Lana Grossa Kid's Hat Knitting Pattern

Lana Grossa Kid's Hat in Bingo and Lala Berlin Shiny

What Is Being Made

This is a classic children's knitted hat designed for sizes 116/122 and 128/134. The hat features a ribbed construction worked from the bottom up in the round, finished with two decorative pompoms attached to the top corners. This design is ideal for children seeking a warm, snug-fitting hat with playful embellishment.

Techniques Used

The hat is constructed using bottom-up circular knitting, meaning the ribbed cuff is cast on first and the hat is worked upward in continuous rounds. The piece is worked on double-pointed needles arranged to distribute stitches evenly across four needles initially, then consolidated to two needles for the final grafting step. The top of the hat is finished using the Kitchener stitch (also called grafting), a seamless joining technique that binds off live stitches together for a professional closure. Two pompoms, each approximately 5 centimeters in diameter, are created using a pompom maker and sewn to the top corners of the hat for added visual interest and texture.

Stitches Used

The primary stitch pattern is ribbed knit, worked in a repeating P2, K2 pattern (two purl stitches alternating with two knit stitches). This rib pattern is maintained throughout the entire hat, creating vertical columns of texture that provide stretch and elasticity. The ribbed construction ensures the hat fits snugly around the child's head while remaining comfortable and flexible.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The hat requires two complementary yarns from Lana Grossa:

• Lana Grossa Bingo: 100 (150) grams in Fuchsia (color 169). This yarn is composed of 100% pure wool and provides 80 meters per 50-gram skein, making it the primary yarn for the body of the hat.
• Lana Grossa Lala Berlin Shiny: 50 grams in Grey (color 6). This specialty yarn is a blend of 46% alpaca, 30% cotton, 8% pure wool, 8% polyamide, and 8% polyester, yielding 150 meters per 50-gram skein. This yarn is used exclusively for the two pompoms, adding a luxurious, shimmering texture to the finished hat.

Needles and Tools

The pattern requires double-pointed needles (dpns) in two sizes: size 4.5 millimeters for the initial cast-on and ribbed cuff, and size 5.5 millimeters for the main body of the hat. The change in needle size allows for a tighter, more elastic cuff that holds the hat securely on the child's head. Additionally, a Lana Grossa pompom maker is used to create the two uniform pompoms that finish the hat.

Gauge Information

The recommended gauge is 20 stitches and 24 rounds equal 10 by 10 centimeters when worked in the rib pattern on size 5.5 millimeter needles, measured slightly stretched. Knitters are advised to create a gauge swatch before beginning the project to ensure proper fit and finished dimensions. The swatch should be blocked as the finished hat will be, and measurements should exclude cast-on, bind-off, and selvage stitches.

Construction Overview

The hat begins with a cast-on of 84 (92) stitches distributed evenly across four double-pointed needles. The ribbed cuff is worked for 4 centimeters using size 4.5 millimeter needles. The needles are then changed to size 5.5 millimeters, and the ribbed pattern continues until the piece measures 17 (18.5) centimeters from the cast-on edge. At this point, the stitches are consolidated onto two needles and grafted together using the Kitchener stitch to close the top of the hat seamlessly. The two pompoms are then attached to the top corners, completing the finished hat.