Free Easy Knit Beanie Hat Pattern for Circular Needles (8 Sizes for All the Family)

This free easy unisex hat knitting pattern makes a great first circular needle knitting project for beginners. It now comes in 8 sizes too – from newborn baby to XL adult. So you can knit hats for everyone!

Just need the adult size? Check out the original one size hat pattern instead which is easier to follow without all the extra size instructions.

Most of this hat pattern is just the basic knit stitch – easy peasy. There’s some rib stitch at the start for a good fit & simple k2tog decreases to shape the crown.

Don’t Know how to Knit with Circular Needles?

This beanie pattern is also available for straight knitting needles, knit flat and seamed down the back.

But if circular needles seem scary to you, knitting with a circular needle is actually very similar to using straights and this is the perfect project to give it a go! See how easy circular knitting is with my video tutorials:

• Step 1: See my circular needles for straight needle knitters guide
• Step 2: Move on to my knitting in the round for beginners tutorial
• Step 3: Knit this easy worsted hat pattern or my DK ribbed hat with a circular needle as you learn. 😊

What You Need

• 40m (newborn) -140m (XL fitted) or 160m (XL slouch) of worsted or aran weight yarn
  (1 small 50g ball of baby sizes, or 2 for a child-XL size hat).
  
• 5mm (us size 8) 16 inch (40 cm) circular knitting needle.
  If your yarn recommends a different size knitting needle, you can use that instead.
  You can also use a long circular (40 inch/100cm+) to knit the hat with magic loop or a set of DPNs.
  
• If using a 16 inch/40cm circular, knitting the final part of the hat is easier with one of the following:
  • Option 1: 1 short double pointed needle or straight cable needle, any size up to 5mm thick.
  • Option 2: 5mm long circular needle (at least 32 inches or 80 cm)
  • Option 3: A set of 5mm double pointed needles.
    
• Tapestry needle for closing the top of the hat & weaving in ends.

Sizing & Notes

• Standard aran gauge of 18 stitches and 24 rounds to 4 inches (10 cm) is suggested. But exact gauge is not important (especially vertical row gauge) as the hat is quite stretchy. For example, my Feels Like Butta gauge was 19 stitches and 28 rounds with 4.5mm needles. The hat is your swatch, there’s no need for test squares!
• The pattern includes options for a fitted (A), slouchy (B) and cuffed beanie (C) (where you turn the ribbing up).

Yarns I Used

Here are the yarn amounts & finished sizes (post wash) for the sample hats shown as a guide. It’s fine for your measurements to vary a bit depending on your yarn choice and gauge:

• Newborn hat (size 1): 40m Drops Nepal aran/heavy worsted yarn in shade dandelion (yellow).
• Child hat (size 5): 86m Rico Essentials Soft Merino Aran in shade azalea (lighter pink/coral).
• Adult hats (size 7):
  • 90m (half a ball approx) Lion Brand Wool Ease worsted yarn (lighter weight acrylic with wool mix) for the mustard fitted beanie hat which is 10 inches wide by 8.75 inches tall.
  • 102m (1.3 balls) of Drops Nepal aran yarn (heavier soft wool & alpaca mix) in shade cerise (dark pink), finished size 10.25 inches wide by 9 inches tall.
  • 130m approx (2/3 ball) Lion Brand Feels Like Butta polyester yarn (heavy soft brushed cotton or velvety feel) with a smaller 4.5mm (us size 7) circular needle as recommended on the ball band in shade lilac to make the pale purple slouchy beanie hat, which is 9.5 inches wide by 10 inches tall.

New for 2025: Check out my free ribbed hat pattern in DK yarn for another easy knit hat project

Abbreviations

• k2tog – knit 2 stitches together (decrease 1 stitch)
• kx – knit next x stitches
• px – purl next x stitches
• () x n times – repeat the instructions inside () n times
• [1,2,3,4] [5,6] [7,8]: instructions for each size with baby, youth & adult sizes grouped in [] for clarity.
  NB [-] means instruction does not apply for that size.

Easy Beanie Circular Needle Knitting Pattern

Knit a beanie hat in the round with this easy free pattern

Cast On

Cast on [56 newborn, 64 3-6 mths, 72 6-12 mths, 76 toddler] [80 child, 84 teen] [88 adult, 96 XL] stitches. I used the long tail cast on (tutorial here), which works well for knitting in the round, but you can use whichever cast on you like best.

