Chunky Cable Winter Bucket Hat

A cozy adult bucket hat in bulky yarn: six easy cable panels, a flared garter brim, and a crown that keeps cabling until the very top. Written for a first cable project — only one cable (C6F), worked in the round, seamless.

Skill Level: Beginner (first cables)

Size

Adult — one size

To fit head circumference: 21–24 in (53.5–61 cm)

Finished measurements (blocked):

• Band circumference: 22½ in (57 cm)
• Brim depth: 2½ in (6.5 cm)
• Brim outer circumference: approx 30 in (76 cm)
• Depth, top of crown to brim junction: 8½ in (21.5 cm)
• Total height including brim: 11 in (28 cm)

The band is meant to sit with a relaxed bucket-hat fit (little to no negative ease). The cabled fabric has stretch; wool blends will relax into the head with wear.

Yarn

Bulky weight (CYC 5)
200 yd / 183 m (allow a little extra if you lengthen the band)

Wool or a wool blend is best for warmth and crisp cables. Smooth, lightly spun yarns show the cables more clearly than highly textured or fuzzy yarns.

Typical requirement: 2 skeins of a 100 g bulky yarn (most put up at 100–140 yd / 91–128 m per skein).

Needles

• US 10.5 / 6.5 mm, 16 in (40 cm) circular needle
• US 10.5 / 6.5 mm double-pointed needles (DPNs), set of 4 or 5
  or a second circular for magic loop when the crown gets small

A 24 in (60 cm) circular in the same size is optional for the wider brim rounds.

Notions

• Stitch marker (beginning of round)
• Cable needle
• Tapestry needle
• Optional: 24–26 in (61–66 cm) millinery wire or plastic brim wire, for a stiffer brim

Gauge

Blocked, in the round

• 13 stitches and 18 rounds = 4 in (10 cm) in reverse stockinette stitch
• One 14-st Cable Pattern repeat = 3¾ in (9.5 cm) wide
  6 repeats = 22½ in (57 cm) band circumference

Work a circular swatch (or a flat swatch purling every WS row to mimic reverse stockinette). If you have too many stitches per 4 in, go up a needle size; too few, go down. Cable fabric pulls inward — trust the cable-panel measurement for fit.

Abbreviations (US)

Special Stitches

C6F (cable 6 front) — your only cable

1. Slip the next 3 stitches purlwise onto the cable needle.
2. Let the cable needle hang in front of the work.
3. Knit the next 3 stitches from the left needle.
4. Knit the 3 stitches from the cable needle.

That’s it: six knit stitches have changed places. The panel now slants left. On bulky yarn the stitches are large — take them one at a time and don’t yank the working yarn. A spare DPN can stand in for a cable needle.

ssk
Slip 1 stitch knitwise, slip 1 stitch knitwise, insert the left needle into the fronts of those 2 stitches from left to right, and knit them together.

Garter stitch in the round
Knit 1 round, purl 1 round. Repeat. This makes ridges and will not curl — ideal for a brim.

Reverse stockinette in the round
Purl every round. The purl “valleys” between cables are reverse stockinette.

Pattern Notes

• The hat is worked in the round from the brim up.
• Place a marker at the beginning of the round and slip it every round.
• Count stitches after every cable round and every decrease round. A cable round does not change the stitch count.
• When the fabric starts to stretch on the 16 in needle (around 60 sts), switch to DPNs or magic loop. Divide the 6 panels evenly — 2 panels per needle on 3 DPNs works well.
• Length is given in inches; round counts are a guide at the stated gauge. When in doubt, measure.

Cable Pattern

14-stitch repeat; 6 repeats around = 84 sts.

Written

Rnds 1–7: *K6, p8; rep from * around.
Rnd 8: *C6F, p8; rep from * around. (84 sts ✓)

Repeat Rnds 1–8 for pattern.

Chart

Worked in the round. Read every row from right to left. Work the 14-st repeat 6 times per round.

        14 13 12 11 10  9  8  7   6  5  4  3  2  1
Rnd 8    –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –   [    C6F     ]
Rnd 7    –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –   k  k  k  k  k  k
Rnd 6    –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –   k  k  k  k  k  k
Rnd 5    –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –   k  k  k  k  k  k
Rnd 4    –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –   k  k  k  k  k  k
Rnd 3    –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –   k  k  k  k  k  k
Rnd 2    –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –   k  k  k  k  k  k
Rnd 1    –  –  –  –  –  –  –  –   k  k  k  k  k  k

Key
k knit
– purl
C6F cable 6 front (sts 1–6)

Hat

Brim

Using long-tail cast-on and the circular needle, CO 108 sts. Place marker and join to work in the round, being careful not to twist.

Garter ridge sequence: odd rounds knit, even rounds purl. Decrease rounds are knit rounds so the decreases stay neat.

Rnds 1–6: Work 6 rounds garter stitch (k 1 rnd, p 1 rnd, three times).
Piece measures about 1¼ in (3 cm).

