Free Knitting Pattern! Bear Hat for the Rest of Us

Bear Hat For the Rest of Us
By Jennifer Dickerson

By popular demand! I have received many requests for additional sizing for the baby bear hat…

Here’s the original pattern:
Baby Bear Newborn or Preemie Hat

Because of your wonderful comments and requests, I have written this pattern in a multitude of sizing to accommodate everyone else’s heads!

Please Note: Pattern includes instructions for both a seamed hat and a hat in the round.

Materials:

  • 1 (2, 2) Skein(s) Lion Brand Nature’s Choice Organic Cotton (or your favorite worsted weight yarn) 
  • US10.5 Straight needles (for knitting flat) 
  • US10.5 Circular Needles and Set of 4 US 10.5 DPNs (for knitting in the round) 
  • Tapestry Needle 

Sizing:

Click here for Preemie, Newborn, and Baby sizes!

Toddler/Child (Teen/Adult Woman, Adult Man)

  • Circumference: 17” (20”, 22”) (toddler/child, woman, man) 
  • Height: 6.25” (7.25”, 8”), includes roll of brim 


Note: hat is very stretchy, but measure circumference of head first for best fit.

Gauge:

  • 14 Stitches and 19 Rows = 4 Inches 


Abbreviations:

  • CO: Cast on 
  • BO: Bind off 
  • K2tog: Knit two stitches together 
  • St st: Stockinette stitch 
  • WS: Wrong side 
  • PM: Place marker


Instructions for Hat (knitted flat):


CO 56 (64, 72) sts leaving a long tail for seaming up later.
Work in st st until hat measures 6.5” (7.5”, 8.25”) from CO edge, ending on a WS row.

Decrease (all sizes):
Row 1: K4, K2tog across
Row 2: Purl
Row 3: K3, K2tog across
Row 4: Purl
Row 5: K2, K2tog across
Row 6: Purl
Row 7: K1, K2tog across
Row 8: Purl
Row 9: K2tog across

Using tapestry needle, break yarn leaving a long tail. Thread through remaining stitches and pull tightly. Seam up the back of hat and weave in ends.


Instructions for Hat (knitted in the round):

CO 56 (64, 72) sts
Join in the round, being careful not to twist, PM
Begin working in st st (knit all rounds) until hat measures 6.5” (7.5”, 8.25”) from CO edge.

Decrease (all sizes):
*Note: Switch to DPNs when necessary.
Row 1: K4, K2tog around
Row 2: Knit
Row 3: K3, K2tog around
Row 4: Knit
Row 5: K2, K2tog around
Row 6: Knit
Row 7: K1, K2tog around
Row 8: Knit
Row 9: K2tog around


Using tapestry needle, break yarn leaving a long tail. Thread through remaining stitches and pull tightly.

Instructions for Ears (make two):
Note: Ears are worked in garter stitch to make them nice and sturdy.
CO 8 (10, 10) sts (be sure to leave a long tail for attaching the ears later)
Row 1: Knit
Row 2: Knit
Row 3: Knit
Row 4 (toddler/child size): K2, k2tog, k2tog, k2
Row 4 (woman and man size): K3, k2tog, k2tog, k3
BO

Finishing:
Stitch both ears to top of hat with tapestry needle and matching yarn.. Weave in any ends.

© Jennifer Dickerson 2013

Please note: Patterns are for personal and charity use only. In addition, if you enjoy the pattern, please link to it, but do not copy the pattern to your own website or blog (including other languages). Thank you!

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39 thoughts on “Free Knitting Pattern! Bear Hat for the Rest of Us

  1. I'm a beginner knitter. I can do this one, and it's super cute. Thank you so much for posting this and the original baby hat.

  2. Thank you for posting this pattern! Im excited to try it out. I might need to research some of these stitch types, but i will post once i have finished this project 😀

  3. Hi Jenn, just a question here I am a beginner n not sure what st st is or the garter stitch thinking the garter is knit one row then purl one row am I right

  4. Hi Jennifer,

    I was hoping to get the pattern for 6 month size, I thought it would be under "the rest of us" sizing but didnt see it. Maybe im missing it?! But if you could email it to me that would be great!
    Thanks
    Alysha

    Email: [email protected]

  5. I have just made two newborn ones my very first attempt at them in the round ( ML ) they turned out great!. Thanks for the bigger sizing I can make one for my hubby noe brillant !! Thank you xx

  6. for the decrease when do u do tht ? the first 9 rows or the last 9 rows ? or do u just do the 9 rows like tht , then repeat?

    1. Hi Nataly! I hope I am understanding your question, but you would knit the main part of the hat first, which will generate a cylindrical tube, then do the decrease part to close up the top. Just work the decrease rows once.

  7. Thanks so much for posting the additional sizes! I am knitting one for a 9 month old, should I use the newborn sizing, or might that be too small? I noticed on the other page many people had requested for 9 MO or 6-12 MO, if you emailed them a separate sized pattern, would you mind emailing me that as well? [email protected]

    Can't wait to make it, thanks for sharing such a cute pattern!

    1. Hi Colleen! The newborn hat is extremely generous in size and can stretch to fit an older baby's head too. A few babies I knit this for ended up wearing their hat until their first birthday! That being said though, I would try going up a size, because the baby is 9 months old, the next size up will give them more room to grow with the hat and they would be able to wear it longer. I hope that helps, when in doubt you could try measuring the circumference of the child's head and see if the Toddler size is a closer fit too.

  8. Hey, thanks for the pattern! I have a beginner's question – when you write "k4 k2tog across" does it mean knit 4 stitches then knit 2 together for the rest of the row, or do I need to repeat (k4, k2tog) to the end of the row? none of them computes for me, and I hesitate to begin without being absolutely sure how to finish:)
    Thanks in advance!

  9. This is AWESOME… I accidentally started with the number of stitches for a preemie hat instead of a newborn, but it looks like it's about the size I want it, maybe too big… I guess I knit too loosely. 😛

  10. I have tried kniting hats and it didn't work out so I am so going to try this one. Its so cute. 🙂

  11. I need some advice. I have 2 teachers at my school who just gave birth two girls. I like to make the babies and maybe even the Moms a bear hat. Do you think I should make them all in brown, or ???? What would be classy? Baby in brown and Mom in black? Would pink for baby be ok or not realistic? Really need some advice on this one please.

  12. Hi there, making this for the toddler size, and the first ROW 1 decrease isn't adding up. I did (K4, K2tog) across and am left with 2 stitches…is this correct? Or am I supposed to K4, and then K2tog across to the end?

  13. Love your pattern-thanks so much for the time. If I wanted to do a k2 p2 rib for the brim-is it same number of sts? Many Thanks.

  14. I made these when in hospital waiting to have my twins. I loved them and so glad you have a toddler size. Guess I'm cracking out the needles tonight

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