Helmet Liner and Matching Cowl in Plymouth Galway Worsted - F308

Helmet Liner and Matching Cowl in Plymouth Yarn Galway Worsted – Pattern F308

This free downloadable knitting pattern from Plymouth Yarn (design number F308) provides instructions for two coordinating knitted accessories: a helmet liner hat and a matching cowl, both worked in Plymouth Yarn Galway Worsted. Originally created as a charitable initiative, the pattern notes that only finished items made from 100% wool will be accepted for donation, as acrylic yarn is unsuitable due to its tendency to melt at high temperatures. Colors are specified as appropriate to a military context — tan, brown, gray, olive, or black.

About the Yarn: Plymouth Yarn Galway Worsted

Plymouth Yarn Galway Worsted is a 100% wool yarn sold in 100g balls. It is a worsted-weight yarn well suited to structured, durable knitted fabrics. Its all-wool composition makes it ideal for functional accessories like helmet liners and cowls, providing warmth, breathability, and resilience. Notably, a single ball of Galway Worsted is sufficient to knit two helmet liner hats, or alternatively one cowl, making this pattern an economical use of materials.

Needles and Notions

• US Size 8 – 16" circular needles (or size needed to obtain gauge) for the body of both the hat and the cowl
• US Size 8 double pointed needles (DPNs) for shaping the crown of the helmet liner
• 1 stitch marker for marking the beginning of rounds
• A yarn needle for finishing and weaving in ends

Gauge

The pattern calls for a gauge of 18 stitches = 4 inches in Stockinette stitch. Achieving the correct gauge is important for ensuring the helmet liner fits an adult head comfortably, with a finished circumference of 22 inches.

Design 1: Helmet Liner Hat

The helmet liner is a classic, close-fitting knitted hat sized to fit an adult head with a finished circumference of 22 inches. It is worked entirely in the round, beginning on a circular needle and transitioning to double pointed needles as the crown decreases require it. The construction is straightforward and well suited to confident beginner and intermediate knitters.

Techniques Used

• Knitting in the round on circular needles
• Transitioning from circular to double pointed needles for crown shaping
• Ribbing for the brim
• Stockinette stitch for the body
• Decrease rounds for crown shaping
• Finishing: threading yarn tail through remaining stitches to close the crown, and weaving in ends

Stitches Used

• K1, P1 rib — worked for the first 5 rounds to create a stretchy, neat brim
• Stockinette stitch (St st) — knit every round, worked for approximately 5 inches above the ribbing to form the body of the hat
• K2tog (knit two together) — a right-leaning decrease used repeatedly throughout the crown shaping rounds to reduce stitch count evenly

Construction Details

The hat begins with a loose cast-on of 90 stitches onto a 16-inch circular needle. A stitch marker is placed and the work is joined in the round, taking care not to twist. Rounds 1 through 5 are worked in K1, P1 rib, establishing a tidy, elastic brim. The work then continues in Stockinette stitch — knitting every round — until the piece measures 5 inches above the ribbing.

Crown shaping is achieved through a series of 13 decrease rounds, alternating decrease rounds with plain knit rounds in the early stages. Each decrease round uses the K2tog