13 Free Knitting Patterns to Use Your Scrap Yarn for Fabulous Hats

Keep out the cold with these free knitting patterns for hats using leftover yarn

Once upon a time, I was living through my fourth fall season in northeastern Oklahoma, after living in northeastern Ohio for most of my life.

Winter-like cold had arrived far earlier than usual. I thought I was prepared, as before I left Ohio, I had purchased a warm winter coat.

However, this coat had one significant flaw: a very floppy hood.

As long as the hood was up and over my head, there was no issue. It kept my head nicely warm when it is up. But when the wind blows? That hood fell right off my head.

And in Oklahoma, the wind blows a lot. I mean, it’s right there in the state song. (You know the one: “Ohhhhhhhhhklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain…”)

After a few days of windy, cold weather, when I was either holding my hood upright or borrowing someone else’s head, I’d had enough.

I’m a knitter in Oklahoma! I ought to have my own hand-made hat!

Somehow, at that point in my knitting life, I had made myself only one hat that I sadly misplaced one year in Michigan.

So I dug into my yarn stash, fully intending to pull out a skein of worsted weight wool or wool-blend yarn with which to make my hat. But I soon found that I didn’t have a single worsted-weight skein of wool/wool-blend yarn.

While I had other weights — bulky, DK — I had no worsted.

I also had lots and lots and lots of beautiful scraps of leftover wool yarn.

So then I made the decision to use those scraps to make myself a hat!

Once I assembled my prettiest partial-skeins of worsted weight wool yarn, I sat down with Ravelry and compiled a list. That list is mostly found below.

(I say mostly because, since I first published this post, some patterns have been discontinued, and I’ve found other patterns to replace them.)

So if you need a hat but find yourself in a similar situation of having only scraps to use, check out this collection! I’ve divided them into simpler and more-complex patterns.

Using Your Leftovers Simply

Turn a Square

• What you’ll need to make it: 210 yards worsted weight yarn (in different colors, if you want to make it striped); US Size 5 and 7 DPNs and/or circular needles (depending on how you prefer to knit in the round)

• Why you’ll want to: This hat pattern continues to be one of the most popular adult hat patterns on Ravelry. It features simple yet interesting stripes.
  Note: In order to access this hat pattern for free, you’ll need to subscribe to the Brooklyn Tweed e-newsletter–but that, too, is at no cost to you.

Rib-a-Roni

• What you’ll need to make it: 100 to 225 yards worsted weight yarn (depending on the size you knit); US Size 7 circular needles and/or DPNs (depending on how you prefer to knit in the round)

• Why you’ll want to: This lovely and so-simple hat is fully ribbed from top to bottom, creating a snug fit. Use as many colors as you’d like to create wide stripes or skinny stripes. (To find the pattern, just scroll down the blog post past the photos.)

Scrap-Happy Celebration Hat

• What you’ll need to make it: 100 to 200 yards worsted weight yarn; US Size 7 circular needles or DPNs (depending on how you prefer to knit in the round)

• Why you’ll want to: This is the pattern I reached for all those years ago! I wanted simple stripes that wouldn’t require a lot of concentration to knit. But I still wanted enough interest to hold my attention. I love the purl rounds that you add whenever you change colors; it was the perfect way to keep me from getting bored with all the stockinette. 😁

Slip Stitch Stash Hat

• What you’ll need to make it: 150 to 200 yards worsted weight yarn; US Size 7 circular needles or DPNs (depending on how you prefer to knit in the round)

• Why you’ll want to: At first glance, you may wonder it’s doing here in the “simple” list. But all that stylish colorwork is created simply by slipping stitches, not by stranded knitting. You’ll use only one color of yarn per row. It’s much easier than you might think, and it’s a fantastic way to use scraps!

