UPDATED Bigfoot Hat - Free Knitting Pattern

UPDATE 2/3/23: I spruced up this pattern for clarity as well as the changes I've made for a newer, superior version of the hat, and also did some work on the suggestions for variations section. And now, finally, if you'd like a printable PDF version without ads, you can get it HERE for a few dollars. The free version will of course still be available forever.
 
$1+ PDF Version

You can see some examples of the new version of the hat to the right, where I don't start the decreases of the crown until after completing the honeycomb pattern, rather than working the decreases in with the pattern. It makes the finished hat a bit lengthier since slouchier hats are back in style again, I suppose. I never quite know what's in style at any given time. 

The older images of the hat are down at the bottom of the page if you'd also like to see them if you're new here.

I'm fairly certain the original hat that Lorelai wears on Gilmore Girls is using DK yarn. (The original post I made about this hat can be found here.) It's the only way to get the appropriate number of hairy hominids around (I believe there are five or six). I used worsted weight yarn, so the hat isn't completely identical to the one on the show and it has four mythical beasts.

Feel free to making any adjustments to this pattern that you'd like. For one hat I actually flip-flopped the two colors for the crown of the hat to mix it up (the blue hat below). If you make a hat or two, don't hesitate to share it on the Facebook and please give a shoutout as a link back to this page, Etsy or Ko-Fi!

TOOLS AND MATERIALS

·         US size 6 circular needles, and size 8 circular needles (whatever length you’re most comfortable with, I used 14”) - you’ll be knitting in the round – I used the smaller needles for the brim then switched to larger for the body to make sure the pattern remained stretchy since there are large sections of solid color
·         US size 8 DPNs (4 of them)
·         worsted weight yarn in desired colors – referred to as background color and pattern color, respectively
·         yarn needle
·         crochet hook (optional, for weaving in ends)
·         stitch marker (optional)

ABBREVIATIONS/SKILLS NEEDED
·         k: knit
·         p: purl
·         k1p1: knit 1 purl 1
·         k2tog: knit 2 together (decrease)
·         st/sts: stitch/stitches
·         rnd/rnds: round/rounds
·         CO: cast on

Gauge: about 5 sts/in, 5 rows/in

Finished hat measures approx. 11” tall and 9” across when lying flat using the needles above (this is the "new" version of the hat). Change needle-sizes and/or yarn weights to make slight adjustments to the size.

This isn’t an insanely difficult hat, but I do recommend you have experience with colorwork, grabbing your floats, tension, etc. It’s a good beginner hat for a knitter looking for a nice colorwork starter project!


PATTERN
  • With pattern color (or background color, if you want).
  • CO 96 sts.
  • Rnds 1-9: k1p1 around; If you’d like a longer hat, add more rnds of ribbing;
  • Rnd 10: switch to larger needles and background color, k around;
  • Rnd 11: p around; these two rnds create a little contrasting ridge separating the brim from the hat;
  • Rnd 12: incorporating pattern color, begin working the chart below. Start working the chart in the bottom right corner. Repeat the chart around 4 times.


After the bigfoot chart, begin the honeycomb chart below and repeat it 8 times around. 

 


Now it’s time to begin working k2tog decreases (switch to your DPNs when circulars get uncomfortable).

The decrease pattern for the crown is as follows:

  • K10, k2tog, repeat around (88 sts);
  • K around (88 sts);
  • K9, k2tog, repeat around (80 sts); 
  • K around (80 sts);  
  • K8, k2tog, repeat around (72 sts);
  • K around (72 sts); 
  • K7, k2tog (64 sts);
  • K around (64 sts);
  • K6, k2tog (56 sts);
  • K around (56 sts);
  • K5, k2tog (48 sts);
  • K4, k2tog (40 sts);
  • K3, k2tog (32 sts);
  • K2, k2tog (24 sts);
  • K, k2tog (16 sts)
  • K2tog around (8 sts), break off yarn with a tail of several inches to close the hole.

Finishing: close the hole, weave in your ends with your preferred method, and your hat is done!

Happy knitting!
XOXOX

VARIATIONS (added on 1/9/15, edited on 2/3/23)
 
Add a pom pom if you want. I used a 3" one of these

5-Squatch Hat (Thanks go out to WireMonkey for getting to this before me. Go now and check out her Ravelry page!)

