Tam Hat Knitting Pattern

Tam Hat Knitting Pattern by Cascade Yarns

Project Overview

This intermediate-level knitting pattern creates a classic tam hat, a traditional Scottish-style beret with a full, rounded crown. Designed by Laura Farson, the Cascade Yarns W277 220 Superwash® Tam is suitable for child large or adult small head sizes, with a finished diameter of 10 inches. The pattern uses straightforward circular knitting techniques combined with strategic shaping to achieve the tam's distinctive silhouette.

What Is Being Made

The tam hat features a ribbed brim that provides stretch and comfort, a body section worked in stockinette stitch that creates the hat's main volume, and a crown that is shaped through strategic decreases to create the characteristic flat, rounded top of a tam. The finished hat is designed to sit comfortably on the head with a relaxed, slouchy fit typical of tam-style headwear.

Knitting Techniques Used

• Circular knitting: The entire hat is worked in the round using either circular needles or double-pointed needles, eliminating the need for seaming
• German Long Tail Cast On: A stretchy cast-on method recommended for the ribbed brim to ensure adequate give and comfort
• Stitch markers: Six markers are strategically placed to divide the crown into six equal sections, guiding the decrease pattern
• Increases: Make One (M1) increases are worked in the transition round to expand the hat from the ribbed brim to the larger body section
• Decreases: Knit Two Together (K2tog) decreases are worked in a regular pattern to shape the crown
• Grafting: The final six stitches are closed using the Kitchener stitch method (threading yarn through remaining loops with a blunt needle)
• Blocking: The finished hat is shaped using a dinner plate or firm plastic insert to set the tam's characteristic flat crown

Stitches and Stitch Pattern

• Ribbing: Knit One, Purl One (K1, P1) ribbing worked over 5 rounds creates the elastic brim
• Stockinette stitch: Knit all rounds form the smooth, classic fabric of the hat body and crown
• Gauge: 5 stitches and 7 rounds equal 1 inch in stockinette stitch, worked on US #7 needles

Pattern Construction Details

The pattern begins with 80 stitches cast on with the smaller needles (US #5), creating a snug ribbed brim. After five rounds of K1, P1 ribbing, the knitter switches to larger needles (US #7) and works a strategic increase round using Make One increases that distribute evenly across the round, bringing the stitch count to 120 stitches. The hat body is then worked even in stockinette stitch for approximately 3 inches (20 rounds). The crown shaping begins by dividing the stitches into six equal sections of 20 stitches each using stitch markers. Decreases are worked every other round, with K2tog stitches placed two stitches before each marker, gradually reducing the crown until only 6 stitches remain. The yarn is then cut and threaded through the remaining loops to close the crown securely.

Materials and Yarn Requirements

• Yarn: One 100-gram skein of Cascade 220 Superwash® (100% Superwash Wool, 220 yards)
• Needles: One 16-inch US #5 circular needle or one set of US #5 double-pointed needles for the ribbed brim; two 16-inch US #7 circular needles or one set of US #7 double-pointed needles for the body and crown
• Notions: Six stitch markers, one blunt sewing needle for grafting and weaving in ends
• Finishing: A dinner plate or circle of firm plastic for blocking the finished tam

Yarn Characteristics

The Cascade 220 Superwash® yarn is a worsted-weight wool that has been treated to be machine washable, making this tam hat practical for regular wear and easy care. The yarn's structure supports the crisp stockinette stitch and ribbing that define the pattern, while the superwash treatment ensures the finished hat maintains its