Hi everyone! My name is Olivia, and I work at Bare Naked Wools in marketing and social media. When I first started at BNW, I had zero knitting experience—I was a true beginner. But after seeing all of Anne’s beautiful knitting patterns, I couldn’t resist learning how to knit. I started with YouTube videos and got plenty of tips from Anne and Barb. Now that I’ve started, I totally understand the hype, and I’ve really enjoyed the process of learning to knit!
So, I want to share my experience knitting the Snug Cap for All Sizes—the first hat I’ve ever made! I’m honestly so proud of how it turned out, and I hope you enjoy reading about my journey.
This all started because Michelle and I kept bugging Anne about designing a classic, simple beanie with a folded brim. She surprised us by saying, “We already have that!” and pulled out The Snug Cap for All Sizes, originally released in 2008. Since the pattern has been around for a while, we needed fresh samples to show how it could look in different yarns.
Anne decided to knit one using her stash of Targhee Tango Worsted, and then she asked if I’d like to make one too—to see if the pattern would be good for beginners. I was nervous at first since I haven’t tackled many knitting projects yet, but I was also excited for the challenge! Below is the sample Anne made.
I started by picking my yarn and settled on Kent DK in the shade Kelp.
Then, I began my gauge swatch. Since this pattern allows you to use any weight of yarn, the gauge swatch is essential—it helps determine how many stitches to cast on for the perfect fit. The pattern also includes a handy worksheet to guide you in choosing the right size. This step truly customizes the hat for YOU, so don’t skip it!
Once I had my gauge, I cast on and started working the ribbing for the brim. I knit 5 full inches because I wanted a folded brim for extra warmth. The picture below shows what the hat looked like after finishing the ribbing and moving into stockinette stitch.
Honestly, this was probably the hardest part of the hat—but it really wasn’t bad at all. The ribbing itself was simple; it just took me a while to reach the length I wanted. (To be fair, I did get sick in the middle of knitting it, which definitely slowed me down!) Any experienced knitter would fly through this section.
After that, the rest of the hat was a breeze! I worked in plain stockinette for a few more inches before starting the decreases. I placed eight markers evenly around and decreased every other round until my circular needles were too large, so I switched to DPNs. Then, I cast off, closed the top, and the hat was done!
I was a little nervous about casting off, but it was actually super easy—since you decrease so much, there are only a few stitches left at the end. Below is a picture of my finished hat after washing and blocking!
The next photos show the hat all finished! This is definitely a beginner-friendly pattern, and I loved knitting it so much that I’ve already started making a second one for my boyfriend.
I hope you all enjoyed reading about my experience and that it inspires you to knit your own Snug Cap for All Sizes!
