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Hats · Easy

Earflap hat

Earflap hat: AI picture of the finished item
AI picture of what this pattern makes, drawn to its own construction (hems, shaping, seams). Not a photo of a real piece.

The hat is the beanie with a narrower hem. The flaps are knitted separately: cast on a few stitches at the tip, increase at both edges to the full width, knit straight to the length and cast off. Sew them inside the brim over the ears and finish each with a twisted cord.

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All steps, charts, sizes and checks (for printing)

Virtual test knit

✓ Virtual test knit passed

Every row of every piece on this page has just been knitted on a model of your machine, for the size, machine and gauge you chose. The model follows each needle's loops through transfers, held needles, hems and cast-offs, then measures the finished pieces.

177 rows and 16,640 stitches knitted, 78 stitches transferred, 0 held-needle passes: no dropped stitch, no hole, no lost loop, every stitch cast off or secured at the end.

Measured on the simulated pieces
MeasurementShould beSimulated
Hat circumference50–54 cm✓ 52 cm
Hat height, brim to crown21–23 cm✓ 22 cm
Crown: stitches left to gather (cm of fabric)0–27 cm✓ 26 cm
Ear flap width7–9 cm✓ 8.3 cm
Ear flap length9–11 cm✓ 10 cm

The simulation checks the instructions and the arithmetic. Yarn, tension and blocking still differ from knitter to knitter, so knit the gauge swatch first and type in your own numbers. Knitted one? We would love a photo: support@purlbed.com.

Women / teen · Single bed, punch card · Gauge (stocking stitch, after steaming): 30 sts × 40 rows

Sizes

MeasurementChild 4–8 yearsWomen / teen
Head circumference51 cm56 cm
Hat depth, brim to crown20 cm22 cm
Ear flap length9 cm10 cm

You will need

Yarn: A warm wool or wool blend: 4-ply / fingering on a standard machine, DK on mid gauge, worsted on bulky.

About 50 g in total for this size (an estimate from the area of the pieces; buy a little more).

Also: Tapestry needle, Waste yarn and ravel cord, Transfer tool, Optional: pompom maker

Gauge swatch first

  1. Cast on 40 needles with waste yarn and knit a few rows. Change to the main yarn and choose a tension that gives a fabric you like (see the starting points below).
  2. Knit 60 rows. Tie a contrast thread to the 11th needle from each side at row 10 and row 50, so the marks are 20 needles and 40 rows apart.
  3. Knit a few rows of waste yarn and take the swatch off. Steam or wash it the way you will treat the finished piece, and let it rest flat for a few hours.
  4. Measure between the marks: stitches in 10 cm = 20 ÷ width in cm × 10, rows in 10 cm = 40 ÷ height in cm × 10. Type the two numbers into the gauge boxes above; that tension is your main tension (MT).

Pieces

Hat

Cast on 156 sts, 97 rows. Flat size about 52 × 22 cm.

Row by row

  1. Bring 156 needles into work (L78 to R78). Cast on with waste yarn, knit about 10 rows, 1 row of ravel cord, then change to the main yarn. Set RC to 000.
  2. Turned hem: knit 8 rows at MT−1, 1 row at MT+2 (the fold line) and 8 rows at MT−1. Hang the loops of the first main-yarn row (just above the waste yarn) back on the needles, then knit 1 row at MT (RC 018). Remove the waste yarn later.
  3. Knit 77 rows at MT (RC 095).
  4. Move every other stitch onto its neighbour and put the empty needles out of work (156 → 78 sts). Knit 2 rows (RC 097).
  5. Cut the yarn leaving about 30 cm. Thread it through every stitch with a tapestry needle, take the stitches off the needles and pull the top closed.
Bed chart
Row 1 is at the bottom. Arrows mark the transfers; the key under the chart names each colour.
Needle notation

Step 1 at the bottom; only the needles around the changes are shown.

Row sequence (5)
RowsWhat the carriage knitsTension
1–8Stocking stitchMT−1
9Stocking stitchMT+2
10–17Stocking stitchMT−1
18–95Stocking stitchMT
96–97Stocking stitchMT
Opens a copy of this piece as an editable bed chart in your browser.

Ear flap (knit 2)

Cast on 9 sts, 40 rows. Flat size about 8.3 × 10 cm.

Row by row

  1. Bring 9 needles into work (L4 to R5) and cast on in the main yarn with an e-wrap (closed edge). Set RC to 000.
  2. Increase 1 stitch at each end on the next row and every 3 rows, 8 times in all: bring the next needle into work and hang the heel of the neighbouring stitch on it. 9 → 25 sts (RC 024).
  3. Knit 16 rows at MT (RC 040).
  4. Cast off loosely with the latch tool (or knit a few rows of waste yarn and cast off by hand).
Bed chart
Row 1 is at the bottom. Arrows mark the transfers; the key under the chart names each colour.
Needle notation

Step 1 at the bottom; only the needles around the changes are shown.

Row sequence (8)
RowsWhat the carriage knitsTension
1–3Stocking stitchMT
4–6Stocking stitchMT
7–9Stocking stitchMT
10–12Stocking stitchMT
13–15Stocking stitchMT
16–18Stocking stitchMT
19–21Stocking stitchMT
22–40Stocking stitchMT
Opens a copy of this piece as an editable bed chart in your browser.

Finishing

  1. Pull the gathering yarn tight and fasten it on the inside. The hat is knitted flat: sew the back seam with mattress stitch from the crown to the brim, through both layers of the hem.
  2. The flaps are knitted flat too. Try the hat on and pin each flap's wide edge inside the brim, centred over the ear, then sew it to the inner layer of the hem.
  3. Make two twisted cords about 30 cm long and sew one to the tip of each flap. Weave in the ends and steam lightly.

Notes and changes

  • The flap length is a starting value: 9–10 cm covers the ears of most children and adults. Change it in the size boxes.
  • The hem is narrower than on the beanie (2 cm), so the flaps sit flat where they are sewn on.

What the words mean

Short rows (引返)
knitting only some of the needles for a few rows while the others wait. The middle grows taller than the sides, which makes a cup: that is how the heel and toe of a sock get their curve.
Hold
the needle position for short rows: a needle pushed all the way forward keeps its stitch and does not knit while the carriage is set to hold.
Turned hem
a neat double edge: knit a strip, then fold it up and hang its first row back on the needles, so the edge is a fold instead of a raw cast-on.
1×1 rib
one stitch on the main bed, one on the ribber, side by side: the stretchy edge of socks, cuffs and hat brims. Needs a ribber or a double bed.
Decrease / increase
making the piece one stitch narrower or wider at the edge. Fully fashioned means moving the 2 edge stitches in (or out) with a transfer tool, so the edge stays smooth for sewing.
Transfer tool
the small hook (1, 2 or 3 prongs) that lifts stitches off needles and puts them on others.
Waste yarn
a few rows in a spare colour knitted before or after the piece and pulled out later, leaving open loops to hang back or sew.
MT (main tension)
the tension dial number of your gauge swatch. MT−1 is one number tighter, MT+2 two numbers looser.
RC (row counter)
the counter on the carriage. Set it to 000 after casting on; every step says what it should read when the step is done.
L10 / R10
needle numbers, counted outwards from the middle (0) of the needle bed.
Mattress stitch
the usual way to sew knitted pieces together: you catch the bar between the first two stitches on each side, so the seam disappears.
Duplicate stitch
embroidery that follows a knitted stitch's V shape with a needle and a second colour, so the pattern looks knitted in.

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