I’ve knit this from the pattern several times with no issues, and I haven’t heard back from anyone that the pattern is wonky, so I’ll go ahead and post the first version, the six-cable hat. When the eleven-cable (all-over) variation is complete I’ll post it at the end. (The earflaps are the same for both patterns.) The pattern assumes a general knowledge of knitting and cabling abbreviations…if you’d like a full PDF that contains explanations of the increases, decreases, and cabling instructions, click here.
CABLED EARFLAP HAT
SIZE
Infant (6-12 months)
Finished size: 15” diameter
(if you want it slightly bigger I’d recommend my highly technical sizing method of using heavier yarn on bigger needles. 
)
MATERIALS NEEDED
Yarn that will knit to gauge — approx. 50g
(shown in Knit Picks Merino Style [six cable hat, purple] and RYC Cashsoft Aran [eleven cable hat, tan -- pattern coming soon, I promise])
16”circular needle and one set of DPNs
(size US6 or size to knit to gauge…US8 for the eleven-cable hat is recommended due to the way the cables pull together)
one stitch marker
tapestry needle
GAUGE: 16 stitches = 4” in stockinette stitch
EARFLAPS
CO 6 stitches (on a DPN, if available).
R1: Knit all sts.
R2: K1, M1, K4, M1, K1
R3: K2, P4, K2
R4: K1, M1, P1, K4, P1, M1, K1
R5: K3, P4, K3
R6: K1, P2, C4F, P2, K1
R7: K3, P4, K3
R8: K1, P2, K1, M1, K2, M1, K1, P2, K1
R9: K3, P6, K3
R10: K1, M1, P2, K6, P2, M1, K1
R11: K1, P1, K2, P6, K2, P1, K1
R12: K2, P2, C6F, P2, K2
R13: K1, P1, K2, P6, K2, P1, K1
R14: K1, M1, K1, P2, K6, P2, K1, M1, K1 (16 sts)
Cut yarn, leaving an 8” tail, and leave the flap on its DPN. Repeat for 2nd flap.
VARIATION ONE: SIX-CABLE HAT
Using a cable cast on, CO 12 stitches on the circular needle. Knit the 16 stitches from first ear flap in pattern (knit the knits, purl the purls), then CO 34 stitches. K16 from second ear flap, then CO 14. (Confused? Here is a video that shows what I’m talking about!)
Place marker and join, being careful not to twist stitches, and begin knitting in the round. As you knit around this first row, you’ll notice four gaps, on either side of each ear flap. When you get to those, you will K2tog to close them up. Knit Round 1 as follows:
K6, P2, K3, K2tog, K2, P2,
K6, P2, K1, K2tog, K4
*P2, K6* 3 times,
P2, K3, K2tog, K2, P2,
K6, P2, K1, K2tog, K4, P2, K6, P2.
At the end of the round, you should have 88 stitches on the needles.
Continue knitting in cable pattern as follows:
R2: *K6, P2*
R3: *C6F, P2, K6, P2* to last 8 sts, C6F, P2
R4-8: *K6, P2*
R9: *C6F, P2, K6, P2* to last 8 sts, C6F, P2
R10-14: *K6, P2*
R15: *C6F, P2, K6, P2* to last 8 sts, C6F, P2
R16-20: *K6, P2*
R21: *C6F, P2, K6, P2* to last 8 sts, C6F, P2
R22: *K6, P2*
(begin decrease rows)
R23: *K6, P2, SSK, K2, K2tog, P2* to last 8 sts, K6, P2
R24: *K6, P2, K4, P2* to last 8 sts, K6, P2
R25: *K6, P2, SSK, K2tog, P2* to last 8 sts, K6, P2
R26: *K6, P2, K2, P2* to last 8 sts, K6, P2
R27: *C6F, P2tog, K2, P2tog* to last 8 sts, K6, P2tog
R28: *K6, P1, K2tog, P1* to last 7 sts, K6, P1
R29: *SSK, K2, K2tog, P1, K1, P1* to last 7 sts, SSK, K2, K2tog, P1
R30: *SSK, K2tog, P1, K1, P1* to last 5 sts, SSK, K2tog, P1
R31: *K2tog, SK2P* to last 3 sts, K2tog, P1
R32: K2tog around so that 6 sts remain, then pull yarn through remaining stitches with a tapestry needle. Pull end through to inside of hat, weave in, and trim.
