an enjoyable challenge but I just need some help in the right direction please!
Thank you again!
May 31st, 2011 at 8:10 pm
I'm glad you're giving it a shot, and congrats on making the leap to circs. There's no going back
I'm not completely following what you're asking. Here are the rows -
June 23rd, 2011 at 1:02 pm
The parentheses would be the number of stitches for the larger size. You should do either the number prior to the parenthesis the whole way through the pattern or the number in them, but never both. And make sure you don't flip back and forth.
June 23rd, 2011 at 12:12 pm
I want to make ure I undertand, when you say k6(3), does that mean I k6 three times?
August 28th, 2011 at 8:13 pm
I think you might be adding wrong.
You:
p2 (2 stitches)
slip slip and knit together (2 stitches reduced to one)
k1 (1 stitch)
knit 2 together (2 stitches reduced to one)
p2 (2 stitches)
It would start with nine stitches and decrease to seven for each repeat. Hope that helps!
August 28th, 2011 at 7:59 pm
I'm knitting the mens version of this hat, and am having a problem with the final round of the last repeat on the body of the hat. In order to keep the cabling in line, I only have 9 stitches to "p2, ssk,k1,k2tog,p2. If I'm reading this correctly I should purl 2, slip 2 knitwise knit 2 together, knit 1, then purl 2. This takes 11 stitches to do, and there are only 9 between each line of cabling. Obviously I'm reading this wrong.
Please help!
November 1st, 2011 at 11:49 am
You replace the final round of the third repeat of the pattern with the Men's only instructions. It's an adjustment to set you up with the right number of stitches for the crown.
Hope that helps.
December 12th, 2011 at 9:34 pm
You're not going to be able to do the whole hat on just one length of needle without doing magic loop. Once you get to the crown, it'll become too small. If you're not comfortable with magic loop and don't have tons of sizes of needles laying around, I'd recommend trying DPNs. Some find them to be finicky, but you won't need to buy a bunch of different sizes.
October 30th, 2011 at 2:13 pm
Hi
I started knitting your nice, warm Men's Cabled Hat Pattern yesterday and have gotten to the 7th row of the 3rd repeat without any problems. My next row would be P3 K3 P3 K3 CL repeat to end of round. Do I knit this row or do I ignore it and only knit the Men's only row of P2 ssk K1 K2tog P2 K3 Cl? Or do I knit both of these rows before I go on to knitting the crown?
December 19th, 2011 at 9:35 am
Just do the ribbing for 1.25 inches instead.
December 18th, 2011 at 8:50 pm
I’d like to make this hat for my hubby, but he prefers his hats to not fold over. It seems like you wrote this for the 2.5 in of ribbing to fold over the cable pattern. What is the best way to shorten this do it doesn’t fold over, but still has the band of ribbing at the bottom?
Thanks!
December 12th, 2011 at 3:20 am
this pattern is the best i ever now thanks very mush i want to ask about reversing when i start 7rows shal i do it as it is or rep p3 k3 p3 k9 please advice me
December 12th, 2011 at 3:44 am
HI,
I'm about to start this pattern for my boyfriend for christmas and haven't done circular knitting before. I was wondering though if you could suggest a size of circular needle that would be the right size for this pattern because I'm not confident with the magic loop method and there's a comment above that says size 8-32 is wrong? Would you be able to suggest a suitable size? thanks alot! really looking forward to trying it out.
January 7th, 2012 at 1:45 pm
Yeah, if that's your preference, do that.
January 7th, 2012 at 1:22 pm
I've never done the 'magic loop' method and was wondering why i couldn't knit this hat on 16 inch circular needles and then switch over to DPNs when I'm working the crown? wouldn't that work just as well?
February 21st, 2012 at 1:21 pm
My husband would love for me to make this hat but I cannot work with wool is there any other suggestions on making this hat for him?
February 21st, 2012 at 1:34 pm
If you can’t use animal fibers, acrylic is probably your next best bet. I’ve not made this hat from any acrylics, but there are 13 up on Ravelry who have. You can look there to see what suits your husband.
http://www.ravelry.com/projects/search#pattern-link=a-hat-fit-for-a-fella&fiber=acrylic&view=cards&sort=started
You might need a login to see this link
March 16th, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Thanks so much for sharing this pattern! I just finished one for my dad
.
May 12th, 2012 at 1:04 am
Any chance of this really nice pattern being done on 2 straight needles?
I’m fighting the dpns as well as the magic loop.
Thanks!!
May 12th, 2012 at 1:11 am
I mean circular but knit straight.
