Simple Garter Hat in Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool - 90624AD

Simple Garter Hat in Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool – Free Knitting Pattern (90624AD)

This free downloadable knitting pattern from Lion Brand Yarn guides knitters through creating a classic, cozy hat using Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool. Designed with absolute beginners in mind, the Simple Garter Hat is an ideal first hat project — knitted flat in a single rectangle and then seamed together, eliminating the need for circular needles or complex shaping techniques. The result is a warm, stretchy hat suitable for the whole family.

What Is Being Made

The pattern produces a knitted hat with a finished circumference of approximately 20 inches (51 cm), designed to stretch and fit a range of head sizes. Three finished length options are available — 8 inches (20.5 cm), 10 inches (25.5 cm), and 12 inches (30.5 cm) — making it easy to customize the hat for children, teens, or adults simply by knitting more or fewer rows.

Techniques Used

• Flat knitting: The entire hat body is worked flat on straight needles, making this accessible to anyone who has not yet learned to knit in the round.
• Casting on: The pattern begins with a standard cast-on of 80 stitches.
• Gathering the crown: Once the piece reaches the desired length, stitches are bound off and a long yarn tail is threaded through the last row, then pulled to gather the top of the hat — a simple and effective technique for shaping the crown without any decreases.
• Seaming: The two short edges of the knitted rectangle are sewn together to form the hat's side seam, creating the cylindrical shape.
• Weaving in ends: Standard finishing technique to secure all yarn tails neatly inside the work.

Stitches Used

• Garter stitch: The entire hat is worked in garter stitch — knitting every single row. This is the most fundamental stitch pattern in knitting, requiring only the knit stitch, which makes it perfect for beginners. Garter stitch creates a ridged, stretchy, reversible fabric with a pleasant texture that lies flat without curling, making it especially well-suited for a hat that needs to stretch comfortably around the head.
• Knit stitch: The only stitch required throughout the entire pattern.
• Bind off: A standard bind-off row closes the stitches at the end of the piece.

Materials

• Yarn: Lion Brand Fishermen's Wool in Nature's Brown — 1 ball is sufficient for the entire project. Fishermen's Wool is a worsted-weight, 100% pure wool yarn known for its durability, warmth, and natural character, making it an excellent choice for cold-weather accessories.
• Needles: Lion Brand Knitting Needles, Size 9 (5.5 mm) straight needles.
• Notions: A set of Large-Eye Blunt Needles (included as a set of 6) for seaming and weaving in ends.

Gauge

The pattern calls for a gauge of 16 stitches and 22 rows over 4 inches (10 cm) in garter stitch. Checking gauge before beginning is strongly recommended to ensure the finished hat matches the intended dimensions and that the single ball of yarn is sufficient to complete the project.

Skill Level and Ideal Knitter

Rated as a Beginner pattern, the Simple Garter Hat (Pattern Number 90624AD) is perfectly suited for those just learning to knit. Because it uses only the knit stitch, requires no shaping decreases, and is worked on straight needles, it builds foundational skills — casting on, maintaining even tension, binding off, gathering, and seaming — all within a single, practical, wearable project. It makes an excellent gift item as well, given how quickly it can be completed.