Type

Knitting

Difficulty

beginner

Planning

1. **Design Strategy**: A beginner-friendly worsted-weight beanie with a k2p2 ribbed brim. The body is worked in seed stitch to suggest woolly fleece, so no colorwork is needed. An optional sheep face (an I-cord or duplicate-stitch face, two knitted ears, and a cream pompom "fluff") delivers the sheep theme with simple techniques. 2. **Construction Plan**: Worked seamlessly in the round from the brim up on a 16" circular needle, switching to DPNs for the crown, with ears knit flat and sewn on. 3. **Quality Assurance**: - Seed stitch in the round needs an even stitch count, and every stitch count before the crown must be a multiple of 8 for the decreases. - Seed stitch "fleece" will lose its alignment during the decreases, so the crown switches to stockinette for clean shaping. - Beginners lose the round start, so the pattern requires a beginning-of-round marker. 4. **Final Calculations**: - Gauge: 18 sts × 26 rnds = 4" (10 cm) in seed stitch, US 8 (5 mm). - Sizes: Child (Adult S/M, Adult L) for head circumference 18–19 (20–21, 22–23)". - Cast-on: 72 (80, 88) sts, giving a finished circumference of 16 (17¾, 19½)" with about 2–3" of negative ease. - Height: 7 (8, 8½)" before the crown, with a crown depth of about 1¾".

Verification

1. **Completeness**: The pattern includes materials, gauge, sizes, abbreviations, brim, body, crown, finishing, and a pompom. All required sections are present ✓ 2. **Consistency**: - 72/18 × 4 = 16" ✓ - 80/18 × 4 = 17.78" ✓ - 88/18 × 4 = 19.56" ✓ - All three counts are divisible by 4 for the k2p2 ribbing and by 8 for the crown decreases ✓ 3. **Constraints**: The sheep theme is covered by the fleece texture, ears, face, and pompom. The pattern is knitted, beginner level, worsted weight, and uses US terms ✓ 4. **Safety**: The crown decreases 8 stitches every other round. - Child: 72 → 64 → 56 → 48 → 40 → 32 → 24 → 16 → 8. - Each size reaches 8 stitches with k2tog repeats. The larger sizes run extra decrease rounds first. - Crown depth: about 8 decrease rounds plus plain rounds, roughly 11–15 rounds, which is about 1¾–2½". - Height checks: Child 7 + 1.7 ≈ 8.7"; Adult S/M 8 + 2 = 10"; Adult L 8½ + 2.3 ≈ 10.8". Each is acceptable for a beanie ✓

Pattern

Little Lamb Fleece Beanie

A cozy, beginner-friendly knitted beanie with a woolly seed-stitch "fleece," floppy sheep ears, and a fluffy pompom.

Sizes

Child (Adult S/M, Adult L)

Fits head circumference: 18–19 (20–21, 22–23)" / 46–48 (51–53, 56–58) cm
Finished circumference (unstretched): 16 (17¾, 19½)" / 40.5 (45, 49.5) cm. This gives about 2–3" of negative ease for a snug fit.
Finished height (brim unfolded): about 8¾ (10, 10¾)" / 22 (25.5, 27.5) cm

Materials

Main color (MC), cream or white: worsted weight yarn, about 130 (160, 190) yd / 119 (146, 174) m. A wool or wool blend gives the best "sheep" look.
Contrast color (CC), dark gray, black, or brown: worsted weight yarn, about 20 yd / 18 m, for the ears and face.
Needles:
- US 7 (4.5 mm) 16" (40 cm) circular needle, for the brim
- US 8 (5 mm) 16" (40 cm) circular needle, for the body
- US 8 (5 mm) double-pointed needles (DPNs), for the crown
Notions:
- 1 stitch marker
- Tapestry needle
- Scissors
- Pompom maker or cardboard, for an optional 2½" (6.5 cm) pompom
- Optional: 2 safety eyes (12 mm), or black yarn for embroidered eyes

Gauge

Seed stitch: 18 sts and 26 rnds = 4" (10 cm) in seed stitch in the round on US 8 (5 mm) needles, after blocking.
Stockinette: 18 sts and 24 rnds = 4" (10 cm) is fine for the crown.

Take time to check your gauge. With more stitches per inch, use a larger needle; with fewer, use a smaller needle.

Abbreviations (US)

Abbreviation	Meaning
k	knit
p	purl
k2tog	knit 2 together (1 stitch decreased)
ssk	slip, slip, knit (1 stitch decreased)
CO	cast on
BO	bind off
pm	place marker
sm	slip marker
rnd(s)	round(s)
st(s)	stitch(es)
MC / CC	main color / contrast color
RS / WS	right side / wrong side

Stitch Guide

k2p2 rib (in the round, multiple of 4): *K2, p2; repeat from * to end. Repeat every round.
Seed stitch (in the round, even number of sts):
- Rnd 1: *K1, p1; repeat from * to end.
- Rnd 2: *P1, k1; repeat from * to end.
- Repeat Rnds 1 and 2.
- Beginner tip: knit the purl bumps and purl the knit "V"s you see on the needle.

