Free knitting patterns for beanies, berets, and slouchy hats featuring colorwork designs or using multicolor yarn. Most patterns are free. Updated 11/9/24.
To get the knitting patterns, scroll down the page to the individual pattern you want and click on the link to that pattern.
These patterns are not my designs but links to other designers who have generously shared their patterns. If you have questions about how to knit a specific pattern, please contact the designer directly.
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Free Patterns
Out-of-the-Blue Hat
Striped hat knit in 6 row repeat slipped stitch colorwork slipped stitch knit with one strand at a time. Worsted weight yarn. Designed by Julie Blauw. Available in English and German
Flamin Fireflower Hat
Quick colorful hat knit with clustered Fireflowers stitches in a variegated yarn on a contrasting background. The Fireflowers may look difficult but are worked with only one color each round; and they only require 30 yards/metres of contrast yarn, so it's great for leftover yarn. Designed by Alison Jarvis for Knitty. Quick knit in bulky weight yarn.
Highlighter Lines Hat
Beanie knit flat in mostly garter stitch and ribbing with slipped stitches for the vertical lines. You can use a self-striping yarn for the stripes as the pattern recommends or use it as a stash buster by creating stripes from different yarns. Designed by Red Heart Design Team. Aran weight yarn.
Wordle Hat
Hat inspired by the internet’s favorite word game. The designer came up with the pattern by asking friends to guess KNITS as though it were a real Wordle word. You can easily swap out for your own Wordle scores for a personal touch! Designed by Sarah Sinclair. DK weight yarn. May only be free for a limited time.
As the Leaves Begin to Fall
Slouchy beanie hat with a leaf motif in stranded colorwork hat knit from the brim up, worked in two colors of sport-weight yarn. Approximately 150 yards needed of the main color, and approximately 75 yards of contrasting color. Designed by Eliza Jarvi.
A Brighter Tomorrow
Beanie with flowers in stranded colorwork. 2 sizes. Designed by Jerry Burch. DK weight yarn.
Migrating Hat
Striped beanie with slipped stitch pattern inspired by migrating birds in a 14 row repeat. Great for stashbusting or mini skeins or you can also knit with solid background. Designed by Maureen Clark. Worsted weight yarn.
Diamond Slipped Stitch Beanie
Hat knit with a two color slipped and twisted stitch design. Only one color is worked at a time, switching every two rows. Sizes S and L. Designed by Amanda Muscha. Worsted weight yarn. A crochet version is also available.
Ombre Party Hat
Beanie knit with fingering weight held double to create beautiful transitions from one color yarn to the next. This is a fantastic stash buster (who doesn’t need another one of those) or goes great with mini skein sets. Designed by Melissa Ilgen. Fingering weight yarn. Pictured projects by the designer and aknewlin.
Chrysanthemum Hat
Slouchy, double-knitted hat, making it reversible, with an all-over flower design. Perfect for multi-color yarn. Designed by Mirielgw. Fingering weight yarn. Pictured projects by the designer and ganela.
Autumn Spice Slouchy Hat
Unisex slouchy beanie, with a chevron panel knit with intarsia. Designed by Carolyn Macpherson for Knotions. Fingering weight yarn
Fair Isle Hat
Kristin Nicholas provides step by step video instructions and pattern to make this colorful hat in Fair Isle, a traditional color work technique where two colors are knit in one row to create a geometric pattern. Pattern and instructional video class available for free with a free trial at Creativebug .
More Free Patterns
Dingle Hat
Inspired by a colorful Irish village named Dingle, this slouchy hat interprets the traditional Fair Isle in a geometric pattern that uses only two colors per round. Designed by Sabrina Schumacher. Perfect for stashbusting or mini skeins.
Snow Speckled Hat
Simple fair isle colorwork creates the illusion of snowy sky in this colorful hat designed by Erin Kate Archer in two sizes.