Tympany

• What you’ll use to make it: 300 to 450 yards fingering weight yarn; US Size 2 DPNs and/or circular needles (depending on how you want to make mitered squares, and how you want to knit in the round); US Size H crochet hook (used to make a simple single crochet edge around the brim); stitch marker; pom-pom maker or premade pom-pom (optional)

• Why you’ll want to: If the previous hat pattern had you side-eyeing me, this one may have you thinking I’ve absolutely lost my mind, placing it in the “simple” category. I admit this is probably the trickiest pattern in this part of the collection.
  
  However, most of that complexity is just a truly unique construction. How many hats use mitered squares to create its brim? Not many! But mitered squares aren’t difficult (I love making them), and the result is utterly glorious. (This is the next hat pattern I want to make, honestly!)

Eyebrow-Raising Ways to Use Your Scraps

Golden Pear

• What you’ll need to make it: About 60 yards worsted weight yarn; US Size 6 and 7 circular needles and/or DPNs (depending on how you prefer to knit in the round), though you’ll definitely want DPNs if you choose to do the I-cord loop at the top of the hat

• Why you’ll want to: This popular baby hat pattern is probably the simplest of the “eyebrow-raisers.” You’ll need to do a wee bit of colorwork, though on a much smaller scale than many of the other patterns listed here. This bit of colorwork creates a classically lovely design.

Scrap Yarn Hat for Baby/Child

• What you’ll need to make it: As much fingering weight scrap yarn as you can gather (probably about 200 to 300 yards); US Size 4 circular needles and/or DPNs (depending on how you prefer to knit in the round)

• Why you’ll want to: This is a beautiful little hat that is a great way to practice colorwork on a smaller scale. It would make a delightful, whimsical gift for parents of a baby or young child.

Fish Hat (Dead or Alive?)

• What you’ll need to make it: 350 to 400 yards worsted weight yarn; US Size 7 circular needles and/or DPNs and/or straight needles (depending on how you prefer to knit both in the round and flat); safety pin or split ring marker; stitch holder or scrap yarn; tapestry needle; white felt or white four-hole button; black embroidery floss; sewing needle

• Why you’ll want to: I find the concept behind this hat hilarious, and the result of that concept is simply too funny for words! It’s the perfect project for a zany knitter. And it makes the perfect gift for a zany child or an equally zany adult.

Scrappy Flap Hat

• What you’ll need to make it: 150 to 800 yards worsted weight yarn (depending on the size of the hat); US Size 7 circular needles and/or DPNs (depending on how you prefer to knit in the round)

• Why you’ll want to: This delightful earflap hat uses stranded colorwork in both child and adult sizes. Not for the faint of heart, but very rewarding!

Floppy Fair Isle Hat

• What you’ll need to make it: 180 to 220 yards worsted weight yarn; US Size circular needles or DPNs (depending on how you prefer to knit in the round)

• Why you’ll want to: Yes, this is indeed a Fair Isle hat that’s wonderful for using up leftover yarn. If you’re ready to tackle Fair Isle, or if you’ve an experienced hand at it, this could well be the hat for you.

December Stripes Pattern

• What you’ll need to make it: Scraps of worsted weight yarn (probably no more than 100 yards needed for children, perhaps up to 300 needed for adults); US Size 6 circular needles and/or DPNs (depending on how you prefer to knit in the round); stitch markers

• Why you’ll want to: This lovely little stranded colorwork beanie is available in both child and adult sizes. It’s yet another great way to practice stranded knitting!
  Note: the blog post at the bottom of the Ravelry page is no longer active, but the “free Ravelry download” link still works.

Malabrigo Motley

• What you’ll need to make it: Scraps of worsted weight yarn (probably no more than 200 yards needed); US Size 8 circular needles and/or DPNs (depending on how you prefer to knit in the round)

• Why you’ll want to: Because you have about 7 to 10 different colors of leftover worsted weight yarn. Because you love a challenge. Because you’d love to have a hat that is simply bursting with color. If all these are true, then this is the hat for you!

With all of these delightful ways to use leftover yarn in a hat, I hope your problems with scrap yarns and hats are history!