Rnd 7 (dec): *K7, k2tog; rep from * around.
(12 decreases → 108 − 12 = 96 sts ✓)

Rnds 8–10: Continue garter (p 1 rnd, k 1 rnd, p 1 rnd).

Rnd 11 (dec): *K6, k2tog; rep from * around.
(12 decreases → 96 − 12 = 84 sts ✓)

Rnd 12: Purl.

Brim measures about 2½ in (6.5 cm). 84 sts remain — 6 panels × 14 sts = 84 sts ✓. The next round is the brim/band junction.

Band (cable body)

Begin Cable Pattern over 84 sts:

Rnds 1–7: *K6, p8; rep from * around.
Rnd 8: *C6F, p8; rep from * around. (84 sts ✓)

Work Rnds 1–8 of Cable Pattern 3 times total (24 rounds), or until the piece measures 5¼ in (13.5 cm) from the brim junction, ending with Rnd 8 (a cable round). If you reach 5¼ in mid-repeat, keep going through the next Rnd 8 so a full cable sits just below the crown.

(3 × 8-rnd repeats = 24 rnds ✓. At 18 rnds = 4 in, 24 rnds ≈ 5¼ in ✓.)

Crown

Cables stay on the 6 knit stitches of each panel. Decrease the reverse-stockinette gutters first; only then reduce the cables. On even (non-decrease) rounds, knit the knits and purl the purls as they face you. Switch to DPNs or magic loop when the circular needle is too long.

Rnd 1 (dec): *K6, p2tog, p4, p2tog; rep from * around.
(12 decreases → 84 − 12 = 72 sts ✓) — each panel is now k6, p6.

Rnd 2: *K6, p6; rep from * around.

Rnd 3 (dec): *K6, p2tog, p2, p2tog; rep from * around.
(12 decreases → 72 − 12 = 60 sts ✓) — k6, p4.

Rnd 4: *K6, p4; rep from * around.

Rnd 5 (dec): *K6, p2tog, p2tog; rep from * around.
(12 decreases → 60 − 12 = 48 sts ✓) — k6, p2.

Rnd 6: *K6, p2; rep from * around.

Rnd 7 (dec): *K6, p2tog; rep from * around.
(6 decreases → 48 − 6 = 42 sts ✓) — k6, p1.

Rnd 8 (cable): *C6F, p1; rep from * around. (42 sts ✓)
Last full 6-stitch cable — 8 rounds after the last band cable.

Rnd 9 (dec): *K2tog, k2, ssk, p1; rep from * around.
(12 decreases → 42 − 12 = 30 sts ✓) — k4, p1. Cables begin to taper.

Rnd 10: *K4, p1; rep from * around.

Rnd 11 (dec): *K2tog, ssk, p1; rep from * around.
(12 decreases → 30 − 12 = 18 sts ✓) — k2, p1.

Rnd 12: *K2, p1; rep from * around.

Rnd 13 (dec): *K2tog, p1; rep from * around.
(6 decreases → 18 − 6 = 12 sts ✓)

Rnd 14: *K1, p1; rep from * around.

Rnd 15 (dec): *K2tog; rep from * around.
(6 decreases → 12 − 6 = 6 sts ✓)

Cut yarn, leaving an 8 in (20 cm) tail. Thread the tail through the remaining 6 sts, pull snug, and fasten on the wrong side.

(Crown ≈ 15 rnds ≈ 3¼ in at gauge. Band 5¼ in + crown 3¼ in = 8½ in depth ✓.)

Finishing

Weave in ends on the wrong side.

Block. This step makes the cables pop and sets the brim. Soak the hat in lukewarm water with a drop of wool wash for 15–20 minutes. Roll in a towel and press out water — do not wring. Dry over a bowl, balloon, or hat form so the crown is smoothly rounded. Pin or weight the brim into a circle about 9–10 in (23–25.5 cm) across so it flares like a bucket, not a ruffle. Let dry completely.

Optional structured brim. After blocking, sew millinery or plastic brim wire along the cast-on edge with a tapestry needle and matching yarn, overlapping the wire ends by 1 in (2.5 cm). Skip this if you prefer a soft, packable brim — bulky wool already has plenty of body.

Beginner Tips

• Twisted join: Before working Rnd 1, lay the cast-on circle flat and confirm every stitch hangs the same way. If one section flips, un-join and straighten it. A twisted brim cannot be fixed later.
• Cable-round checklist: You still have 84 sts after every Rnd 8 on the band. If you are short, a stitch was dropped off the cable needle; if you have extra, a stitch was worked twice.
• Loose cables: If the crossing looks tight or the fabric puckers, you are pulling the working yarn after the cable. Give those 6 stitches a gentle tug apart (not down) to even them.
• Fit: The band should sit comfortably without leaving a red line. If your swatch was accurate and the band feels snug on the head, block it on a slightly larger form — wool will grow a little.

Wear with the brim turned down. This is a winter hat: the cabled band is designed to cover the ears, with the brim shading the face.