A knitted baby hat or beanie is a quick knit. What makes them fun are the cute themes they are designed in.
Most of these baby hat knitting patterns are knitted in the round, but they can also be knitted flat and then seamed. My selection starts with basic shapes and borders before moving on to cuter designs inspired by all sorts of things around us.
Quick Links
Beanies for Pre-Mature Babies
1. Mama’s Basic Baby Hat Knit Pattern
This is a good basic baby hat knit pattern to learn from. It starts off with a 2-stitch ribbing and continues in stockinette stitch. Use double-pointed needles, magic loop or 2 circular needles to make this hat. A variegated yarn would make the hat more interesting than a plain solid colour.
Get the free web-based pattern for Basic Baby hat at stitcheryprojects.com.
2. Carissa’s Preemie Hats For Charity
Carissa offers five different versions of preemie hats to knit. Four of them share the same basic shape. Knitted in stockinette stitch featuring stitch patterns like eyelets, hearts, diamonds, and stripes. The fifth one is a rib beanie shaped using ribbing in solid colours. Because of ribbing’s elasticity, it can fit babies of all sizes.
Get the free PDF pattern for Preemie hats at Lovecrafts or the web-based version at Carissa Knits.
Beanies with Animal Themes
The following knitted baby hat patterns with animal designs are always a great hit with both parents and kids. Here is a couple that I thought are simply adorable.
3. Cassandra’s Happy Puppy Baby Hat
With the appropriately shaped and placed ears, and brown worst weighted yarn, a basic beanie can be transformed into a doggy hat. Add a pair of eyes using felt for an even cuter look.
Get the free web-based pattern for Puppy Dog Hat at Littleredwindow.com.
4. Kris’ Woodland Fox Baby Hat
This knitted little fox baby hat comes with a cute tail to complete the costume. Like the doggy hat, this is a basic hat shape with appropriately designed ears and colours.
Get the free web-based pattern for Woodland Fox Baby Hat here.
5. Rusty the Fox
This project is from Fiona Goble’s Knitted Animal Hats (affiliate link).
I like the way Fiona design her animal hats. The hat body is the same. Using colour change to define the face and embroider the eyes, nose and mouth. The ear flaps are picked up from the sides. The ears are knitted separately and attach to the hat.
Get the free web-based pattern for Rusty the Fox Knitted Hat at Makeetc.com.
6. Ashlee’s Reindeer Beanie
Ashlee Marie did a fantastic job with the reindeer’s antlers on this knit baby hat. It is so cute, I am itching to knit this. Ashlee suggested picking up and knitting the antlers straight from the hat. She gave clear instructions and even have a picture of how to pick up the 12 stitches. I personally would do this just to avoid having to sew them on later.
Get the free web-based pattern for Reindeer beanie at Asheleemarie.com.
7. Rudolph’s hat
Another reindeer hat and with that little red nose, we all know who this is. I think this baby hat knitting pattern is clearly written. Need to learn a new way to cast on called the tubular cast-on that gives ribbing a nicer edge.
Get the free web-based pattern for Rudolph Hat at Carissaknits.com.
8. Frog’s hat
With 2 white pom poms as eyes and a stitched red line for a mouth, the froggy outfit is completed with a pair of webbed socks which is included in the set. Need to learn how to do twisted ribbing and using garter stitch on the right side.
Get the free PDF pattern for Froggy Hat here.
9. Knitted Sloth Hat
This pattern can be found in Fiona Goble’s Knitted Animal Socks and Hats (affiliate link).
The main hat is knitted first. The ear flaps are picked up from the sides and knitted. The eye patches are knitted separately and attached by sewing them in place. The eyes, nose and mouth are single crochet chains. For those who cannot crochet, I think they can be substituted with black felt cloth cut to shape and sewn in.
Get the free web-based pattern for Knitted Sloth Hat at Makeetc.com.
Beanies with Fruit and Vegetable Themes
Fruits and vegetables are also common themes for baby hats. Here are some really cute ones.
10. Cassandra’s Sweet Watermelon Beanie
This free baby hat knitting pattern is definitely a beanie for summer. The baby looks delicious. All it took is some clever colour work. Why didn’t I think of that?
Get the free web-based pattern for Sweet Watermelon Hat at Littleredwindow.com.
11. Michele’s Berry Baby Hat
This berry hat is knitted in the round in stockinette stitch. Michele made use of stockinette’s tendency to curl to create the brim. The green stem is incorporated using a stranded colourwork technique. What a good idea. It makes the stem much more realistic. The little knot at the top is a fabulous touch.
Get the free PDF pattern for Berry Baby Hat at Ravelry.
Beanies with Monster Themes
All these knitted monster hats are great for Halloween hats.
12. Pokeball hat
Pokemon has become such a hit in so many countries. So have many accessories made to look like poke balls? Here’s one for a Pokemon party.
