Love to knit Aran sweaters but don’t know what to do with the leftover yarn? Try knitting these Mariner’s Hats. They’re quick and simple to make and use very little yarn so they’re a fantastic stash busting project. The knitting pattern is completely free and comes in a range of sizes from baby to adult.
Knitting Yarn Choice
I can’t remember what yarn this is. Normally I keep the ball band until I’ve made a note of it but this time I didn’t. I seem to remember it disintegrated in the bottom of my knitting bag and I threw it away thinking “I’ll remember that” – yes you can laugh at my stupidity.
I think it’s Hayfield Bonus Aran with Wool because I did keep the ball band from another project I knitted with yarn I bought at the same time and I’m pretty sure they were the same yarn. I do remember that the colour is called Black Watch.
Despite knitting a full child’s hoody from a 400g ball I seem to have quite a lot of yarn leftover. The last time I knit this mariners hat with leftover yarn I had enough for a hat, gloves and a small cowl so I figured I’d do the same this time too.
I’m knitting this Mariner’s Hat and a matching pair of mittens using a free knitting pattern. You can click on the image below for details of the free knitting pattern I’ve used.
Knitting Yarn Substitutions
You can substitute just about any Aaron weight yarn. Ideally the gauge should be 14 stitches and 20 rows over a 10cm (or 4″) square. This knitting pattern is very forgiving so as long as it’s roughly the right gauge you’ll be fine.
These are a few of my favourite Aran knitting yarns that would be perfect for knitting this Mariners Hat.
lot of yarn leftover. The last time I knit this mariners hat with leftover yarn I had enough for a hat, gloves and a small cowl so I figured I’d do the same this time too. It seems like a nice little set to give as a gift.
Knitting Needles You’ll Need
I’ve deviated from the instructions a little and knitted the whole hat with double pointed needles instead of using a circular knitting needle.
You can totally use a circular needle instead and use the magic loop technique but I’ve never got on with it and prefer to use double pointed needles. You could also use both techniques depending on where you are in your knitting project. When you first start knitting the hat you’ll have plenty of stitches and a circular needle is easier. But once you start decreasing the stitches it gets too tight and you need to switch to double pointed needles or the magic loop technique, which ever suits you the best.
Free Knitting Pattern
I’ve followed the Mariners Hat Knitting Pattern from Handy Little Me.
It’s a free knitting pattern availible online or you can buy the printable pdf version without ads.
The Mariners Hat Knitting Pattern comes in all sizes from baby to adult. This time I’m knitting the adult’s size.
I’ve found to to be a fantastic pattern for using up leftover yarn. What better way to put it to use than by making accessories to co-ordinate with the bigger project?
I do hope my Mariners Hat Knitting project has inspired you to have a go at knitting your own hats with your leftover bits of yarn.
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Pin It Now, Knit It Later
Pin this Free Mariners Hat Knitting Pattern to your Pinterest board so that you can find it when you start your next hat knitting project.
A Little Bit About Me . . .
Thank you so much for stopping by my little corner of the interweb. I’m Bridie, mum to two small humans, full time homemaker and full time craftaholic – which totally explains why I’m always short on time!
I’ve included links to my favourite retailers for the products I’ve used to make my crafts. Click on any of the product images and links for full details. If you decide to buy any of these products I may get a small percentage of what you spend. There’s no cost to you at all.
Heart and Hearth Crafts 