Knit Owl Hat Pattern

Knit owl hat size:

Head circumference: 50-52 cm (20 – 20.5”).

Gauge: 16-17 stitches = 4 inches in stockinette

Common abbreviations of knitting stitches:

K – knit

P – purl

sel s – selvage stitch: always slip the first stitch knitwise, work to the last stitch, purl the last stitch

st(s) – stitch(es)

WS – wrong side

RS – right side

Cable 3 Back (C3B): Slip 3 knit stitches to the extra needle and hold in back of work, k3 from the left-hand needle, k3 from the extra needle.

Cable 3 Front (C3F): Slip 3 knit stitches to the extra needle and hold in front of work, k3 from the left-hand needle, k3 from the extra needle.

Cable 5 Back (C5B): Slip 5 knit stitches to the extra needle and hold in back of work, k5 from the left-hand needle, k5 from the extra needle.

Cable 5 Front (C5F): Slip 5 knit stitches to the extra needle and hold in front of work, k5 from the left-hand needle, k5 from the extra needle.

k2tog – knit two together.

Owl hat knitting pattern:

Cast on:

Using the long tail cast-on method cast on 90 stitches. For an adult-size cast on 110 -120 sts.

Rows 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11 (WS): sel s, purl all stitches, sel s.

Rows 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 (RS): sel s, knit all stitches, sel s.

Place stitch markers in the following order: 35 sts, pm, 20 sts (owl), pm, 35 sts. If you knit the adult size find the central 20 stitches for the owl and place stitch markers in the same way.

Knitting the owl:

Row 1 (RS): sel s, p34, C3B, [p1, k1] – repeat 4 times, C3F, p34, sel s.

Rows 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 ,12 ,14, 16, 18, 20 (WS): sel s, k34, p2, [k1, p1] – repeat 7 times, k1, p3, k34, sel s.

Rows 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 (RS): sel s, p34, k2, [p1, k1] – repeat 7 times, p1, k3, p34, sel s.

Row 21: sel s, p34, C5B, C5F, p34, sel s.

Rows 22, 24, 26, 28, 30: sel s, k34, p20, k34, sel s.

Rows 23, 25, 27, 29: sel s, p34, k20, p34, sel s.

Row 31: sel s, p34, C5B, C5F, p34, sel s.

Rows 32, 34: sel s, k34, p5, k10, p5, k34, sel s.

Rows 33, 35: sel s, p34, k5, p10, k5, p34, sel s.

We have finished knitting owl at this point.

Row 36: sel s, knit all stitches, sel s.

Row 37: sel s, purl all stitches, sel s.

Repeat the last 2 rows until the hat reaches the desired length. Child size – minimum 20 cm, Adult size – minimum 23 cm. Measure the hat from the row where the owl was started in the knitting process

Shaping the crown:

Make decreases on the wrong side.

Row 1 (WS): [k2tog] – repeat across.

Cut the yarn leaving a 30-40 cm tail. Thread the tail through the remaining stitches, and pull tight to close the crown. Using mattress stitch, seam the hat on the right side. The seam will be almost half of the whole hat’s height. Make sure to line up your sides correctly. You can use locking stitch markers to pin the sides of your hat in place in order not to end up with a lopsided seam. Go underneath the first little bar between 2 selvage stitches on the right side (you can start seaming on either side), after that go underneath the first little bar between 2 selvage stitches on the left side. *Draw the yarn through the next bar on the right side, draw the yarn through the next bar on the left side. Repeat from *.

Knitting owl ear tufts:

For the owl ear tufts, cut three strands measuring 13-15 cm each. Using a crochet hook, pull them through the corner of each ear and secure them with a knot. Trim the strands to create a uniform length for a neat appearance.

Create two tassels (check the video tutorial if you have never done them before) and affix them to the right and left corners of the hat. Additionally, you have the option to knit an i-cord for the hat’s ties.  Glue owl eyes.

Weave in all ends.