The free knitting pattern for our sweet cat ears hat is the perfect gift for the little one in your life. It is a sweet additional to a baby or child’s Halloween costume. The soft and chunky yarn makes this project a quick knit. The soft and chunky yarn makes this project a quick knit.
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Although our patterns are always free on our blog, many prefer our premium ad-free, printer friendly, PDF versions. These are available to purchase HERE.
Supplies:
Yarn – Lion Brand Wool Ease Thick & Quick (Super Bulky 6). Colors – Black and Fisherman.
Order online: (Lion Brand) (Amazon USA) (Amazon Canada) (Michaels) (Love Crafts)
Needles – US 13/9mm or whichever size needed to obtain gauge. Size US 13/9mm circular needles, 16” long and US 13/9mm double pointed needles for the ears.
Darning needle, stitch marker, measuring tape and scissors.
Gauge:
4” x 4” = 9 stitches and 12 rows in stocking stitch (same as pattern). I recommend using US 13 needles, but if you are a loose knitter you may need to drop down to US 11 or go up to US 15 for tighter knitters.
Be sure to check your gauge to ensure the hat will fit your little one properly.
Abbreviations:
K = Knit
P = Purl
K2tog = Knit two together
Sizes:
Newborn, 0-3 Months, 3-6 Months, 6-12 Months.
Directions:
Newborn:
Cast on 24 stitches on your circular needle.
Join.
Begin by working *K1 P1; repeat from * to the end of the round – for 4 rounds.
K all for 7 rounds.
Decrease: *K2, K2together; repeat from * to end.
K all for 1 round.
Cut yarn and weave through the remaining stitches. Insert the tail into the hat through the middle opening and pull to close up the top. Secure the tail tightly on the inside and weave in the end.
Move on to the ears (directions below)
0-3 Months
Cast on 26 stitches on your circular needle.
Join.
Begin by working *K1 P1; repeat from * to the end of the round – for 4 rounds.
K all for 8 rounds.
Decrease: *K2, K2together; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, K2.
K all for 1 round.
Cut yarn and weave through the remaining stitches. Insert tail into the hat through the middle and pull to close up the top. Secure the tail tightly on the inside and weave in the end.
Move on to the ears (directions below)
3-6 Months
Cast on 28 stitches on your circular needle.
Join.
Begin by working *K1 P1; repeat from * to the end of the round – for 5 rounds.
K all for 10 rounds.
Decrease: *K2, K2together; repeat from * to end.
K all for 1 round.
Cut yarn and weave through the remaining stitches. Insert tail into the hat through the middle and pull to close up the top. Secure the tail tightly on the inside and weave in the end.
Move on to the ears (directions below)
6-12 Months
Cast on 30 stitches on your circular needle.
Join.
Begin by working *K1 P1; repeat from * to the end of the round – for 6 rounds.
K all for 10 rounds.
Decrease: *K2, K2together; repeat from * to last 2 stitches, K2. (23 stitches)
Next row – K all.
Next row – *K2, K2together; repeat from * to last 3 stitches, K1, K2together.
Next row – K all.
Cut yarn and weave through the remaining stitches. Insert tail into the hat through the middle and pull to close up the top. Secure the tail tightly on the inside and weave in the end. Move on to the ears (directions below)
1-3 Years
Cast on 32 stitches on your circular needle.
Join.
Begin by working *K1 P1; repeat from * to the end of the round – for 7 rounds.
K all for 11 rounds.
Decrease: *K2, K2together; repeat from * to end. (24 stitches)
Next row – K all.
Next row – *K2, K2together; repeat from * to end.
Next row – K all.
Cut yarn and weave through the remaining stitches. Insert tail into the hat through the middle and pull to close up the top. Secure the tail tightly on the inside and weave in the end.
Move on to the ears (directions below)
4-12 Years
Cast on 34 stitches on your circular needle.
Join.
Begin by working *K1 P1; repeat from * to the end of the round – for 7 rounds.
K all for 12 rounds.
Decrease: *K2, K2tog; repeat from * to last two stitches, K2. (26 stitches)
Next row – K all.
Next row – *K2, K2tog; repeat from * to last two stitches, K2. (20 stitches)
Next row – K all.
Move on to the ears (directions below)
Ears directions:
You will make two separate pieces and stitch them together. Make two outer ears and two inner ears before moving to the next step. Leave a long tail at the start of each ear piece. You will use these to stitch the ear together and to attach to the hat.
Inner Ear:
Cast on 5 in contrast color. Turn after completing each row.
Row 1 – P all.
Row 2 – K1, K2tog, K2 (4 stitches)
Row 3 – P all.
Row 4 – K1, K2tog, K1 (3 stitches)
Row 5 – P1, P2tog (2 stitches)
Row 6 – K2tog. Cut yarn and pull through the last stitch.
Outer Ear:
Cast on 7 in main color. Turn after completing each row.
Row 1 – P all.
Row 2 – K2, K2tog, K2 (6 stitches)
Row 3 – P all.
Row 4 – K2, K2tog, K2 (5 stitches)
Row 5 – P1, P2tog, P2 (4 stitches)
Row 6 – K1, K2tog, K1 (3 stitches)
Row 7 – P1, P2tog (2 stitches)
Row 8 – K2tog. Cut yarn and pull through the last stitch.
Attaching The Ears:
Place the inner and outer ear pieces together. The pearl sides go on the inside (touching one another) and the knit sides facing the outside. The outer ear should frame the inner ear.
Using the contrast color tail, begin stitching the two pieces together. When picking up on the inner ear, insert your needle into the turn stitches. When picking up on the outer ear, insert your needle into the 1st pearl stitch of each row (not the turn stitch). This will hide the yarn along the back the best possible. If you pick up the turn stitch on the outer ear, the contrast color yarn will be visible on the front and back of the ear.
Continue working up the ear to the top and back down the other side. When you get to the tip of the ear, tuck the two tails from when you finished the ear pieces into the inside of the ear. Once you finish the ear, give those two ends a gentle tug if you want to adjust the shape of the ear at the top. Tuck these tails inside the ear or cut if they are quite long. Do not cut the two tails from the starting of each ear piece. If the contrast yarn is showing along the back, gently pull the white stitches next to it to try and hide it. If the pink is fully exposed on the back, you may be inserting your needle into the wrong spot.
When attaching the ears to the hat, use the contrast color tail to attach along that part of the ear and main color tail to stitch along the sides and back.
Repeat for the second ear, making sure they are placed evenly on the hat.
Although our patterns are always free on our blog, many prefer our premium ad-free, printer friendly, PDF versions. These are available to purchase HERE.
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