Snippet Beanie – Free Easy Super Bulky Hat Knitting Pattern

Put your leftover yarn to good use with the Snippet Beanie! This easy super bulky scrap yarn hat knitting pattern uses four colors of yarn to create a fun striped beanie that’s quick to knit and perfect for mixing and matching your favorite scraps. With sizes ranging from baby through adult, it’s an easy hat pattern you can knit for the whole family. Scroll down for the full free knitting pattern or purchase the ad-free PDF here.

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I originally designed the Snippet Beanie as a way to use up all those little snippets of beautiful super bulky yarn left behind after other projects. I had accumulated scraps of Malabrigo Rasta (one of my favorite super bulky yarns) that were much too pretty—and pricey—to throw away, but many of them weren’t large enough to use for another full project.

The solution was a simple striped hat knitting pattern designed specifically to make those small amounts of yarn useful again.

The Snippet Beanie uses four colors of super bulky yarn, with simple stripes that transition from one larger block of color into the next. Each color only requires a small amount of yarn, making this a fun stash-busting knitting project for using leftovers while creating something completely new.

Even better, the pattern comes in sizes from baby through adult, so you can mix, match and rearrange your colors to make coordinating hats for the entire family.

Free Easy Super Bulky Hat Knitting Pattern

If you’re looking for a quick and easy super bulky hat knitting pattern, the Snippet Beanie is one of those projects that’s just so fun to knit.

The super bulky yarn makes it work up quickly, while the changing colors keep a very simple knit interesting. Instead of complicated colorwork, you’ll only work with one color at a time. Small stripes between the larger sections help each color flow into the next, creating an almost faded effect.

Choose four colors that blend together for a subtle gradient, add an unexpected pop of color, or dig through your yarn stash and see what combination you can create from the scraps you already own.

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Save the Snippet Beanie free knitting pattern to Pinterest so you can find it the next time you have a pile of super bulky yarn scraps waiting for a project!

Why You’ll Love This Easy Knit Hat Pattern

One of my favorite things about the Snippet Beanie is that no two hats have to look exactly alike.

Start with four colors and experiment! Change the order, flip the colors around, mix solids with variegated yarns or use completely different color combinations. It’s amazing how different the same simple hat pattern can look just by changing the placement of the yarn.

It’s also incredibly satisfying to turn the leftover yarn sitting in your stash into something you can actually wear. Those little balls of yarn that don’t seem big enough for anything suddenly have a purpose—and your scrap yarn pile gets a little smaller in the process.

Because the Snippet Beanie comes in sizes for the whole family, you can also use the same group of colors to create coordinating hats without making everyone an identical hat.

Is This Knit Hat Pattern Beginner Friendly?

Yes! The Snippet Beanie is a very beginner-friendly hat knitting pattern, especially if you’re ready to practice knitting in the round.

The hat uses basic knit and purl stitches for the brim and simple stockinette stitch for the body. Although the finished hat uses four different colors, there is no stranded colorwork. You’ll only knit with one color at a time and change yarn colors between rounds. The crown is finished with simple knit-two-together decreases.

If changing colors is new to you, don’t let all those stripes intimidate you. The color changes are what make this hat look interesting, but the actual knitting stays wonderfully simple.

What Yarn Is Best for This Super Bulky Knit Hat?

The Snippet Beanie is designed for super bulky, weight 6 yarn. My original samples were knit with Malabrigo Rasta, but you can substitute another super bulky yarn that gives you the correct gauge.

This is also a great pattern for experimenting with different yarn colors. Try combining solids and variegated yarns and see how they play together. A variegated yarn can help pull several seemingly unrelated colors together, while four solids can give the stripes a more graphic look.

Changing the yarn changes the personality of the finished hat, so have fun with it. There really isn’t one “right” color combination.

How to Choose Colors for Your Striped Knit Hat

This is where the Snippet Beanie gets really fun.

For a soft, gradient look, choose four colors that are relatively close to one another and arrange them from light to dark. If you want something bolder, add a contrasting color that pops against the other three.

You can also mix solid and variegated yarn. Try choosing a variegated skein first and pulling your other colors from shades you see within it. Or forget about making everything match perfectly and experiment with scraps that you simply love together.

And remember—you can change the order.

If your first hat uses pink, cream, gray and blue, your next hat could start with blue and move through gray, pink and cream. The hats will coordinate without being identical, which is especially fun if you’re making them for siblings, friends or the whole family.

Make Matching Hats for the Whole Family

The Snippet Beanie includes five sizes: Baby, Toddler, Child, Adult Small/Medium and Adult Medium/Large, covering head circumferences from approximately 16 to 23 inches.

That makes this pattern especially fun for family sets.

Instead of knitting everyone the exact same hat, start with the same four yarn colors and rearrange them for each person. One person’s main color can become another person’s accent color. You can also swap pom-pom colors or leave the pom off entirely.