Hive Hat
This easy hat is a super stretchy twist on stripes. Designed by Tanya Patterson
Ogiku Chrysanthemum Tam
Sarah Mombert’s fair isle beret features chrysanthemum motifs. Available in English and French.
Cassidy
This colorwork hat from Berroco features a three color staggered geometric pattern. Designed by Amy Palmer
Gina Chevron Hat
This easy lace slouchy hat looks great in multi-color yarn!
Pandemonium
Karin Michele’s hat features pandas on an ombre background.
Royal Quilting Hat
Betty P Balcomb’s 2-color pattern is surprisingly easy. Strands or floats are laid down on the right side of the fabric and then a couple rows later you lift the strand and catch it in a stitch to form the slightly draped diagonal lines.
Simple Style Hat
Laura Bain’s easy pattern for slouchy beanie is created by alternating stripes of knit and purl rounds in multi-colored yarn.
Attention Span Hat
This colorful earflap hat by Mimi Kezer is a great sampler of knitting techniques. Pattern includes a pinhole cast-on, a bit of Entrelac, a lateral braid or two, some stranded colorwork, tassels and a pom-pom, German short rows, and a little stockinette stitch.
- Get the free knitting pattern
- See more Earflap Hat Knitting Patterns
- See more Sampler Knitting Patterns
Smiley Bobble Beanie Hat
This easy pompom hat pattern by madmonkeyknits features an intarsia smiley face.
Slip Stitch Beret
Easier than it looks! Lisa Gentry designed this easy beret for Caron. Mixing multi-color yarn and solid color yarn with an easy slipped stitch colorwork pattern gives a look like complicated stranded colorwork. Three sizes.
Ribbons and Bows Hat
This hat pattern from Knitting With Schnapps features one of my favorite stitches — the bow or butterfly stitch. It’s much easier than it looks and creates a great bow on your ribbon stripes. Quick knit in bulky yarn.
Butterfly Beret
Ingrid Fallon designed this hat for Red Heart that uses one skein of Red Heart Boutique Midnight. Great for multi-color yarn!
Patterns for Purchase
Art Deco Hat
Inspired by the decorative lead glass windows of the Art Deco Era, this colorful hat features stripes and short row waves on a contrasting background. Aran weight yarn. Designed by Steffi Hochfellner. Available in English and German
Shaded Bobble Stitch Hat
2 color beanie with bubbles of color. Sizes 6 months to 2 years, 3 to 6 years, 7 years to Teen, Adult, Larger Adult. Worsted weight yarn. Designed by Christy Hills
Megaliths Hat
Easy colorwork hat in 3 colors inspired bylarge standing stone structures, such as Stonehenge. Great for stashbusting! 8 sizes from Baby to Adult, 10”/25 cm circumference to 24”/61 cm. DK weight yarn. Designed by Kino Knits
Nautilus Shell Hat
Fun cloche style hat knit with modular lace. Pictured hat is in 5 colors of 55 yards each, making this a great hat for stashbusting or mini skeins. Fingering weight yarn. Designed by Amy Loberg (FiberWild!)
Stockholm Hat and Scarf Set
The patterns for this colorful hat with matching scarf are included in Stylish Knits You’ll Love by Melissa Leapman. Available as Digital Download or Paperback.
Fox and Fleur Cap
This charming beanie for all ages features adorable stranded foxes and tiny flowers. Available in 6 sizes from baby to adult.
The Art of Knitting Hats: 30 Easy-to-Follow Patterns to Create Your Own Colorwork Masterpieces
These vibrant colorwork hat knitting projects offer the perfect introduction for knitters new to colorwork with photo tutorials, while the variety and versatility of each design will inspire even the most experienced knitter. Pair bold motifs such as stripes, zig zags, hearts and falling snow with daring colors to create one-of-a-kind gifts and cherished handmade accessories. Great for stashbusting and scrap leftover yarn. Designed by Courtney Flynn.
Stashbuster Slouch
Textured loose-fitting slouch hat or beanie using scraps of different colored worsted yarn. Sizes toddler to adult. Designed by Rian Anderson
