I can’t think of an accessory more ubiquitous at this time of year than a plain ribbed toque. With a turned-up brim, worn pushed back on yer head to create some stylish slouch, or – as my co-worker Elaine has explained to me her husband prefers – “just long enough to cover the ears, no more, that’s the only way he’ll wear a hat”.
to each their own, eh
The ribbing ensures a stretchy hat that will fit close to your head and resist chilly winds, and is mindless enough for travel/TV knitting. (Also an excellent opportunity to try out the continental knitting method if you haven’t yet – it makes switching the yarn between back/front much faster!) So in honour of this toasty cold-weather accessory, and all who wear them, here’s a pattern for one in worsted weight!
Classic Ribbed Toque
Sizes
Baby (16-18”) (Child (18-20”), Adult Small (20-22”), Adult Large (22-25”))
Keep in mind that the ribbed texture makes the hat incredibly stretchy, so it will provide a close fit even if it’s a bit too big/small.
Requirements
- 100g of worsted weight yarn, 5 stitch markers, yarn needle for weaving in ends
- 4.5mm circular needles/DPNs (whatever needle type is required for your preferred circular method – 40”/100cm for magic loop, or 16”/40 cm + DPNs, etc) If you are a tight knitter, I recommend going up to a 5mm.
In my example I used Rowan Pure Wool Superwash in their tonal colour Olive, on 24”/60cm US7/4.5mm Knitter’s Pride Cubics, pulling excess circular wire out when the hat started to decrease. I made the large adult size and had 18g leftover.
Abbreviations
ssk: Slip two stitches from the left needle to the right as if you had knit them, slip both back to the left needle as if purling them, knit them together through their back loops as if they are one stitch.
k2tog: Knit two stitches together as if they are one stitch.
s1k2togpsso: Slip one as if to knit, k2tog, pass the slipped stitch over the k2tog you just did.
Pattern
CO 64 (72, 80, 88) stitches. Join in the round, careful not to twist. Place marker indicating the start of your round.
Round 1: *Knit 1, Purl 1* repeat from * to * til the end of the round.
Work in established K1, P1 ribbing for 6.5(8.5, 9, 11) inches, slipping the beginning marker as you come to it.
- This length assumes you want a ‘brim’ to fold up and cover the ears, or worn long for a ‘slouchy’ style hat. Feel free to customize the hat by knitting the plain ribbed tube longer or shorter!
Decreases
Note: Instructions with * * indicate that the section within * and * is repeated four times per round. The Adult Large size begins at Row 1, Adult Small at Row 3, Child at Row 5, Baby at Row 7. Begin at the row for your size and follow the decrease instructions to the final row, Row 16.
Row 1: *PM (place marker), ssk, (k1, p1) 8 times, k1, k2tog, PM, p1* (80 stitches)
Row 2: Knit in pattern, slipping all markers as you come to them: *K1, (k1, p1) 8 times, k2, p1*
Row 3: *SM (slip marker), ssk, p1, (k1, p1) 7 times, k2tog, SM, p1* (72 stitches)
Row 4: Knit in pattern: (k1, p1) to end
Row 5: *SM, ssk, (k1, p1) 6 times, k1, k2tog, SM, p1* (64 stitches)
Row 6: Knit in pattern: *k1, (k1, p1) 6 times, k2, p1*
Row 7: *SM, ssk, p1, (k1, p1) 5 times, k2tog, SM, p1* (56 stitches)
Row 8: Knit in pattern: (k1, p1) to end
Row 9: *SM, ssk, (k1 p1) 4 times, k1, k2tog, SM, p1* (48 stitches)
Row 10: Knit in pattern: *k1, (k1, p1) 4 times, k2, p1*
Row 11: *SM, ssk, p1, (k1, p1) 3 times, k2tog, SM, p1* (40 stitches)
Row 12: Knit in pattern: (k1, p1) to end
Row 13: *SM, ssk, k1, p1, k1, p1, k1, k2tog, SM, p1* (32 stitches)
Row 14: *SM, ssk, p1, k1, p1, k2tog, SM, p1* (24 stitches)
Row 15: *SM, ssk, k1, k2tog, SM, p1* (16 stitches)
Row 16: *remove marker, s1k2togpsso, remove marker, p1* (8 stitches)
Break yarn, weave through remaining stitches, pulling the yarn to bring the stitches together and close the hole. Weave it in on the inside of the hat. Weave in any other ends. Promptly stick on a loved ones’ noggin and wallow in their endless praise.