Instructions

Brim

With US 7 (4.5 mm) circular needle and MC, CO 72 (80, 88) sts using the long-tail cast-on.
Pm and join to work in the round, being careful not to twist the stitches.
Work k2p2 rib until the brim measures 1½ (2, 2)" / 4 (5, 5) cm.
- Check: 72 ÷ 4 = 18 ✓; 80 ÷ 4 = 20 ✓; 88 ÷ 4 = 22 ✓. The rib repeats come out even.

Body (Woolly Fleece)

Switch to the US 8 (5 mm) circular needle.
Work seed stitch (Rnds 1–2) until the hat measures 7 (8, 8½)" / 18 (20.5, 21.5) cm from the cast-on edge.
End after a Rnd 2.
- Check: All stitch counts are even, so the seed stitch alternates correctly ✓
- Stitch count stays at 72 (80, 88).

Crown Shaping

Work the crown in stockinette (knit every round) so the decreases stay neat. Switch to DPNs when the stitches no longer reach around the circular needle.

Adult L only:

Rnd A: *K9, k2tog; repeat from * to end. 80 sts (8 decreased → 88 − 8 = 80 ✓)
Rnd B: Knit.

Adult S/M and Adult L only:

Rnd C: *K8, k2tog; repeat from * to end. 72 sts (80 − 8 = 72 ✓)
Rnd D: Knit.

All sizes (now 72 sts):

Rnd	Instruction	Stitch count
1	K7, k2tog; rep from	64 (72 − 8 ✓)
2	Knit	64
3	K6, k2tog; rep from	56 ✓
4	Knit	56
5	K5, k2tog; rep from	48 ✓
6	Knit	48
7	K4, k2tog; rep from	40 ✓
8	Knit	40
9	K3, k2tog; rep from	32 ✓
10	K2, k2tog; rep from	24 ✓
11	K1, k2tog; rep from	16 ✓
12	K2tog; rep from	8 ✓

Close the top:

Cut the yarn, leaving an 8" (20 cm) tail.
Thread the tail onto a tapestry needle and draw it through the remaining 8 sts.
Pull tight and secure on the WS.

Sheep Ears (make 2)

Worked flat in CC on US 8 (5 mm) needles, in stockinette.

CO 5 sts.
Row 1 (WS): Purl.
Row 2 (RS): K1, M1L, k3, M1R, k1. 7 sts (5 + 2 ✓)
Rows 3–9: Work in stockinette, beginning with a purl row.
Row 10 (RS): K1, ssk, k1, k2tog, k1. 5 sts (7 − 2 ✓)
Row 11: Purl.
Row 12: K1, sk2p (slip 1, k2tog, pass slipped st over), k1. 3 sts ✓
BO and leave a 10" tail.

If increases feel tricky, simply work 5 sts in stockinette for 10 rows, then decrease on the last rows. The ears will still look lovely.

Shaping the ears:

Fold the cast-on edge in half lengthwise.
Sew a few stitches to pinch it. This creates the floppy ear shape.

Sheep Face (optional)

With CC, CO 8 sts and work 10 rows in stockinette.
Decrease 1 st at each end of the next 2 RS rows. 4 sts ✓
Work 1 row, then BO.
This makes a small rounded "face" about 1¾" wide.
Embroider eyes in MC with French knots, or attach safety eyes before sewing the face on.

Finishing

Ears: Sew one ear to each side of the hat, just above the brim. Place them about 3½ (4, 4½)" from the center front on each side.
Face: Center the face on the front of the hat, just above the brim. Sew around its edges with whipstitch.
Pompom (sheep's topknot): Make a 2½" (6.5 cm) pompom in MC and attach it firmly to the top of the crown.
Weave in ends: Weave in all ends on the WS.
Blocking: Wet block gently or steam lightly. Do not stretch the ribbing.

Pattern Notes & Tips

Marker: Keep the beginning-of-round marker in place. It is the easiest way to track rounds.
Measuring: Measure the body length on a flat surface, from the cast-on edge.
Fold-up brim: For a fold-up brim, work the ribbing to 3 (3½, 3½)". This uses about 15 yd (14 m) more MC.
Yarn choice: A slightly fuzzy or bouclé yarn exaggerates the woolly fleece effect. Be sure to check gauge if you substitute.

Enjoy your Little Lamb Fleece Beanie!

Disclaimer: This pattern was generated by AI and should be reviewed for accuracy before use. While we strive for quality, AI-generated content may contain errors. Please verify measurements, stitch counts, charts, and instructions before beginning your project. Generated by purlJam.uk

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