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Hat Description
The PentaCap is a close fitting beanie with a deep garter stitch brim, and a chain braid as the body changes to stocking stitch, giving it extra definition. It has a 5-point spiral crown.
Pattern Availability
My Patreon supporters and members of The Woolly Hat Society get exclusive early access to new free patterns and tutorials. Once the exclusive period is over, they’re published here on the blog for everyone to use.
Pattern Support
If you have a question about this pattern, pop it in a comment below. Sorry, but I’m unable to help with my free patterns or tutorials via email or private messages.
Social Media
Share your hand-knit Hats online with these hashtags!
#WoollyWormhead
#WWPentaCap
Yarn
200yd/183m/115g
Worsted weight, single or plied yarn.
Needles & Notions
Set 4mm/UK8/US6 DPNs/Circular or size needed to obtain gauge
Spare single needle, 2 sizes larger
Stitch marker as necessary
Tapestry needle
Sample Details
Shown in Little Fox Mere Worsted [200yd/183m per 115g; 100% Superwash Merino]
Shown in size 21in/53.25cm on model with 20in/50.75cm circumference head
Gauge
20 sts x 26 rows to 4in/10cm on 4mm needles over Stocking St.
20 sts x 40 rows to 4in/10cm on 4mm needles over Garter St.
Sizes
To fit size: 19 [21, 23, 25] in/48.25 [53.25, 58.5, 63.5] cm
Finished size: 16 [18, 20, 22] in/40.75 [45.75, 50.75, 56] cm
Not sure which size to make? Check my handy size and measuring guide!
Skills Required
Crochet Cast-on
Knitting in the round
Increases and Decreases
Standard Bind-off
Bind-off Braid
Draw-through Bind-off
Blocking a Hand Knit Hat
Abbreviations
K: knit
P: purl
rpt: repeat
R/rnd(s): rounds
st(s): stitch(es)
k2tog: knit next 2 sts together
How To
Using smaller needles and Crochet Cast-on method, cast on 80 [90, 100, 110] sts.
Join in the round, taking care not to twist stitches. Place stitch marker to indicate start of round.
Brim
Brim Rnd 1: Knit all sts
Brim Rnd 2: Purl all sts
Repeat these 2 rounds until work measures 2 [2.75, 3.5, 4] in/5 [7, 9, 10.25] cm, ending after a Rnd 1, then work Bind-off Braid as follows:
Braid Rnd 1: With larger spare needle and using Standard Bind-off method, bind off all stitches
Braid Rnd 2: With main needle, pick up but do not knit one loop from the back of each bind-off chain
Alternatively you could work a Lateral Braid in the Round.
Body
Rnd 1: Knit all sts
Repeat this round until work measures approx. 3 [4, 5, 6] in/7.5 [10.25, 12.75, 15.25] cm, or desired length, including the Brim.
Crown
Place an additional 4 stitch markers so that there are 5 stitch markers evenly around.
Dec Rnd 1: *knit to 2sts before marker, k2tog; rpt from * to end – 5sts decreased
Repeat this rounds until 5sts remain. Break yarn and draw through remaining 5sts, tighten to close.
Finishing
Weave in all ends. A gentle wash and blocking is required to help the decrease lines settle in and lay flat.
Need Help With This Pattern?
If you’ve a question about this pattern, please pop it in the comments below and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can! I’m afraid I’m unable to offer help via email or private message, but you’re welcome to post in our forum.
Print This!
If you’d like to print this free pattern, either use the ‘Print’ button below or right-click in your browser, adjust the settings to suit your needs, and select ‘Save as PDF’ for a digital copy, or your printer for a paper copy. You can use the scale option to reduce or enlarge the font.
Where do we find the low-vision option?
Hi there, have you come over from Ravelry?
The ‘Low Vision’ tag is an umbrella category for various accessibility formats on Ravelry , and all of my patterns are colourblindness-friendly so they’re all tagged as low-vision with this as a minimum. A number of my premium patterns also have a separate LVA and screen-reader version.
My free patterns don’t have a separate low-vision option, but you can use the settings within your browser to enlarge the font size, and there are options to print to PDF at different scales.
Unfortunately we’re still waiting for my new website where I’d have much better accessibility options, there’s been some massive delays and concerns there 🙁
Thank you! This looks great and I have some gifted yarn that should work well with it.
You’re most welcome! Enjoy the pattern 🙂
I have a question about the tension. 20 st =4″ so 80 st would equal 16″. The finished size on the pattern says 20″. Is this correct. I am knitting the brim and it seems to be 16″. I did my swatch and it agrees with the tension. Any suggestions? Love all these beanie hat patterns
Hi there,
Thanks for bringing this error to my attention, I’m sorry about that! I’ve spent some time looking over the original pattern files and calculations, and the gauge is correct as it’s worsted – it’s the cast on numbers that are incorrect. I’ve now fixed this – smallest size starts with 80sts, going upwards by a multiple of 10.
The Hat can of course be knit at a different gauge, as long as the cast on is a multiple of 10 for the crown shaping.
I hope this helps!