VARIATION TWO: ELEVEN CABLE HAT
R2: *K6, P2*
R3: *C6F, P2, K6, P2* to last 8 sts, C6F, P2
R4-5: *K6, P2*
R6: *K6, P2, C6F, P2* to last 8 sts, K6, P2
R 7-8: *K6, P2*
R9: *C6F, P2, K6, P2* to last 8 sts, C6F, P2
R10-11: *K6, P2*
R12: *K6, P2, C6F, P2* to last 8 sts, K6, P2
R13-14: *K6, P2*
R15: *C6F, P2, K6, P2* to last 8 sts, C6F, P2
R16-17: *K6, P2*
R18: *K6, P2, C6F, P2* to last 8 sts, K6, P2
R19-20: *K6, P2*
R21: *C6F, P2, K6, P2* to last 8 sts, C6F, P2
R22-23: *K6, P2*
(begin decrease rows)
R24: *SSK, K2, K2tog, P2, C6F, P2* to last 8 sts; SSK, K2, K2tog, P2
R25: *K4, P2, K6, P2* to last 6 sts; K4, P2
R26: *K4, P2, SSK, K2, K2tog, P2* to last 6 sts; K4, P2
R27: *C4F, P2, K4, P2* to last 6 sts; C4F, P2
R28: *K4, P2tog*
R29: *SSK, K2tog, P1, K4, P1* to last 5 sts; SSK, K2tog, P1
R30: *K2, P1, SSK, K2tog, P1* to last 3 sts; K2, P1
R31: *K2tog, P1, K2, P1* to last 3 sts; K2tog, P1
R32: *K1, P1, K2tog, P1* to last 2 sts; K1, P1
R33: *SK2P, P1*to last 2 sts; K1, P1
R34: K2tog around so that 6 sts remain, then pull yarn through remaining stitches with a tapestry needle. Pull end through to inside of hat, weave in, and trim.
FINISHING
Weave in all ends. (I like to leave the tails where I ended the earflaps long so that I can use them to tighten up of otherwise correct anything that looks wonky around the earflap join area.)
There are a few ways you can add straps — pick up 3-4 sts and knit in garter stitch or seed stitch until desired length. OR pick up 3-4 stitches and knit i-cord until desired length. OR, thread through three long pieces of yarn and braid the double-strands until desired length, then tie off and trim.
Block and lay flat to dry.
This pattern is and always will be free! If you extra-specially love it and can’t quite find the words to say thanks, you can always give me a dollar.
38 comments
Comments feed for this article
November 12, 2007 at 10:49 am
Tracey
Yeah!
November 12, 2007 at 4:29 pm
knittingelephant
Why’d you have to go and post this now? My to-do list is way longer than I could possibly hope to do in this lifetime, let alone before Christmas Break! The hats look awesome and if I manage to knit one, I’ll send pics. Thanks for the pattern!
November 13, 2007 at 9:18 am
koolbreeze
Love it!!!
November 16, 2007 at 3:24 pm
knittingprettytoo
I love your baby cable hats!! This is my new baby shower gift!! I made the 11 cable hat out of Karabella’s Aurora yarn in ivory (100% fine merino wool) and oh my gosh – I want an adult version for me!!!!! Thanks for the pattern- I love your blog and am glad you wrote again!!!!
November 23, 2007 at 7:43 am
KellyK
Julie! Those are ADORABLE!!!
December 19, 2007 at 5:34 pm
CraftyCarole
I wish I had a baby to knit this for… OH my too cute!
January 7, 2008 at 6:04 am
Veronica
Hi Julie..just wanted to say “Thank You” for sharing this pattern..I actually became a Grandma to two beautiful baby boys & made each of them the hat in the same color yarn I used for adorable baby buntings I made them. I just love how the cable extends from the bottom of the earflap to the top of the hat. I like knitting with Plymouth brand Encore worsted for children..I consider the fact the garment will be washed often & the percentage of wool in this yarn is low, which as you know is a good thing.
I look forward to knitting some of your other cable hats for babies.
Have a happy knitting day!