The result is a collection of hats that clearly belong together without looking overly matchy-matchy.

A Quick Knit Hat Pattern That’s Perfect for Gifts

Super bulky yarn and simple stitches make the Snippet Beanie a great choice when you need a quick knitted gift.

It’s especially useful during the holiday season when you may want to make several gifts without committing to a long project for every person on your list. Choose four skeins of coordinating yarn and make several different hats by changing the size and rotating the colors.

It’s also a fun way to use the leftovers from your other handmade gifts. Instead of adding those last little balls of yarn back to your stash, turn them into another hat!

How Many Hats Can You Make With 4 Skeins of Yarn?

The Snippet Beanie was originally designed using Malabrigo Rasta, which comes in approximately 90-yard skeins. While an Adult Snippet Beanie uses about 80 yards of yarn total—nearly an entire skein of Rasta—that yardage is divided between four different colors.

That’s where this pattern gets fun.

If you start with four 90-yard skeins of coordinating colors, you’ll have 360 yards of super bulky yarn to work with. By rotating the placement of your four colors from hat to hat, you can use those same skeins to create an entire collection of coordinating Snippet Beanies.

With four 90-yard skeins, you can make approximately 4 Adult hats, 7 Toddler or Child hats, or 9 Baby hats.

For example, an Adult Snippet Beanie uses 22 yards each of Colors A and D and 18 yards each of Colors B and C. Knit four adult hats and rotate which skein becomes Colors A, B, C and D for each one. Each 90-yard skein will contribute about 80 yards across the four hats, leaving approximately 10 yards of each color behind.

And the best part? The hats will all coordinate without being exactly the same. Changing the order of the colors gives each hat its own look while still tying the entire set together.

Have scraps instead of full skeins? Even better! A single Adult Snippet Beanie requires only 18–22 yards of each individual color, while the Baby size requires just 8–12 yards of each color. That means even those small balls of beautiful super bulky yarn hiding in your stash may be enough to become part of another hat.

Matching Cowl Pattern

Love the Snippet Beanie? Make it a matching set! The Snippet Cowl uses the same super bulky yarn and coordinating color palette for a cozy, quick-knit accessory set. [Find the free Snippet Cowl knitting pattern here.]

Snippet Beanie Pattern Details

Here’s what you can expect from the Snippet Beanie:

  • Skill Level: Beginner
  • Construction: Bottom-up hat knit in the round
  • Techniques Used: Knit and purl stitches, simple color changes, and basic decreases
  • Yarn Weight: Super Bulky (Weight 6)
  • Sizes: Baby, Toddler, Child, Adult S/M, and Adult M/L
  • Style: Slightly slouchy, striped beanie with an optional pom pom

This hat is designed to be a quick and easy knit that lets you have fun experimenting with color while putting even your smallest scraps of super bulky yarn to good use.

Free Super Bulky Hat Knitting Pattern

You can find the full Snippet Beanie knitting pattern below or purchase the ad-free PDF here.

Grab four colors of super bulky yarn, have fun mixing and matching your colors, and don’t be afraid to dig into your scrap yarn stash to make your Snippet Beanie completely your own.

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Snippet Beanie Knitting Pattern

Supplies:

yarn

Super Bulky, weight 6. 4 different colors

Yardage
Color A: 12 (14, 14, 22, 22).
Color B: 8 (10, 10, 18, 18).
Color C: 8 (10, 10, 18, 18).
Color D: 12 (14, 14, 22, 22).

suggested Yarn

needles

notions

gauge

  • 9 sts & 14 rows = 4”/10 cm. Measured over stockinette stitch in the round with US 15 / 10mm needles.

sizes

  • Baby (Toddler, Child, Adult S/M, Adult M/L).

size and head circumfernce

  • Baby : 0-12 Months | 16 – 19 Inches
  • Toddler: 1-3 Years | 18 – 20 Inches
  • Child: 3+ Years | 20 – 21 Inches
  • Adult: Small/Medium | 21 – 22 Inches
  • Adult: Medium/Large | 22 -23 Inches

Finished Measurements

  • Baby: 6″ Wide x 6.5″ Tall
  • Toddler: 7.5″ Wide x 8″ Tall
  • Child: 8″ Wide x 8.5″ Tall
  • Adult S/M: 8.5″ Wide x 9″ Tall
  • Adult M/L: 8.75″ Wide x 9″ Tall

Snippet Beanie Pattern Notes

Adjusting the Fit

This hat is designed to have about 2 inches of negative ease and is slightly slouchy at the top. For the best fit, measure the head of the person you will be knitting for and choose the coordinating size based on the head circumference listed to the right.

