The .PDF has now been updated with an additional size and a correction to the final row and bindoff in the original version! If you’re working from a free copy, you can view errata here.

01/06/21 Update: I’m going to revisit the decreases for this design in the near future. I think I may have a more refined way of addressing them.

This sack hat is all knit flat! It’s another flat knit hat.

The design is simple, but it’s handled in a way that requires no sewing to finish, and no circular knitting, either!

Knit a mitered-square take on the basic sack hat—possibly the simplest hat there is, made unnecessarily complicated. Size up if you want your hat to fold at the brim, with little nubs instead of big ear-like corners.

This .PDF includes instructions to knit a worsted-weight kitten-ish hat out of mitered squares. With any luck, you’ll enjoy both the construction and the finished project—it looks great in scraps or a self-striping yarn. I used Lion Brand Ferris Wheel in Wild Violet for the main hat sample.

Materials:
120-140 yards of worsted-weight yarn
1 24”+ circular needle in US7/4.5mm, or size needed for gauge.
1 removable stitch markers.
Tapestry needle.

Gauge:
For the hat shown, gauge is 16 sts and 28 rows over 4”/10cm. Please be sure to check your gauge.

Measurements:
The shape of this hat is a somewhat distorted square! The height is about the same as the flat-across hem measurement. This .PDF includes two sizes—a 16”/40cm circumference version for small babies, and a 20”/50cm circumference version for 21-23”/53-58cm head measurements on kids to adults.

Skills:
This is fairly easy knitting, but you’ll need to be comfortable picking up stitches and working a variety of decreases.