Veronica
January 11, 2008 at 3:06 pm
Laurie
Julie,
I have been searching the internet over for a pattern exactly like yours. It is exactly what I have been looking for. Do you have an adult version that I could try knitting for my teenage daughters? Many thanks.
January 11, 2008 at 3:19 pm
Julie
Hi Laurie, I don’t have an adult version of the cabled one (yet!) but there is a pattern for a plain one (basic earflap hat) in the sidebar.
If you’re feeling adventurous, you could always try knitting the baby one in a yarn that gives you 3 sts/inch…and let me know how it goes
January 14, 2008 at 7:30 am
Sandra
Hi,
Love the cabled hat variation 1. Where is the 11 cable variation? I would love to try it!
January 22, 2008 at 10:06 pm
Norma Jean Kritsonis
Hi Julie, I have been on the web for over an hour trying to find a 10-11 cable earflap hat, I stopped when I saw your eleven cable hat, tan only to read that you will be posting it later…have you done that yet??? If so please may I have it??? I’m going skiing in two and a half weeks and I told my sister I would knit her one.
Overly confident that I will find the pattern,
Norma Jean
March 16, 2008 at 12:03 pm
chloe
I have made two of the cabled baby hats and two of the baby ear flap hats. Nothing wonky about these patterns at all!!! Easily followed your directions.
I am eagerly awaiting the 11 cable ear flap and the worsted weight cable hat patterns.
It is so great that you share your patterns with all of us on the internet.
I am retired and money is scarce, so finding wonderful patterns such as yours for FREE really makes my day.
chloe
April 9, 2008 at 11:26 pm
Doreen
Julie, We are all just dying to get our hands on that 11 cable ear flap pattern. Any chance in the near future?
April 10, 2008 at 6:45 pm
Debi
Hi,
When will you be posting the pattern for your 11 cable hat?
July 5, 2008 at 10:51 pm
Erin
Okay, I loved this pattern so much! I just transferred it, somewhat successfully, to to adult:
I used a nice acrylic super bulky Thick N Quick Lion Brand yarn, and threw it on size 10s.
CO 12, knit the original 16 earflaps, CO 32, knit the original other 16 earflaps, CO 12. I followed the pattern for the most part, and i think it turned out ok!
Photo to follow. Julie, this pattern is fantastic, can’t wait for the 11 cable!
July 8, 2008 at 9:22 pm
I don’t know ka-ra-te, but I know ka-ray-zay « Knits and Ass
[...] baby pattern I modified for my own big adult alient head, and it totally worked out. Huge props to Hey Julie, where I found the original bestest earflap hat pattern (I made literally everyone one for the [...]
October 13, 2008 at 10:35 pm
Mary
Julie, What a godsend!!! I have been looking for an earflap hat for my great grandson, and this just fits the bill. Can’t wait to try it. This will be sure to keep his little ears warm here in the “Frozen Tundra” of Wisconsin. Thanks so much.
October 17, 2008 at 5:53 am
Roberta
Love the pattern – I was looking for a nice baby earlflap hat for ages!
Thank you, thank you, thank you
November 17, 2008 at 3:00 pm
megan
ok im 14 and im looking for a hat that is like this but sized for an adult. any help? i have no idea how to make this pattern to fit my big head…
November 17, 2008 at 3:43 pm
Julie
Hi Megan, I just made one for an adult a few weeks ago…I used bulky yarn and US10 needles, following the same pattern.
November 21, 2008 at 2:29 pm
Sue
I am desparately looking for an teen/adult cable ear flap pattern made with chunky yarn. Any suggestions?
November 21, 2008 at 3:38 pm
Julie
Hi Sue, you’re not the only one…read the comment above yours!
November 26, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Anna
Hi Julie,
I saw this pattern on Ravelry, and am going to have a go at it, but I was just wondering at what point you move onto DPNs? I haven’t knit in the round before, and am feeling cautious…
I love this pattern; it looks great. Thanks for putting it out there.
December 23, 2008 at 12:15 am
Anna
Ok I love this but I really want the 11 cable version…any idea when it will be ready =) ?
December 23, 2008 at 12:21 pm
Caroline
I just finished this hat and absolutely love it! Please Please post the 11 cable version and in adult sizes!!!! It’s all I want for Christmas. T
December 24, 2008 at 1:03 pm
Sophia
Julie,
I have made the cabled baby hat several times and am working on this earflap version — Thank you so much for your elegant, adorable and really super easy to understand patterns. You make knitting make sense. Plus, that video really helps.