Chloe
True North Yarn Co. 
Hi, I have a question. Am using your pattern, thanks for sharing, to make a Christmas gift. Am making a slight change by using a provisional cast on knit for 11 inches and the knitting th stitches from the provisional cast on to make a double brim. My question is: can I just follow the instructions after i knit the live stitches on the needle and the stitches to the provisional cast on? Thanks for responding.
Sharon
Hi Sharon!
If I understand your question, there’s no reason you can’t pick up the stitches from your provisional cast-on and keep ribbing til the brim is your desired length, then cast off! You may notice a jog in the row where you switched direction/picked up, but as that is the point that it folds on I don’t think it will look wrong/be perceivable as a mistake in the finished piece, if that makes sense. Best of luck – and let me know if I didn’t understand/answer the question correctly!
Hi, how long is this in total (including the brim)?
Hi Laura!
Depends on several factors – which size, if it is stretched or unstretched, if the brim is included as folded or unfolded, etc! 🙂 The large would be around 14″ long, unstretched, unfolded, cast on edge to tip of the head, if that helps! 🙂 You do have full control over making it shorter or longer to your taste, by starting the crown decreases sooner or later respectively~
Thanks, that’s all I needed 😁💖
Hi! I’m making this on 30” circular needles and I’m having trouble at the row 11 stage getting the stitches to stay taut. This is the first hat i’m knitting and I’m wondering if there’s a way to fix/finish off the hat even with these looser stitches
Hi Anika! I’m not sure exactly what you mean, but it is normal for the last few rounds to feel a bit uncomfortable – as you are rapidly decreasing, and the weight of the hat is on fewer and fewer stitches, it can feel like the hat is hanging on for dear life, haha! If this is the case, then in my experience the key is to keep working through, which will allow each stitch to relax as it is worked and moves further into the fabric, sharing the load with the stitches around it. While the weight of a project can make the stitches seem stretched, it is a temporary feeling, not a long-term effect on the stitches. Some knitters find it more comfortable to rest their project on their lap or desk for this last little bit too, to relieve the weight. Again, I’m not entirely sure if this is the problem that you are describing – you are always welcome to email pics to us at info@truenorthyarn.com so we can see what you’re seeing! 🙂
Hello, I have several questions!
I am beginning the decrease round for adult size small. I’m trying to understand the instructions for row 3;
1. does “ssk,p1(k1,p1) 7 times” indicate that I should ssk, then p1, then k1 and p1 and repeat those steps 7 times?
2. I’m also confused because I only have one marker at the start of my round, but the instructions are telling me to SM before I ever reach it.
Help and thank you!
Hi Alex! All good questions!
1. The 7 outside of the bracket, means the things in the bracket are done 7 times, so instead of;
SSK, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, K1, P1, k2tog, SM, p1 which can be hard to read/keep track of, it becomes;
SSK, P1, (K1, P1) 7 times, K2tog, SM, P1
2. For your first round of decreases, you can read SM as PM (place markers) – the markers do the job of splitting the top of your hat into four easy-to-see quadrants, with one special, lone P1 in between each quadrant to keep the decreases looking tidy. 🙂
I hope this has helped! Let me know if you have any questions~
-Chloe
Thanks Chloe! This helped a ton! One final question: since I’ll be using the first two stitches to knit together, and then purl the next stitch, does this switch the k1/p1 rib that I’ve done for the body of the hat?
Thanks again!
It will! You will find that each row will address the shifting of knits and purls – as the decreases will interrupt what has been, up til now, a very reliable flow! The rule is always going to be true: knit the knit stitches and purl the purl stitches, you just may find that sometimes now that could mean there are two knits in a row or two purls in a row, depending on the row!
Do you know the stitch gauge for this project? I usually have to change needle size to match the gauge of a project.
Hi Chris! Excellent question – measuring gauge on ribbing is particularly tricky, fortunately ribbing is equally as forgiving & stretchy a fabric as it is difficult to measure! My tension using 4.50mm needles and this yarn, in stockinette stitch, is 18 stitches to 4″. In 1×1 ribbing, depending on if you are measuring it stretched or unstretched, can range from 16 stitches (fully stretched) to 30 stitches (unstretched) – this is because the purl columns in the fabric, when unstretched, ‘disappear’ to the back of the fabric.
I hope that helps – let me know if you have any questions!
-Chloe