Joining Colors

Before switching to a new color, twist the yarn of the current color together with the new color in order to keep a hole from forming when switching colors. See this video for help:

Knitting Abbreviations for This Pattern

BOR – Beginning of Round
CO – Cast on
DPNs – Double Pointed Needles
k – Knit
k2tog – Knit the next two stitches together (1 st decrease)
p – Purl
Rep – Repeat
st/s – Stitch/es

Snippet Beanie Knitting Pattern Directions

Baby Size

Using US 13/ 9mm needles, CO 32 stitches with color A, place stitch marker, and join in the
round.

brim


Rounds 1 – 4: *K1, p1; Rep from * to end of round.

hat


Rounds 5 – 18: Knit every round, switching colors as stated below.
Round 5: Color A.
Round 6: Color B.
Round 7: Color A – break Color A.
Rounds 8 – 9: Color B.
Round 10: Color C.
Round 11: Color B – break Color B.
Rounds 12 – 13: Color C.
Round 14: Color D.
Round 15: Color C – break Color C.
Rounds 16 – 18: Color D.

decrease


See decrease instructions for all sizes below.

Toddler Size

Using US 13/ 9mm needles, CO 36 stitches with color A, place stitch marker, and join in the round. For a larger Toddler hat switch to US 15 / 10mm needles for round 6, for a smaller Toddler hat use US 13 / 9mm needles for entire hat.

brim

Rounds 1 – 5: *K1, p1; Rep from * to end of round.

hat

Switch to US 15 / 10mm needles for a larger toddler size hat.


Rounds 6 – 22: Knit every round, switching colors as stated below.
Round 6: Color A.
Round 7: Color B.
Round 8: Color A – break Color A.
Rounds 9 – 11: Color B.
Round 12: Color C.
Round 13: Color B – break Color B.
Rounds 14 – 16: Color C.
Round 17: Color D.
Round 18: Color C – break Color C.
Rounds 19 – 22: Color D.

decrease

See decrease instructions for all sizes below.

Child Size

Using US 13/ 9mm needles, CO 38 stitches with color A, place stitch marker, and join in the round.

brim

Rounds 1 – 5: *K1, p1; Rep from * to end of round.

hat

Switch to US 15 / 10mm needles.


Rounds 6 – 22: Knit every round, switching colors as stated below.
Round 6: Color A.
Round 7: Color B.
Round 8: Color A – break Color A.
Rounds 9 – 11: Color B.
Round 12: Color C.
Round 13: Color B – break Color B.
Rounds 14 – 16: Color C.
Round 17: Color D.
Round 18: Color C – break Color C.
Rounds 19 – 22: Color D.

Decrease

See decrease instructions for all sizes below.

Adult Small/Medium

Using US 13/ 9mm needles, CO 42 stitches with color A, place stitch marker, and join in the round.

brim

Rounds 1 – 6: *K1, p1; Rep from * to end of round.

hat

Switch to US 15 / 10mm needles.

Rounds 7 – 25: Knit every round, switching colors as stated below.
Round 7: Color A.
Round 8: Color B.
Round 9: Color A – break Color A.
Rounds 10 – 13: Color B.
Round 14: Color C.
Round 15: Color B – break Color B.
Rounds 16 – 19: Color C.
Round 20: Color D.
Round 21: Color C – break Color C.
Rounds 22 – 25: Color D.

decrease

See decrease instructions for all sizes below.

Adult Medium/Large

Using US 13/ 9mm needles, CO 44 stitches with color A, place stitch marker, and join in the round.

brim

Rounds 1 – 6: *K1, p1; Rep from * to end of round.

hat

Switch to US 15 / 10mm needles.
Rounds 7 – 25: Knit every round, switching colors as stated below.


Round 7: Color A.
Round 8: Color B.
Round 9: Color A – break Color A.
Rounds 10 – 13: Color B.
Round 14: Color C.
Round 15: Color B – break Color B.
Rounds 16 – 19: Color C.
Round 20: Color D.
Round 21: Color C – break Color C.
Rounds 22 – 25: Color D.

decrease

See decrease instructions for all sizes below.

Decrease – All Sizes

Switch to magic loop or DPNs if desired. Using Color D

Round 1: *K1, k2tog; Rep from * to end of round. (Baby, Child and Adult M/L will have 2 sts remaining, k those sts.) 10 (12, 12, 14, 14) sts decreased. 22 (24, 26, 28, 30) sts total.
Round 2: K to end of round.
Round 3: *K2tog; Rep from * to end of round. 11 (12, 13, 14, 15) sts decreased. 11 (12, 13, 14, 15) sts total.

Finishing

Cut yarn, leaving an 8”/ 20cm tail. Using your tapestry needle, thread the tail through the remaining stitches and pull tightly to close the top of the hat. Weave in all the ends and use them to sew up any holes. Attach a pom pom if desired. My secret trick to making all of my super bulky knits look great is this steamer!

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Posted In: Baby & Kids, Free Knitting Patterns, Hats & Headbands, Patterns, Popular, Quick Knit in a Day Patterns, Snippet Collection, Super Bulky Weight Yarn, Yarn Weights

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