If you’ve mastered the knit stitch and the purl stitch, you’re ready to knit a hat! In this class, knitting expert Jen Lucas takes you step-by-step through the process of knitting a basic beanie. Along the way she’ll share her tips and tricks on how to make your hat knitting as easy as possible.
The class begins with an overview of the construction of a bottom-up beanie that’s knit in the round and the materials needed to complete the hat. Jen demonstrates how to begin the hat using her favorite cast-on, the German Twisted cast-on. She discusses how to join and knit in the round, sharing her tips for a neat and tidy join. She explains how to make changes to the brim, if desired, before moving on to the body of the hat. When the decreases for the hat are worked, Jen shows you just how easy it is to switch from a circular needle to double-pointed needles to complete the crown. She then shares her tips for finishing the hat.
With the basic hat complete, Jen discusses how to work interesting stitch patterns into your next hat. She shares her tips for incorporating the stitch patterns into the crown decreases and how to change the placement of the decrease stitches to give your hat a polished and professional look. With nearly 60 minutes of clear instruction and PDF materials to help you on your hat knitting journey, you’ll find yourself coming back to this class again and again.
Class Sessions
Intro and Materials
4:09
Designer Jen Lucas introduces you to the hat pattern that you’ll learn how to make in this class. She discusses the materials that you will need, along with an overview of the techniques that will be used to create the hat.
Casting on a Brim
13:41
Jen demonstrates how to cast on for the hat using the German Twisted cast-on. She also discusses gauge and sizing, and shares her tip for making a neat join when joining in the round.
Body of Hat
4:28
Once the ribbing for the hat brim is complete, it’s time to work the body of the hat. In this session, Jen shows you how easy it is to work stockinette stitch in the round for the body of the hat. She also shares some ideas on how to adjust the hat pattern to make it uniquely yours.
Decreases and Changing to Double Pointed Needles
11:25
In this session, Jen explains how to decrease for the crown of the hat. She works knit two together (k2tog) decreases into the pattern to shape the top. She also demonstrates how to switch to double-pointed needles when the stitches become spread out on the circular needle.
Finishing
8:10
With the knitting of the hat complete, it’s time for the finishing touches. Jen demonstrates how to close the top of the hat and weaves in the ends. She also discusses how to block the hat if you like.
Bonus: Adding Stitch Patterns
9:17
Once you know how to knit a basic beanie, you might be wondering how to incorporate stitch patterns into the hat. In this bonus session, Jen explains how to add stitch patterns into the hat and how to get those patterns to flow into the crown decreases.
Bonus: Personal Story about Gifting Hats
2:14
In this bonus clip, Jen shares some ideas on how you can take this hat pattern and make it unique for your friends and family. She discusses how she created hats for her nieces and nephews for holiday gifts starting with the basic pattern from this class.
Your Instructor
Jen Lucas
Jen Lucas has been knitting for almost 20 years and designing patterns for over a decade. She has designed knit and crochet patterns for yarn companies and magazines and has self-published dozens of patterns. Jen is the author of six knitting books, including the best-selling "Sock-Yarn Shawls." She loves to create beautiful, fun, and easy-to-follow knit and crochet patterns. Jen dabbles in a wide variety of crafts, including cross-stitch and sewing. You can follow her crafty adventures on Instagram: @jenlucasdesigns and @jenxstitcher.
Bonus Material
Hat Knitting 101: Basic Beanie Hat Pattern
Download this PDF for beanie hat pattern and stitch patterns
Bonus Materials available for download after purchase.
FAQs
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