Free Knitting Pattern: Ample Sampler Slouchie Hat

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While I was traveling this past week, I used airplane time to practice my knitting. AND! I think I’ve finally figured out a knitting rhythm that works for me! I don’t feel quite as awkward as when I first started. By watching YouTube instructional videos, I’ve figured out a good way for my left hand to keep tension, my right hand to work Ks and Ps and what each hand needs in coordination to knit without a lot of motion, making my work more efficient and now my hands are working together much more efficiently and smoothly to make both knit and purl stitches It is making my knitting easier and I’m very happy!

I’ve found some great circular needles that I love because the yarn doesn’t slide around and fall off and I realize I should’ve started knitting using a nice bulky yarn. Now I’ve shared a Three Bears of Knitting blog post for anyone reading who may feel like “they’ll never EVER be able to knit” because, as much as I wanted to be a “good-enough” knitter and maybe someday advance to calling myself both a crocheter AND a knitter, I wish someone would have given me some REAL LIFE knitting tips when I first started.  Go see that post for more on learning to knit.

The pattern I am sharing is just a series of a variety of stitches. Working on this hat has helped me practice the basic repeats of knits and purls, helped me “read” my various stitch patterns along with identifying mistakes early in the round I was working on, and the needles and yarn I use in this pattern makes it quite ideal for a mid-beginner knitter.

The first try I used 48 cast-on stitches and while it felt quite a bit too loose for my head, I found a lovely lady on the airplane who loved it (she had a lot of hair to tuck under) and bought it immediately so, unfortunately, I only got one picture of it (on her head as she was walking away 😆) and that picture is on my Facebook page and Instagram feed.

I did, however, work on the pattern with another version that seems to fit me better (I don’t have as much hair to put up under it) and the pattern below is the result – it’s long enough to pull back in true slouchie fashion and the thick woolly yarn is nice because once you put it how you like it, it stays put, doesn’t swing around or droop like lighter weight yarn.

FREE KNITTING PATTERN:  AMPLE SAMPLER SLOUCHIE HAT

Supply List

Needles: Clover Takumi Bamboo 16″ circular needles Size 11/8mm AND Clover Takumi Bamboo 16″ circular needles Size 15/10mm

Yarn:  1 skein Lion Brand Thick & Quick in Grey Marble Colorway (be careful, there is also a colorway called Marble and it is lovely but this hat is not made with that one)

Optional: Yarn for Pom Pom – use remainder of the Grey Marble leftover, add black or brown or another color if you prefer a multi-color pom

Various Stitch Combinations Used:

• • Row 1: K2, P2 around to complete row
  • Repeat around for as many rows as specified to make the hat band
• Garter Stitch:
• • Row 1: K1 around to complete row
  • Row 2: P1 around to complete row
  • Repeat every 2 rows
• Godron Stitch:
• • Rows 1, 2, 3: K1 around to complete row
  • Rows 4, 5, 6: K2 around to complete row
  • Repeat every 6 rows
• Moss Stitch:
• • Row 1: K1, P1, repeat around to complete row
  • Row 2: Knit the Knits and Purl the Purls around
  • Row 3: Knit the Purls and Purl the Knits around
  • Row 4: Knit the Knits and Purl the Purls around
  • Repeat for as many rows as specified
• Stockinette = Knit around the entire row
• Reverse Stockinette = Purl around the entire row

Using the 8mm needles: Long-tail Cast-on: 40 stitches

8 rows: Place stitch marker and use the rib stitch (K2, P2)

• Before Round 9: Move stitch marker to the right needle of the 10mm needles then start knitting the first row of gartner K1 stitches with the larger needles during Round 9. When you are completed with Round 9, all yarn will have transferred to the 10mm circular needles and you will continue knitting through to the end with the new needles.
• Round 9-16: Garter stitch
• Round 17-22: Seed stitch
• Round 23-34: Godron stitch
• Round 35-40: Moss stitch
• Round 41-42: Stockinette stitch
• Start to work decreases with a row of stockinette between every decrease row:
• • K3, K2tog 8 times  (32 sts)
  • K1 around for the stockinette row (32 sts)
  • K2, K2tog 8 times (24 sts)
  • K1 around for the stockinette row (24 sts)
  • K1, K2tog 8 times (16 sts)
  • K1 around for the stockinette row (16 sts)
  • K2tog 8 times (8 sts)
• Cut yarn leaving an 8-10″ tail, thread it through then remove needles and tighten to close the top of the hat.
• Optional:  Add a pom pom – the one in the picture is 3-3/8″ size pom pom ball. I used the Grey Marble yarn and the remainder of some black Lion Brand Thick & Quick yarn I had leftover from another project.