Get the free PDF pattern for Pokemon Poke Ball Hat at Ravelry.
13. Angry Red Bird hat
I am very impressed with the likeness of this angry bird hat. This baby hat knit pattern has a pixie shape and the classic angry bird eyes and beaks.
Get the free PDF pattern for Angry Bird Hat at Ravelry.
14. Oscar The Grouchy Hat
Grouchy Oscar indeed. Oscar’s trademark’s eyebrow is made of faux fur or eyelash yarn. So cute!
Get the free PDF pattern for Oscar the Grouchiest Hat at Ravelry.
15. Cookie Monster hat
Oscar would be so lonely without Cookie Monster. Make both using this knitting pattern of a baby hat. Another way to make the huge eyeballs is using pom poms.
Get the free web-based pattern for Cookie Monster Hat at Kimberlychapman.com.
16. Minion’s hat
Since the release of Despicable Me the Movie, so many of us have fallen in love with the minions; their unintelligible speech, love of adventure and bananas. This is a basic beanie knitted in yellow with the goggles crocheted and sewn in.
Get the free PDF pattern for the Minion Hat at Ravelry.
17. Elf’s hat
Clever shaping creates the shape of this little hat. It requires a little more skill but isn’t too difficult to pick up. And isn’t it cute? Knit them for your little cutie pies.
Get the free PDF pattern for the Elf Hat at Ravelry.
Beanies with Colourwork
18. Marianna’s Fair Isle Flower Baby Hat
This beanie looks easy but can be challenging for knitters new to fair isle and knitting it in the round. After tackling the fair isle pattern, there are the decreases. But it looks so sweet.
Get the free web-based pattern for Fair Isle Flower Baby Hat here.
19. Maria’s Little Scallops Baby Hat
Maria’s English pattern is a little sparse but I think it is still manageable. She created a little chart to show how to knit the scallops using 2 different colours. It is not that different from the Berry Baby Hat featured. I like the fact that she combines a mild grey with a bright orange and a bright red colour. The combination gives a nice contrast.
Get the free web-based pattern for Little Scallops Baby Hat here.
20. Pandemonium
Pandas epitomized cuteness. So a cap with a row of panda heads as a pattern means cuteness overload. A bit more experience and knowledge of Fair Isle or working with colour changes is necessary.
Get the free PDF pattern for Pandamonium at Ravelry.
21. R2D2 Knitted Beanie
For that Star Wars Fan in your family or friends, knit away.
Get the free web-based pattern for R2D2 Knitted Beanie at Carissaknits
Beanies with Stitch Textures
22. Justyna’s I Heart Cables
This cute little winter hat is knitted in the round with simple cables. The pattern includes the version with earflaps and another like a beanie. The earflap version is finished with an i-cord string and pompom. Gender neutral, very nice.
Get the free PDF pattern for I Heart Cables Knitted Hat at Ravelry.
23. Laura’s Garter Ear Flap Hat
Laura always produced very good pictures illustrating her pattern. I learned a great deal about stitches and shaping following her patterns and instructions. This earflap pixie hat has a really interesting shape and her choice of yarn makes sure this is a squishy hat. Mostly garter stitch with clear shaping.
Get the free web-based pattern for Garter Ear Flap Hat at PurlSoho
24. Cutie Pointed Hat with Ear Flaps
A really sweet hat. The ear flaps are knitted first and join together using circular needles. After the ear flaps are connected, the hat is joined in the round and knitted up to the top. Follow the decreases to shape the pointed top.
Get the free PDF pattern for Cutie Pointed Knitted Hat at Redheart
25. Kersten’s Bitty Beanie
This little hat spots a seed texture band and a stockinette body. The 2 little flower buttons complete the look. Use neutral colours and basic shape buttons to make the hat gender-neutral.
Get the free web-based pattern for Bitty Beanie at Little Miss Stitcher
Beanies Knitted Flat
26. Feather and Fan Beanie
Lacework is rare in baby hats. This feather and fan beanie using Bernat Softee baby solids yarns allows the lace knitter to knit something that is safe for the little ones.
Knitted flat from the edge to the crown. 3 sizes are given: 6, 12 and 18 months.
Get the free PDF pattern at Lovecrafts
27. Preemie hat with a rolled edge
This sweet little hat is knitted flat. The side seam is sewn together to form the tube. Then, the top seam is knitted close and the 2 corner sewn down in the centre. You can also knit it in the round and only seam the top.
Get the free PDF pattern for Preemie Hat with Rolled Edge at LoveCrafts
28. Tegan Baby Hat with Top Knot
A baby hat with a garter stitch border and a knot at the crown. The pattern has sizes from premature to 2 years old and contain instructions for knitting this flat or in the round.
The top knot can be adjusted to make the hat shorter or longer. How clever.
Get the free downloadable PDF from Lovecrafts
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Happy knitting
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