Acorn Hat in Spud & Chloe - OTR10 - Downloadable PDF

Acorn Hat Knitting Pattern by Susan B. Anderson – Spud & Chloë On the Run Series

The Acorn Hat is a charming, beginner-friendly knitted hat pattern designed by Susan B. Anderson as part of the Spud & Chloë On the Run collection. Available as a downloadable PDF, this pattern produces a cozy, textured hat with a distinctive two-tone acorn-inspired look, achieved through a clever inside-out knitting technique that creates a natural color-blocked silhouette. The pattern is sized to fit multiple ages, with stitch counts given for newborn through larger sizes, making it a versatile project for knitters who want to create handmade gifts for little ones.

What Is Being Made

This pattern creates a knitted hat worked in the round from the brim to the crown. The finished design mimics the look of an acorn, with one color forming the lower body of the hat and a second color forming the textured cap section. The inside-out construction technique is central to achieving the acorn aesthetic, giving the hat its characteristic bumpy, seed-like upper section. The pattern includes four sizes to accommodate a range of head circumferences, from newborn up through larger sizes, with stitch counts of 28, 32, 36, and 40 stitches respectively.

Techniques Used

• Knitting in the round – The hat is worked entirely in the round using a circular needle, with the option to use double pointed needles for the smallest newborn size if the stitch count is too small to fit comfortably on the circular needle.
• Inside-out knitting – A key technique in this pattern involves turning the hat inside out partway through construction so that the wrong side faces outward. This causes the purl bumps of Stockinette stitch to appear on the right side of the hat, creating the bumpy, acorn cap texture in the second color section.
• Crown shaping – Decreases are worked at the top of the hat to shape the crown and close the top, a standard technique in hat construction that draws the stitches together neatly.
• Joining in the round – Stitches are cast on and joined carefully to avoid twisting, a fundamental skill for circular knitting.
• Color changing – The pattern uses two colors of yarn, switching from color A to color B at a specific point in the construction to create the two-tone acorn effect.

Stitches Used

• Knit (K) – The primary stitch used throughout the body and crown of the hat.
• Purl (P) – Used in the ribbed brim section and, through the inside-out technique, appears as the textured surface of the acorn cap portion.
• K1, P1 Ribbing – The brim of the hat is worked in a simple one-by-one rib over two rounds, providing a neat, slightly stretchy edge.
• Stockinette Stitch (St st) – The main body of the hat is worked in Stockinette stitch, which in the round means knitting every round. After the hat is turned inside out, the Stockinette stitch creates the purl-side texture on the outside of the acorn cap section.
• K2tog (Knit 2 Together) – A basic right-leaning decrease used during crown shaping to reduce stitch count and close the top of the hat.

Materials

• Yarn: Spud & Chloë Outer – a super chunky weight yarn, used in two colors (referred to as Color A and Color B in the pattern). One 100g/60-yard hank of each color is required. The use of a super chunky yarn means this hat knits up quickly, making it especially suitable for beginner knitters.
• Needles: Size 15 (10mm) 16-inch circular needle, or the size needed to obtain gauge. Double pointed needles (dpns) in the same size may also be needed for the newborn size.
• Notions: A stitch marker is used to mark the beginning of each round.

Who This Pattern Is For

The Acorn Hat