Classic Brioche Hat: Free Hat Knitting Pattern

Введение

Classic Brioche Hat

Oooh, a super soft and cozy hat that slips right over your ears and makes you feel all safe and snuggly… Now that’s a hat!

Our Classic Brioche Hat knitting pattern is one such hat thanks, in part, to the brioche stitch. Basically a rib pattern that incorporates yarn overs, brioche stitch is exceptionally lofty, extra squishy, and insulating, too!

If you’ve never knit brioche before, here is a very good place to start! Practice very basic one-color brioche until you get to the crown, then learn basic right- and left-leaning brioche decreases. Our video tutorials walk you through every step, first with one for brioche stitch itself, then with one for basic brioche decreases… Both techniques are fun to learn and even more fun to know!

Okay, brioche stitch, check. Now add to that our Cashmere Merino Bloom yarn, and you’re in ultimate hat territory! Extra fine merino lends durability and elasticity, while cashmere boosts the coziness and provides a soft and very beautiful bloom, like a warm halo.

To knit up any size Classic Brioche Hat from baby to adult large, you’ll need just one skein of Cashmere Merino Bloom. One skein? Amazing!

Yarn lovers, if you adore the yarn used in this project, you’ll love exploring all of our other yarn collections! Discover over 55 thoughtfully designed yarns in nearly every natural fiber and in every spectacular color you can imagine. Only available here at Purl Soho’s online yarn store, where every skein is created with care and your creativity in mind!

UPDATE: TWO-COLOR VERSION

SEPTEMBER 2025

Now you can knit a two-color version of this beloved hat, with a folded brim that shows off the reversible fabric. Pick two colors of Cashmere Merino Bloom and cast on for our Two-Color Brioche Hat pattern… Discover just how easy and fun two-color brioche is!

Share your progress and connect with the community by tagging your pics with #PurlSoho. We can’t wait to see what you make!

Want to print this pattern? On desktop, find the “print” icon in the right margin, and on mobile, scroll to the end of the pattern for it. Use the on-screen instructions to remove anything you don’t want to print!

Materials

1 skein of Purl Soho’s Cashmere Merino Bloom, 75% extra fine merino and 25% cashmere. Each skein is 218 yards; approximately 94 (122, 163, 218) yards required.
US 4 (3.25 mm), 16-inch circular knitting needles
A set of US 4 double pointed needles OR US 4, 32-inch circular needles for Magic Loop
Stitch markers, including one unique

For our samples we knit the following sizes in the following colors (NOTE: Some of these colors are no longer available…

Baby: Wheat Flour

Kid: Crocus Bud

Adult Small: Blue Jeans

Gauge

16 stitches and 24 rounds = 4 inches in brioche stitch

22 stitches and 32 rounds = 4 inches in stockinette stitch

Sizes

Baby (Kid, Adult Small, Adult Large)

Finished Circumference: 15 (18, 21, 24) inches
Finished Height: 6½ (7½, 8½, 9½) inches

For help choosing a hat size, check out our complete guide on How to Knit the Right Hat Size!

Notes

Slip Stitches

Slip all slipped stitches purlwise with yarn in back.

Brioche Abbreviations

YOS (yarn over slip): Bring yarn forward, slip 1 purlwise, bring yarn over right needle.

BK2TOG (brioche knit 2 together): Knit the next stitch together with its paired yarn over.

BP2TOG (brioche purl 2 together): Purl the next stitch together with its paired yarn over.

For tips on working the steps of Brioche Stitch, please visit our Brioche Stitch Tutorial!

Brioche Decreases

Left Leaning Brioche Decrease

BSK2P (brioche slip knit 2 pass): Slip 1 brioche stitch with its paired yarn over knitwise, k2tog (the next purl stitch with the following knit stitch and its paired yarn over), pass the slip stitch and its paired yarn over together over and off the right needle. [2 stitches decreased]

Right Leaning Brioche Decrease

BK3TOG (brioche knit 3 together): K2tog (the next knit stitch with its paired yarn over and the following purl stitch), slip the resulting stitch back to the left needle, pass the following stitch (a knit stitch and its paired yarn over) over the first stitch on the left needle and off the left needle, move the resulting stitch back to the right needle. [2 stitches decreased]

For tips on working the steps of Brioche Decreases, please visit our Brioche Stitch: Basic Decreases Tutorial!

Pattern

Body

Cast on 60 (72, 84, 96) stitches. We used a basic Long Tail Cast On.

Place unique marker and join for working in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.

Set-Up Round: *K1, YOS (see Notes), repeat from * to end of round.

Round 1: *YOS, bp2tog (see Notes), repeat from * to end of round.

Round 2: *Bk2tog (see Notes), YOS, repeat from * to end of round.

Repeat Rounds 1 and 2 until piece measures 5¼ (5¾, 6½, 7¼) inches from cast-on edge.

Crown

NOTE: Change to double pointed needles if/when necessary.

Set-Up Round: *[YOS, bp2tog] 10 (12, 14 16) times, place marker (pm), repeat from * to end of round.

Round 1: [Bsk2p (see Notes) *YOS, bk2tog, repeat from * to 5 stitches before next marker (not counting yarn overs), YOS, bk3tog (see Notes), YOS, slip marker] 3 times. [12 stitches decreased]

Round 2: *YOS, bp2tog, repeat from * to end of round.

Round 3: *Bk2tog, YOS, repeat from * to end of round.

Round 4: Repeat Round 2.

Repeat Rounds 1-4 three (4, 5, 6) more times, ending with Round 4. [12 stitches remain]

Cut yarn and thread tail onto a tapestry needle. Thread tail through remaining stitches. Pull taut and bring tail to inside of hat to weave in.

Weave in the ends and block as desired.

Learn About Cashmere Merino Bloom + All Our Beautiful Yarns

Soft, supple, and toasty warm, Cashmere Merino Bloom is an absolute knitting joy! A light worsted/DK-weight yarn, it is made with 25% of the most exquisite cashmere in the world and 75% extra fine merino wool and benefits from both fibers: cashmere for over-the-top softness and beautiful bloom and merino for resilience, durability, and even more softness. Cashmere Merino Bloom has an incredible hand feel with a gentle halo that illuminates your knitting… A gorgeous choice!

More Knitting Patterns

Be sure to explore our collection of (mostly free!) Cashmere Merino Bloom patterns and cast on!

More Light Worsted/ DK Weight Yarns

Shop our entire collection of light worsted/DK-weight yarns (What does DK-weight yarn mean, really? Our guide to DK yarn will answer your questions and demystify.)
If you want to use a different yarn, be sure to take the time to get the correct gauge. Need help? Check our All About Gauge Tutorial, our Yarn Substitution article, and our Complete Guide To Yarn for lots of helpful information.

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