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Free Dog Hat Knitting Patterns Available Online

One day I visited Pinterest and discovered a little bear cub hat pattern that was “recommended for you.” It got me thinking about all the cute little animal hat patterns I’ve seen here and there online. And if you know me at all, you probably know that this immediately made me think, “Aha! A new series!”

So here we are at the beginning of a fun new series that I’ll call “free animal hat knitting patterns.”

We’re going to start with dog hats. Why? Well, if you must know, it’s because I once bought a very large skein of handspun pink yarn (I don’t even remember what fiber) at church one day, when a missionary brought in several different handcrafted items from a third-world country. I bought this skein because my younger daughter fell in love with it and asked if I could make her a “puppy hat” with it.

I’m sure by now you’ve guessed that I have yet to make her that hat. Oops. So yes, I’m seeking out doggie hats for myself, and I’m bringing all of you with me!

Free Dog Hats Available Online

Happy Puppy Dog Hat: This is probably the easiest of the hats to make. You make a basic stockinette stitch hat with a ribbed brim, then you knit ears and attach it to the hat. The nice thing about this pattern is that even though it’s sized just for a 2- or 3-year-old, you can easily attach the big floppy ears to a hat of any size.

Puppy Hat: This adorable puppy hat is definitely worth a try; it offers not only adorable floppy ears but also ear flaps and an embroidered face.

Puppy Hat (Newborn Size): This hat is a little more complex: it’s designed to be knitted using the Magic Loop method, has various “facial features” that are knitted and sewn on afterwards, and also features some embroidery. An ambitious beginner should be able to tackle this seriously darling pattern.

Newborn Puppy Hat: Another newborn puppy hat, but this one is much simpler and more like Happy Puppy Hat pattern. The biggest difference is that this hat is designed for young babies. So cute!

Spotted Puppy Hat: This hat is one of my favorites. It’s designed to not only be spotted (like a Dalmatian!) but also be customizable, so you can put spots wherever you want.

Dog Hat for Baby: This hat uses buttons for the eyes and nose, turns the brim of the hat into a “collar” for the dog, and features an adorable “spot” around one of the dog’s eyes.

Bow Wow Beanie: This darling cap features a muzzle, embroidered eyes, nose, and mouth, and a cute little tongue. It’s designed for babies, but I wonder if a thicker yarn could result in a larger size perfect for adults… (Be sure to download the pattern through Ravelry rather than trying to access it through the designer’s website, as all her patterns are now available only through her Ravelry shop.)

Easy Cute Dog Hat with Floppy Ears: Pretty self explanatory, really! What I like about this pattern is that it’s available in sizes from toddler to adult.

Encore Worsted Doggie Hat: The previous hat patterns are all doggie-shaped (ears, face, etc.). This and the remaining dog hats have dog- or dog-related designs built into the pattern itself, usually through colorwork. This adorable hat (meant primarily for children) features adorable paw prints and a cute little “bone” dangling from a cord.

Pug Love: This gorgeous hat pattern features a line of pugs in colorwork that circle the hat. It’s an adult pattern that is perfect for the pug-lover in your life. (You may have to go through a “checkout” process in order to access the pattern, but rest assured it is free.)

German Shepherd Dog Hat: Yet another beautiful colorwork dog hat, this time featuring German Shepherds. This, too, is an adult pattern.

Canaan Dog Ty4Ever: This colorwork dog hat features the rare Canaan dog, though I personally see a terrier resemblance. Regardless, this is a lovely pattern that many dog lovers will adore.

Dog Paw Hat Chart: This is just, strictly, a chart for adding a dog paw design into a hat through double-knitting. The designer notes, “no double-knit directions. There are many wonderful doubleknit hat patterns out there, so I decided not to re-invent the wheel.” If you’ve never tried double-knitting a hat before, check out this pattern/tutorial that you can use in conjunction with this chart.

I hope you enjoyed these adorable and/or beautiful dog hat patterns! Stay tuned for more animal hat patterns over the next several weeks.