Question — if I just go ahead and cable all the uncabled columns on this hat, would that in essence be the 11 cable version? Does cabling noticeably reduce the total girth (ie, if doing all cables, we need to cast on more stitches to allow for give?)
thanks again — brilliant designs. can’t wait for more.
December 24, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Julie
Thanks for your kind words! You are correct — in the 11 cable version you do cable the plain rows, but you are cabling them on rows 6, 12, 18, etc…3 rows off from the others, so they are pleasingly staggered. Cables do pull in so the finished size will be a tad smaller…but they also stretch, so the girth is no reduced significantly. You can always add a purl stitch in between each cable if you want to add to the girth…adding cables gets tricky on this one because of the ratios of stitches in between the flaps in the fornt/back, if that makes any sense.
I will try to get the 11-cable pattern up this weekend! At last! I will test-knit it this afternoon (while my kids have a marathon pre-Christmas-eve-Mass choir practice) to make sure it’s good to go.
January 1, 2009 at 11:42 pm
Kimber
I just finished the six-cable version and it turned out absolutely lovely! It’s for a 22-year old guy, so I used Wool-ease chunky yarn in an olive green and size 10 needles. I added an extra cable twist (repeat of rows 15-20) to give the hat a little more height and it fits an adult head perfectly.
Not bad for my first time knitting in the round and first time doing cables!
I did struggle to block the hat because its kind of oddly shaped. Any advice?
January 10, 2009 at 1:56 pm
Leandre
Hi Julie,
Thanks so much for these great patterns! This may be super obvious once you get started, but I want to do the 11-cable version and am not sure quite how to proceed after the earflaps…
After the earflaps are done, do I do the first section under Variation 1, then jump down to Variation 2 for R2?
Thanks, Leandre
January 10, 2009 at 3:24 pm
Julie
Hi Leandre, for the 11-cable hat, jump right to the variation 2 part.
January 10, 2009 at 7:21 pm
Leandre
Julie,
Thanks! I noticed that the PDF version is written just a little differently than the blog post. In the PDF you have a section called “Hat Body” which gives you the start for both variations, but in the blog post the start of the hat body is written under variation 1. That is where I got confused…I didn’t see how to go from having the earflaps to R2 without doing what was indicated at the start of Variation 1
FWIW, the PDF makes is just that much more clear, at least for someone who might not read variation 1.
Again, thank you for the great pattern!
–Leandre
January 15, 2009 at 8:43 am
sianabanana
I have a pattern for a chunky ear flap type hat – knitted with bulky yarn.
I am in the progress of publishing on ravelry.
Take a look.
March 21, 2009 at 7:26 am
Brooke
Wow, and wow. I have never worked a hat before in my life, and I whipped this up in no time. Not only are your instructions FLAWLESS and EXTREMELY easy to follow…the pattern is precious! I made the 6 cable for my baby on the way. I’m very pleased with the results and can’t wait to make this again. It came together very quickly. Thanks for sharing this great pattern!
March 28, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Connie
Julie,
My granddaughter is in her first year of college and she requested an ear flap hat…how would I change this baby cable hat into an adult size? Thanks.
March 28, 2009 at 7:35 pm
Julie
If you just want a regular one, without cables, click on “basic earflap hat” in the left sidebar. That’s an adult-sized pattern. I have knit this one in an adult size before by using bigger yarn and needles, and adding a little length before the decreases. I believe it was bulky yarn on US9 needles…I would say, knit a swatch in bulky yarn to check the gauge. Good luck!
August 7, 2009 at 3:21 pm
Izzy has a hat on her head! « MamaAcorn
[...] to enjoy wearing it! I’m going to knit up a pair of mittens out of the same yarn soon. The hat pattern is here though I did have to add two more sets of cables to make the hat big enough to fit her sweet [...]
September 4, 2009 at 6:36 pm
adam
This looks great, can someone tell me what M1 means?
September 4, 2009 at 6:49 pm
Julie
M1 = make 1, or, increase one stitch. there are quite a few different ways to do this….if you scroll down to “m1″ there are several options (with videos) here: http://www.knittinghelp.com/videos/knitting-glossary