May 12th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
Whatever technique you prefer for knitting in the round should be just fine. My preference is just magic loop, because I don’t have to have as many needles. To each their own.
June 7th, 2012 at 10:49 am
On the last row before the crown, I did everything just as you wrote but now I have an extra 8 stitches! It doesn’t make sense!!! What did I do wrong??!!
June 7th, 2012 at 10:55 am
If you’re working the men’s version, you need to work *P2, ssk, k1, k2tog, p2, k3, CL* Repeat from * to * to end of round. instead of the final round of the body pattern in order to decrease.
You work 3 rounds of the body, and then this round for four rounds total. Not the full body chart, plus the men’s only round.
June 8th, 2012 at 4:04 am
I’m doing the men’s hat. But I still don’t understand what you mean. Could you explain it a little bit clearer? I’m still a beginner knitter.
June 8th, 2012 at 7:32 am
On the last repeat of the body, you work this
*Work 6 (7) rows of *P2 (3), k3, p2 (3), k9* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P2 (3), k3, p2 (3), CR, k3* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*Work 6 (7) rows of *P2 (3), k3, p2 (3), k9* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P2, ssk, k1, k2tog, p2, k3, CL* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
Not this
*Work 6 (7) rows of *P2 (3), k3, p2 (3), k9* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P2 (3), k3, p2 (3), CR, k3* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*Work 6 (7) rows of *P2 (3), k3, p2 (3), k9* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
*P2 (3), k3, p2 (3), k3, CL* Repeat from * to * to end of round.
The last row is different from the smaller sizes, in order to set you up for the crown. I’m not really sure how else to explain it.
June 8th, 2012 at 7:51 am
I think I figured it out. Are all the numbers in parenthesis for the men’s hat? And all the numbers out of parenthesis for the lady’s hat?
Ok, I think I see my problem! Thank you!!!!!!
June 9th, 2012 at 5:11 am
Do we need circular needles for the ssk around? Or can I use my straight needles? Because I don’t have any circular needles or DPNs!
June 9th, 2012 at 1:08 pm
I love this hat. I am a beginner & have only done the basic ribbed brimmed hat and basic beanie, so far. I want to try this after I get better at it. Very nice hat!
June 14th, 2012 at 12:54 pm
I am confused with working the body of the hat. It said Work 6 rows of P2, K3,P2,K9. After I have worked 6 rows I should work one cable row what says P2 K3 P2 CR K3. How do I make the cable with 9 stitches? do I use 6 for the cable and then knit 3 ? It doesn’t seem to line up like your picture shows. please help. I have done a lot of knitting but this one floors me. Thanks
June 14th, 2012 at 1:03 pm
yes, the cables use six stitches and are described under “abbreviations” at the top of the pattern. Working the cable plus knitting the next 3 stitches as indicated gives you the 9 stitches.
August 20th, 2012 at 10:58 pm
Thank you for this pattern. *** It fits really well*** and can be used with so many types of wool. I have made about 8 or so of these hats to give away. I’ve used doubled sport, worsted patons, worsted malabrigo, aran, and icelandic bulky. It straddles that line of mindless knit / just interesting enough to enjoy.
September 22nd, 2012 at 4:09 pm
A very nice pattern for cabling to be sure, but I feel as if the cables themselves are rather disjointed and just funny looking. I started doing some reading and it says the number of plain rows inbetween turning rows is the same as the number of stitches. If that’s the case, then shouldn’t the cables on either sides be every six rows instead of having six rows between alternating cable rows? Just a thought, but I think I’ll try your pattern again with this in mind.
September 26th, 2012 at 2:47 pm
My question is about the rows and rounds,
It says Work 6 (7) rows of *P2 (3), k3, p2 (3), K9* Repeat from *to* to end of round.
What are the ROWS? What rows?
help!
thanks
by the way i am using a 16″ circular needle i tried the magic loop but it was messy for me…
September 26th, 2012 at 2:50 pm
Row=round. So you work all the way around the hat 6 (7) times.
September 26th, 2012 at 5:39 pm
Thank you Shana
October 3rd, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Hi, I’m knitting this hat for my boyfriend. I’d like to make this into a slouchy hat; would just doing the body twice do the trick?
October 3rd, 2012 at 12:02 pm
I have not done that, so you’d have to experiment with it, but I’d recommend using a lighter weight yarn, in addition to working the body longer. The fabric was pretty dense, and I think if you made it longer at the same weight, it’d just stand up on his head
October 3rd, 2012 at 12:24 pm
This actually is a lighter weight yarn, it’s DK. One other question, for the last round of the body, where it says “Men’s Only”, is that instead of the final “*P2(3), k3, P2(3), k3, CL* Repeat from *to * to end of round”?
