Wise Old Owl Hats

We’ve been seeing this adorable, clever, and classic owl cable design everywhere lately — from baby hats to adult sweaters. Unable to resist, we came up with our own FREE PATTERNS in both a CHILD size and an ADULT size to fit any owl lover in your life!

This cabled hat is cleverly designed to look like there are adorable owls encircling it– you can add buttons for eyes if you wish, or omit them for a more subtle effect. The child’s hat pictured here is knit in the super soft Lobster Pot Cashmere and the adult size is done in Rowan Coccoon.

We are also offering a class to help the cable-nervous get started.

Wise Old Owl Hat – Child Version

Finished measurements: 19” unstretched

Materials:
Lobster Pot 8ply cashmere or any worsted weight yarn with a gauge of 4.5-5 sts per inch
Size 7 circular needle and dpns
stitch markers
4 small buttons for eyes (optional, you can use more, less, or none at all)
sewing needle and thread.

Gauge: 4.5 per inch in stockinette stitch. The cabled owl sections will tighten up your gauge.

Abbreviations:
C4F: slip two sts onto cable needle and hold in front, k2, k2 from cable needle
C4B: slip two sts onto cable needle and hold in back, k2, k2 from cable needle

Owl Cable pattern:
(multiple of 11 sts)
Rounds 1-3: *p3, k8, repeat from * to end
Round 4: *p3, C4B, C4f, repeat from * to end
Rounds 5-11: same as round 1
Round 12: same as round 4
Round 13: same as round 1
Rounds 14-15: *p3, k1, p2, k2, p2, k1. repeat from * to end
Round 16-17: same as round 1
Round 18: same as round 4
Round 19: same as round 1

Directions:
Cast on 100 sts, join in round and work in 2×2 ribbing for 1 inch.

Switch to stockinette and work for 5 rounds, decreasing 1 st evenly spaced in row 3.
99 sts.

Work 19 rows of owl cable pattern over all sts.
Knit 1 or more rows and increase 5 sts.- 104 sts.

Continue in stockinette stitch until work measures 5 inches including ribbing or to desired length.

Decrease as follows:
*K 11 k2tog, repeat from * to end.
K1 round plain.
K 10 k2tog.
K1 plain.

Continue decreasing in this manner until 56 sts remain.
Then decrease every round until 8 sts remain.
Cut yarn and pass through remaining sts to fasten off.

Weave in all ends and block.

Sew buttons over the purl sections within the cable pattern that form the owl’s eyes

Wise Old Owl Hat – Adult Version

Finished measurements: 20” unstretched

Materials:
1 ball Rowan Cocoon or any chunky weight yarn you can get 3.5 sts per inch gauge with
size 10 circular needle and dpns, stitch marker
4 small buttons for eyes (optional, you can use more, less, or none at all)
sewing needle and thread

Gauge: 3.5 sts per inch

Abbreviations:
C4F: slip two sts onto cable needle and hold in front, k2, k2 from cable neeedle
C4B: slip two sts onto cable needle and hold in back, k2, k2 from cable needle

Owl Cable pattern:
(multiple of 11 sts)
Rounds 1-3: *p3, k8, repeat from * to end
Round 4: *p3, C4B, C4f, repeat from * to end
Rounds 5-11: same as round 1
Round 12: same as round 4
Round 13: same as round 1
Rounds 14-15: *p3, k1, p2, k2, p2, k1. repeat from * to end
Round 16-17: same as round 1
Round 18: same as round 4
Round 19: same as round 1

Directions:
Cast on 88, join in round and work in 2×2 ribbing for 1 inch.
Switch to stockinette and work for 5 rounds.

Work 19 rows of owl cable pattern over all sts.
Knit 1 or more rows and increase 2 sts.- 90sts.

Continue in stockinette stitch until work measures 6 inches including ribbing or to desired length.

Decrease as follows:

*K9, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round.

K1 round plain.

*K8, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round.

K1 round plain.

*K7, k2tog, repeat from * to end of round.

K1 round plain.

Continue decreasing in this manner until 40 sts remain.
Then decrease every round (no plain rounds) until 8 sts remain. Cut yarn and pass through remaining sts to fasten off.

Weave in all ends and block.

Sew buttons over the purl sections within the cable pattern that form the owl’s eyes.

Tags: cabled, free pattern, hat, owl