Knit Brim in Rib Stitch

Join to knit in the round. Knit 1 stitch, purl 1 stitch and repeat this pattern until the end of the round to do k1p1 ribbing. See how in my knitting in the round for beginners video.

Knit [5,5,7,7] of rib for baby sizes or 9 rows for child size or larger, or your desired ribbing height.

Folded cuff beanie (Option C) only: do [7,7,10,10] rounds of rib for baby sizes or 13-17 rounds for child size or larger for a deeper brim that you will turn up.

Knit Stockinette until Desired Height

Switch to knitting every stitch in each round i.e. knit in stockinette.
For larger sizes, try it on after knitting about 3 inches (including rib) if possible, to check it’s a comfy fit.
If you’re using a short circular, you will need to move 20-30 stitches temporarily to a spare needle before you try on, to avoid losing stitches off the tips of your circular when your knitting expands on your head.

Fitted beanie (option A): knit until your piece is [3, 4, 3.75, 5] [5, 6.25] [6, 6.75] inches including rib.

Slouchy beanie (option B): knit until your piece is [3.75, 4.75, 4.75, 6] [6, 7.75] [7.5, 8.25] inches including rib, or longer for more slouch.

Cuffed beanie (option C): knit [3, 4, 3.75, 5] [5, 6.25] [6, 6.75] inches of stockinette for a fitted hat or [3.75, 4.75, 4.75, 6] [6, 7.75] [7.5, 8.25] inches for a slouchy hat (or longer for extra slouch). 

1st Decreases: Size 6-12 months Upwards Only

(K2tog, K[-,-,16,17] [18,19] [20,21]) x 4 times to decrease 4 stitches evenly around – [56,64,68,72] [76,80] [84,92] stitches.
Knit 3 rounds even (knit every stitch no decreases).

2nd Decreases: Sizes 6-12 mths, Child, Adult, XL only

(K2tog, K[-,-,15,-],[17,-],[19,20]) x 4 times to decrease another 4 stitches – [56,64,64,72] [72,80] [80,88] stitches.
Knit 3 rounds even.

Main Crown Decreases: All Sizes

(K2tog, K6) x [7,8,8,9] [9,10] [10,11] times to decrease [7,8,8,9] [9,10] [10,11] stitches evenly around – [49,56,56,63] [63,70] [70,77] stitches
Knit 1 round even
(K2tog, K5) x [7,8,8,9] [9,10] [10,11] times-[42,48,48,54] [54,60] [60,66] stitches
Knit 1 round even
(K2tog, K4) x [7,8,8,9] [9,10] [10,11] times- [35,40,40,45] [45,50] [50,55] stitches
Knit 1 round even
(K2tog, K3) x [7,8,8,9] [9,10] [10,11] times – [28,32,32,36] [36,40] [40,44] stitches
Knit 1 round even

Note: Knitting in the round on a short circular with a small number of stitches can be tricky. Watch the video tutorial or read about 4 ways to do this below before doing the rest of the decreases:

(K2tog, K2) x [7,8,8,9] [9,10] [10,11] times – [21,24,24,27] [27,30] [30,33] stitches
Knit 1 round even
(K2tog, K1) x [7,8,8,9] [9,10] [10,11] times – [14,16,16,18] [18,20] [20,22] stitches
Knit 1 round even
K2tog x [7,8,8,9] [9,10] [10,11] times – [7,8,8,9] [9,10] [10,11] stitches left.

Finish the Hat

See my hat finishing tutorial (including 5 min video) here →
Leaving a long tail, cut the yarn. Thread it through the remaining stitches twice & gather to close the top of the hat. Weave in the end down the back of your hat. Finally weave in the cast on tail into the rib stitches at the bottom of your hat.

How to Knit the Top of a Hat in the Round

Knitting the top of a hat with a 16 inch circular needle is the tricky bit. As you decrease more and more stitches, you get to a point where your stitches no longer fill your circular needle, which makes knitting in the round awkward.

One option is to move some stitches to a spare needle in the final rounds. Watch the video tutorial below for step by step instructions, including showing you the final 4 rounds of this pattern:

Or learn about 3 other ways you can finish knitting the top of your hat here.

I hope you enjoy knitting this easy beanie hat with a circular needle. It’s a great way to practise knitting in the round while making something practical you can wear everyday or give as a special gift. Got any questions or feedback on this pattern? Just leave a comment below.

This free pattern is for personal, non-commercial use only. It may not be copied, sold, translated or distributed in any way, nor any finished items made using it sold, without permission.