Knitting Patterns / February 17, 2019

Heartthrob Beanie – Double Brim Knit Hat with Fair Isle Hearts

Hey guys!

This was one of my first hat patterns of 2019 – the Heartthrob Beanie. I wanted a heart-themed hat to have ready for Valentine’s Day, and this one is cute as heck. Click here to go straight to the pattern, or continue reading for more info + a pattern discount code!

About

I’ve been knitting a fair-isle hat style called Tiny Hearts for years, but this was my first time making one with worsted weight yarn. I opted for a double brim because I love how clean these look. Most of the time, I’d choose a double brim over a ribbed brim, but it depends on the design. I wanted the hearts to be subtle, so I spaced them far enough apart so that it’s not a total cuteness overload. I added a faux fur pom pom in white to match the hearts! I’ve been really loving worsted weight yarn lately for making hats. It takes a little longer than bulky weight, but I think it’s worth the time because they give a totally different look!

Construction

This hat is knit in the round on circular needles. You essentially knit a tube that is twice the height you want your brim, fold it up through the inside, and secure the brim by knitting 2 stitches together: your live stitches and your initial cast-on row. I put off knitting a double brim for quite a while because I was intimidated when it came to securing the brim, but I promise it’s not complicated at all! If I can do it, you can do it!

The hearts are created by knitting them with a contrasting colour. This is called stranded knitting, or fair-isle knitting. If you were to look at the inside of this hat, the white yarn has a string between each heart – this is called a “float” because it essentially floats in the back of your work until you need to pick up that colour again.

Tip: Make sure to leave your floats loose enough to account for the horizontal stretching that happens when you put a hat on your head!

Yarn:

I wanted to use a readily-available yarn for this design, so I used Loops & Threads Impeccable in the colour “barley” for the base of the hat, and a bright white for the contrasting hearts. Another good option would be Vanna’s Choice by Lion Brand, just make sure you do a gauge swatch and change your tension or needle size if needed. I find that Vanna’s Choice is slightly thinner than Loops & Threads.

I hope you have fun with this design! It’s fun to make and isn’t complicated to knit up. You can leave the pattern as-is, or you can make a yarn pom pom (maybe with the contrasting yarn?) or add a faux fur pom pom. I opted for a faux fur pom in a bright white. Have fun with it! I can’t wait to see how yours turns out!