Free Easy Hat Knitting Patterns for Straight Needles

Are you struggling to find quick and easy hat patterns you can knit with straight needles? Modern hat knitting patterns are often knit in the round, but here’s a round-up of free quick & easy hat knitting patterns for 2 needles. All ideal for beginner knitters or if you just prefer to knit hats flat & seam up the back at the end.

Note: You only need either 1 large ball or 2 small 50g balls of yarn to knit any of these free hat patterns.

Easy Knit Beanie Hat (adult)

My free unisex beanie hat pattern is quick and easy to knit. It’s a nice practical project for beginner knitters who have got the hang of knit and purl stitches.

Most of this hat pattern is just basic stockinette stitch. There’s some rib stitch at the start for a good fit & simple k2tog decreases to shape the crown.

I’ve included options for a fitted hat and a slouchy beanie. You can easily customise the fit by just knitting more or less rows before you start the decreases.

This hat is quite stretchy so one size fits (almost) all hopefully! It fits both my small female head and my 6ft partner’s head.

You need either 2 small (50g) balls or 1 larger ball of aran or worsted yarn to knit the hat. Gauge is not that important so most yarns will work. Use a worsted yarn if you want a lighter hat for milder weather, or a more substantial aran yarn if you prefer a heavier hat.

Seaming the back of a knit hat is the tricky bit, so I’ve made a video tutorial showing you how to do it step by step.

TIP: you can use this same mattress stitch technique to seam any other hat pattern too.

Easiest Hat to Knit (baby, child & adult)

Knit a rectangle and make a hat! Once you know how to cast on, do the knit stitch and bind off, you can make this hat. There are no purl stitches & no decreases or shaping. That’s why designer Brianna from Yay for Yarn calls it’s the easiest knitted hat ever.

It’s just a simple garter stitch rectangle. Then you stitch the sides together to make a tube & gather it at the top to make a hat.

The pattern comes in 10 sizes to suit all ages. There’s 4 baby sizes (preemie to toddler), 3 child sizes & 3 adult sizes. Plus, there’s instructions for 6 yarn weights: sock/fingering, sport, dk, worsted, bulky and super bulky.

So you can knit this quick and easy hat pattern for any age with whatever yarn you already have in your stash. There’s even a full 40 minute video tutorial showing you how to make the hat from start to finish.

TIP: If you’re short on time, skip to 29 minutes for the stitching & finishing instructions.

While you can buy a PDF version, this hat pattern is free on the Yay for Yarn blog post – you just have to scroll a lot! Most of the images are not loading for me (as of 30 September 2022), but you don’t need them with the video guide.

Handy Little Me Ribbed Hat (adult)

This free easy hat knitting pattern is beginner friendly with a simple k1 p2 rib pattern. It’s mostly knitting a rectangle, with a few simple decrease rows at the end.

This pattern uses a 100g ball of We Are Knitters The Petite Wool, but any chunky or bulky weight yarn should work well.

Note: the bottom brim and the main hat use different rib patterns, so that they match when the brim is turned up. That’s a nice attention to detail, but it means the hat is designed with a maximum turn up in mind.

If you want full freedom to have any height cuff, or none, choose another pattern below instead.

There’s a video where you can watch the designer seam the hat, which is the tricky part of knitting a hat on straight needles. There’s no voiceover or instructions though.

Easy Fit Ribbed Hat (adult)

My mom made this free ribbed hat pattern recently to get back into knitting after many years away. She found it really easy to follow. The ribbing was slow at first as she got the hang of knitting again, but then she flew through the rest of the hat. It’s super cozy & she’s delighted with it.

The pattern uses Red Heart With Love, an affordable acrylic yarn which comes in a big 7 oz (198g) ball. It’s described as worsted weight, but it’s on the thicker side so you could use some chunky yarns too. For example, my mom knit her hat with King Cole Superfine Alpaca Chunky (available in the UK & Ireland).

Bev’s Really Basic Stretchy Ribbed Hat (baby, child & adult)

This easy peasy hat knitting pattern comes in 7 sizes covering all ages: preemie, baby, toddler, child, teenager, woman & man.

It’s just a few lines long, with minimal shaping at the end. It knits up quickly in any worsted weight yarn, so you can make hats for all the family.

Ramsey Quick Knit Stockinette Hat (children & adults)

If you need a new hat ASAP this free beanie pattern knits up in no time in super bulky yarn on big needles.

Knit mainly in simple stockinette stitch , you can choose to turn the k2 p2 ribbing up for extra warmth or leave it unfolded for a more slouchy look.

The pattern uses 1 ball of Lion Brand’s Hometown easy care acrylic yarn that can be machine washed and dried. You could easily substitute with other super bulky yarn though.

This is one of several free hat knitting and crochet patterns included in the #HatNotHate anti-bullying campaign. They distribute free blue hats to schools every October. If you would like to get involved, they accept hat donations in the summer.

Stockinette Knit Family Hats (kids & adults)

Make matching hats for mom, dad & the kids with this free quick and easy knit pattern. There’s even quick instructions for making a pompom at the end for a cute finishing touch.

The pattern uses Red Heart With Love (like the easy fit ribbed hat above). It comes in over 50 shades in generous 7oz balls, so you should get at least an adult & child hat out of 1 ball. You can knit these hats with any heavy worsted or aran yarn. Some chunky yarns would work well too.

Stockinette Watch Caps (adults, 2 sizes)

This free hat pattern for beginner knitters is a quick knit mainly in stockinette stitch. The k2 p2 ribbed cuff gives extra warmth and a good fit.

Most of the hat is knit as a basic rectangle with simple decreases over the last 10 rows to shape the crown.

This pattern is quite old & the original Lion Brand chunky yarn used is no longer available. But you can knit this easy hat with any chunky or bulky weight yarn. There’s hundreds of projects on Ravelry for yarn ideas. Patons Shetland Chunky yarn is 1 popular choice.

I hope you find this list of easy hat knitting patterns for straight needles helpful. Beginner knitting patterns like these are ideal quick and easy projects once you have got the hang of how to knit and purl. You can learn how to decrease stitches and practise your rib stitch while making something useful at the same time.

Just pick your fave, cast on & before you know it you’ll have your very own handknit hat to keep you snug all season long. Got any questions? Leave a comment below & I’ll try my best to help.

Ready to knit your first sweater? Check out my list of free easy sweater patterns for straight needles.