Plymouth Yarn Earflap Hat Knitting Pattern

Plymouth Yarn Encore Mega Colorspun Earflap Hat

What is Being Made

This is an adult-sized earflap hat featuring decorative braided ties, designed as a free knitting pattern available with the purchase of Plymouth Yarn Encore Mega. The hat combines structured earflaps with a classic crown construction, making it a practical and stylish cold-weather accessory suitable for beginners learning fundamental hat construction techniques.

Techniques Used

The earflap hat employs several essential knitting techniques that make it ideal for beginner-level projects. The earflaps are constructed using flat knitting worked back and forth in rows on a circular needle, which allows knitters to practice basic row-by-row shaping before transitioning to circular knitting. The pattern introduces increases through kfb (knit front and back) stitches to expand the earflap width progressively across nine rows. Once the earflaps are complete, the pattern transitions to circular knitting in the round, where stitches are joined and worked continuously. The crown shaping utilizes decreases through k2tog (knit two together) stitches in a structured sequence across seven rounds, systematically reducing stitch count until the crown is closed. This progression from flat to circular knitting with both increases and decreases provides comprehensive foundational skill-building.

Stitches Used

• Knit stitch (K): The primary stitch throughout the hat
• Purl stitch (P): Used in earflap edge rows for texture and definition
• Kfb (knit front and back): An increase stitch used to expand earflap width on alternating rows
• K2tog (knit two together): A decrease stitch used in the seven-round crown shaping sequence
• Stockinette stitch (St st): The primary fabric texture, created by knitting every round when working in the round

Materials and Gauge

The pattern requires 1 ball of Encore Mega yarn in 100g weight, demonstrated in color 7158. The project calls for a 16-inch circular needle in US size 15 for the main hat body and earflaps, and a set of double-pointed needles in US size 11 or 13 for the crown decreases when the stitch count becomes too small for circular needles. One stitch marker is needed to track the beginning of each round. The pattern is worked to a gauge of 2 stitches per 1 inch over stockinette stitch, which is a relatively loose gauge typical of bulky-weight yarns and contributes to the hat's quick completion time. The finished hat measures approximately 6 inches in height above the earflaps before crown shaping begins.

Construction Details

The hat construction begins with two separate earflaps, each started from a 3-stitch cast-on and increased to 11 stitches through five increase rows. These earflaps are held on stitch holders while the main hat body is established by casting on additional stitches for the back and front sections and incorporating both earflaps into a single 40-stitch round. The crown is shaped through a seven-round decrease sequence that progressively reduces stitches from 40 down to a final closure, with the yarn tail threaded through remaining stitches and drawn tight to secure the crown. The pattern concludes with braided ties created from three 20-inch yarn strands, which are folded and worked with a crochet hook, though the complete braiding instructions are referenced but not fully detailed in the provided content.