Thanks so much!
October 3rd, 2012 at 12:32 pm
I have explained that line elsewhere in the comments. Please check them out.
October 20th, 2012 at 8:26 pm
Is there in error in the CR and CL instructions for teh body? When followed as written the cable is not centred over nine stitches, but shifted to the right. The reason seems to be that the cable pattern ends with k3, then is follwed by another knit three, resulting in 6 knit stitches in a row. Shouldn’t the cl and cr begin with k3 instead of slip three? My apologies if this has already been addressed in the thread. I just finished knitting 22 rows of the body and noticed that my hat does not look like the one the photo above, so was kinda wondering whether it was me or the pattern.
November 17th, 2012 at 5:19 pm
When you say “Men’s only. Work the final round of the last repeat as:” what exactly does that mean? Just add that extra row for a man sized hat?
November 17th, 2012 at 7:16 pm
This has been discussed in the comments.
December 3rd, 2012 at 4:01 pm
My guy has a smaller head. How many stitches do I need to decrease by in order to make the pattern work with less stitches?
December 3rd, 2012 at 4:11 pm
Just make the woman’s size.
December 15th, 2012 at 9:02 pm
Thank you so much for sharing this pattern! I just made one today for my sister’s Christmas present. I’m just a broke kid, so I like to make stuff for my family instead of spending money. I know I will make more in the future. My FAVORITE hat I’ve made so far:)
December 15th, 2012 at 11:03 pm
Glad you like it, and I’m sure you’re sister will too! Thanks for the comment!
December 16th, 2012 at 11:32 pm
If I’m left handed and knit as such, do I need to reverse all the directional stitches as I’ve had to do in certain patterns? Thanx!
December 16th, 2012 at 11:39 pm
I have no idea.
December 17th, 2012 at 4:34 pm
Just FYI for all the left handers out there, you do have to swap the CL and CR rows (Line #2 and line #4 in the body) to get the pattern to work right
December 23rd, 2012 at 5:57 pm
Help! I love this pattern but I’m fairly new to following patterns in general on circular needles.
I have gotten to the “Men’s Only” part, and I understand when to do it but I’ve never done the “ssk”. I googled and youtubed it, and I thought I knew how to do it properly but then I had to pull off the first few rows of the crown as the cables and purling didn’t line up as the picture showed they should…
Clarifying, when you do the “ssk” you slip two stitches knitwise, knit two together, and then pull the two stitches you have slipped over the stitch you just knit? So it would make four stitches into one? I’ve tried to look elsewhere for help (Ravelry, these comments, etc) but I’m afraid to start it wrong again. If you (anybody) could help me that would be greatly appreciated, thank you so much!
December 23rd, 2012 at 9:11 pm
SSK is to slip two stitches to change their orientation on the needle(I can’t remember I’d it’s knit or purl wise) and then knit those same two stitches together. Knittinghelp.com has a tutorial on their decreases page.
December 23rd, 2012 at 10:36 pm
Thank you very much!
January 1st, 2013 at 6:45 pm
Thank you so much! This is a great pattern! I’ve made 2 and your directions are so easy to follow. I’d never used cabling before but the hats turned out so well. I tried using other patterns I’d found online and they all turned out quite small. This pattern stretches and fit my brothers perfectly!
Thank you!!
January 4th, 2013 at 11:35 am
Thank you so much for sharing your pattern. I just knitted the men’s version of this hat and your pattern was very easy to read and understand. Not sure why others got confused. Best regards, Kim
January 4th, 2013 at 12:24 pm
Lovely pattern – just what I needed for my husband. We spent several years in the States (New York and Chicago), and your winters are certainly pretty harsh compared to ours in the UK, but morning dog-walks can be fairly bracing and this hat is just the thing to keep him warm. Looks good too!
April 2nd, 2013 at 3:45 pm
When knitting the pattern on magic loop, once one half of the round is done, do I start the pattern again from the beginning or carry on where I got to at the end of the first half of the round? eg, in the ribbing… once I’ve finished the first half of the round do I start the second half with P2 (ladies) or where I got to (ie what stitch 41 would be in the pattern)
Thanks a lot
April 3rd, 2013 at 5:36 pm
You keep going in the pattern. You do not start over.
May 17th, 2013 at 6:43 am
I have made this hat twice now and I LOVE IT. Thank you so much for the pattern. I wish I knew how big it would turn out if I used bulky weight yarn. I have some beautiful merino wool that I would love to try.