Garter Brim Hat in Plymouth Encore Mega - F307

Garter Brim Hat in Plymouth Encore Mega – Pattern F307

The Garter Brim Hat (Pattern F307) is a free knitting pattern from Plymouth Yarn Company, designed to be worked up quickly using bulky-weight yarn and large needles. This one-size-fits-most adult hat is a fantastic project for knitters looking for a satisfying, straightforward knit that delivers a polished, textured result with minimal complexity. The pattern is available as a free downloadable PDF with yarn purchase from Plymouth Yarn.

What Is Being Made

This pattern produces a classic knitted beanie-style hat sized to fit most adults. The defining feature is its garter stitch brim, which creates a neat, textured rolled-free edge at the cast-on. The body of the hat is worked in smooth stockinette stitch, and the crown is shaped with a series of systematic decrease rounds that draw the hat to a tidy, gathered finish at the top. The result is a warm, well-structured hat that works equally well for men and women.

Materials Required

• Yarn: 1 ball of Plymouth Yarn Encore Mega – a super bulky yarn that knits up rapidly and is known for its durability and wide color range
• Needles: A 16-inch circular needle in US size 15 for the brim and body, plus double-pointed needles (DPNs) in US size 11 or 13 for working the crown decreases as the stitch count reduces
• Notions: 1 stitch marker to mark the beginning of each round

Gauge

The pattern calls for a gauge of 2 stitches per inch over stockinette stitch on US size 15 needles. Because this is a hat with some inherent stretch and a single standard size, gauge is relatively forgiving, but working to gauge will ensure the best fit across a range of adult head sizes.

Techniques Used

• Casting on in the round: 40 stitches are loosely cast on and joined to work in the round on a 16-inch circular needle, with care taken not to twist the stitches before placing the marker
• Working in the round: The entire hat is knitted in the round from brim to crown, making it seamless and eliminating the need for any seaming or finishing joins
• Garter stitch in the round: Unlike flat knitting where garter stitch is simply knitting every row, working garter stitch in the round requires alternating a purl round and a knit round. The brim is worked for 11 total rounds in this manner, ending on a purl round, which creates the characteristic horizontal ridges of garter stitch
• Stockinette stitch in the round: After the garter brim, the body of the hat is worked in stockinette stitch by knitting every round until the hat reaches a total length of 6 inches from the cast-on edge
• Crown shaping with k2tog decreases: Seven decrease rounds are worked using the k2tog (knit two together) decrease, which leans to the right and creates a smooth, even reduction. Each round reduces the stitch count progressively, moving from k6/k2tog spacing down to a final round of all k2tog, neatly tapering the crown
• Transitioning to double-pointed needles: As the stitch count decreases and the circular needle becomes too long to accommodate the remaining stitches comfortably, the knitter switches to double-pointed needles to complete the crown shaping
• Finishing the crown: After the final decrease round, the yarn is cut and drawn through the remaining live stitches, pulled tight, and anchored securely before all ends are woven in

Stitches Used

• Garter Stitch (in the round): Alternating purl and knit rounds to create a ridged, textured fabric used for the brim
• Stockinette Stitch (in the round): Knitting every round to create a smooth, classic fabric used for the body of the hat
• k2tog (Knit