Lorelai's hat had five bigfootsies on it, so you'll want to do this for the most accurate Gilmore Girls-inspired hat. Just drop your needles down to size 6 for the entire hat and use DK yarn. CO 120 and repeat the bigfoot chart 5 times and the honeycomb chart 10 times. Add length to the brim to make a longer hat, as before.


 
3-Squatch REVERSIBLE Double-Sided Child and Adult Hats
Double-knitting colorwork just requires doubling the number of stitches in your colored sections and maintaining the alternating knit and purl stuff...if that makes any sense (this is totally why I don't make tutorials explaining actual skills). It's not as hard as it sounds, I swear.
For a kid's (or small adult) hat use size 5 needles and cast on 144 sts in DK/sport weight yarn. This gives you the 3 bigfeet on either side (72 sts per side). If you need to add length then I recommend making the brim longer. After doing a brim of at least 1" or so you can either create the different texture ridge by swapping your knits and purls or just do a rnd in your alternate color. Then begin double-knitting the bigfoot chart and then you'll need to double-knit 6 of the honeycomb chart (if you want them).

For an adult hat use size 6 (or 7) needles and again CO 144 in DK or sport. You'll need at least a 1" brim. I went with 1.5" because my gauge changes pretty substantially when I double-knit. The needle size you need depends a lot on your double-knitting gauge and your yarn.

I chose not to do the ridge above the brim on the handful of double-sided hats I've made. I also chose to leave off the honeycombs on the crown. Personal preference - nothing more. Both are still possible with double-knitting. You can even still have a ribbed brim.

ORIGINAL HAT
The first bigfoot hats I made, had the crown's decreases worked into the honeycomb pattern, rather than after it. It resulted in a shorter, more skullcap style hat (see images below), which is what the original hat was, but after constant requests for longer hats, I stopped doing this, and all of my current hats are made with the new pattern. You are welcome to make shorter hats and below you can find the honeycomb pattern with the decreases shown.

After the last rnd shown on this chart, just begin decreasing every rnd in the same pattern as laid out above.
 

Woo hoo! As usual - happy knitting! Show me your bigfoot hats on the Facebook page and don't forget to share this pattern with your pals!

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Comments

  1. After linking this post on my FB page, I was overwhelmed with requests from family members. I've already made 5 of these!! They are really fun to knock out.

    To make a 5-squatch hat in dk, just use size 6 needles and cast on 120 stitches and make one more pattern repeat--it works out perfectly. I found I had to make the brim a bit wider to make up for the smaller stitch height of the dk yarn.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Man, people love these hats! And I'm glad other folks are having fun making them. I've gotten nonstop requests for them since I made the first one and I STILL haven't gotten a chance to make one in dk. You've definitely saved me some pondering time!

    As soon as I get around to dk and get some pictures taken I'll add a lil addendum to this post and give you a shoutout for your glorious stitch counting. :D

    -XOXOX

    ReplyDelete
  3. Today I got my Lorelai Hat :-)) It is a fantastic work. I love it. It is perfect !!!
    Thank you so much. A little bit of "Stars Hollow" in Germany.

    THANK you and wish you all the best - every time again , it is fantastic
    Erika

    ReplyDelete
  4. Here's a link to my Ravelry Page with most (but not all) of the Squatches.

    All of these were gifts, but I've gotten several requests from people wanting to commission/buy one from me. I've told them I'd need to see what your royalty would be (I would NOT sell them without pattern designer permission and royalty payment).

    http://www.ravelry.com/projects/TheWireMonkey/sasquatch-hats

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Wow! Those look great. Don't worry about a royalty - sell as many as you want! Direct people to my etsy shop as you see fit and I can also make some more. I've been working on some reversible versions and trying to perfect a child size too.

      Delete
    2. I'm so pleased you like them! I told people to go to knitpicks and choose their colors. Some combinations were...interesting.

      I found through trial and error if you use DK yarn and *don't* add any more rows, the hat is shorter and more of a beanie for a teen or small woman. I would think you could just use DK and a four squatch repeat for a kid's version. It's a really flexible pattern!

      If I do end up selling any, I'll throw a couple of bucks your way per hat. You're the designer and should get a slice of any sales.

      Delete
    3. I literally just updated this post with the 5-squatch version and also reversible versions of the hat! I linked to your sasquatch hats on Ravelry too.

      At some point there was also an original designer before me, since I saw this silly hat on Gilmore Girls. I was really surprised no one had made a chart for it before I did. It was definitely a lot of staring at screencaps of the show then a fair bit trial and error to make it work, but I don't expect much as far as any sort of royalties go. :)

      Delete

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