Every year I knit or crochet hats for the kids and this year my daughter requested an alpaca hat. (Mum would like the real thing one day, but a hat will have to do for now!) She chose a square shaped brioche kitty hat last year and it really suited her, so I decided on a similar shape. I reckon there’s only a few more years where she will willingly wear things like this, so I kind of went for it with pom poms this time!

I tried it with pom poms on each ear as well as in the middle but wondered if it was too much? I’ll leave it up to you to decide and I think it still looks good as a simple hat with no embroidery like the one below knitted with ‘Find My Love’ in DK single ply alpaca silk yarn.

Now this is a very simple ‘pattern’. It’s all in the numbers. As there is no shaping, I wanted to make sure there were stitch counts for different weights of yarn and an option to knit flat or in the round. Cast on numbers have been provided for baby, child, teens and adults.

I’ve spoken to a few very accomplished knitters recently who have never attempted knitting in the round. This would be a great project to get over that fear and realise that it is really very simple, and with it being a square shape there is no need to swap to double pointed needles or magic loop to shape the crown.

You can download the pattern for free below…..

Alpaca Hat Pattern - FREE!

£0.00

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Suitable for fingering / 4 ply, double knit, aran or chunky weight yarn

Yarn pictured is the Chunky Baby Alpaca in ‘Mum Know’s Best'

I used a 6mm 40cm knit pro circular needle and this can be use to knit in the round or knit flat.

I used a Clover pom pom maker which I really can’t recommend enough! I only have the small ones in stock but you could also use the Loome Tool to make slightly bigger pom poms.

Over the next week or so, I'll be recording videos of every stage of this project so that even complete beginners can give this a go.

We’ll cover:

stretchy cast on
joining in the round
knit and purl stitches
knitting in the round
calculating gauge
kitchener stitch
knitting flat
mattress stitch
embroidering onto knit fabric
perfect pom poms

Cookston Crafts is based in rural Aberdeenshire and is a real haven for craft lovers. Claire creates luxury hand dyed yarns inspired by the beautiful Scottish landscape.

Claire also teaches workshops from a beautiful converted steading and will give you a warm welcome whether you are there for a class or just to browse the yarn.

Claire is passionate about sharing her love of all things crafty and is delighted to give help and advice so you have the confidence and inspiration to create your own unique project.