How to Make a Hat Using a Knitting Loom

Knitting is a fun and relaxing hobby that anyone can learn. Using a knitting loom is one of the easiest methods for a beginner. I first learned to knit on a loom in 6th grade and have loved it since! These instructions will detail basic knitting terms while explaining how to use a loom to make a hat.

A circular knitting loom- These typically come in four different sizes, which make different-sized projects. The chart included above details the different loom sizes as well as the hat sizes they make.

Knitting hook- A tool similar to a crochet hook but with a more pointed tip at the end. Used instead of knitting needles to hook the yarn and create knit stitches on the loom. 

Yarn needle- Compared to regular sewing needles, these are typically made of plastic and have a bigger needle eye. 

Tape Measure- The best kind of tape measure to use for measuring yarn projects is a soft tape measure because it is flexible.

Scissors- Any kind of scissors that can cut through yarn will work. 

2 skeins of yarn- This example uses two skeins of Lion Brand Homespun Yarn, but any yarn brand is sufficient. The most common yarn weights for loom knitting are #4 Medium and #5 Bulky. You can check the yarn weight by looking at the label on the yarn. 

Knitting loom- Looms can be circular or rectangular and are used to create a variety of projects like hats, scarves, and blankets. They use pegs and a knitting hook instead of needles to create stitches. 

Yarn weight- The thickness of a strand of yarn. Yarn weight ranges from super fine to super bulky.

Skein of yarn- A skein of yarn is an oblong-shaped ball of yarn. Skeins are typically the shape of the yarn you find at a craft store. 

Slip knot- The first knot, or stitch, made that attaches your yarn to a knitting loom or knitting needles. After making a slip knot, you can begin knitting your project. 

Cast on- The process of adding brand new stitches to your needle or knitting loom. Casting on creates the first row of stitches or loops for a project.

Knit stitch- A loop pulled from the back of the work to the front.

Cast off- The technique that creates an end to your knitting. It seals off the stitches so that they don't unravel.

When making a hat, the best yarn weights to use are #4 Medium and #5 Bulky. It is also important to knit with two strands of yarn at the same time. This will make loops closer together and thicker, and as a result, the hat will be warmer. This example uses two skeins of Lion Brand Homespun Yarn. 

If you are unsure what loom size would work best for the hat you want to make you can check the size against the wearer’s head. If the loom can go over the head without being too tight, then it will make a perfect-sized hat. For example, the loom for a newborn baby hat should be able to go over the baby or a doll’s head, while the loom for an adult hat should be able to go over an adult’s head. An extra large loom is used in these instructions for the example.

To start your project, you need to cast on by making a slip knot. To make a slip knot, wrap the two strands of yarn around your finger and make an “x.”

Then pull the yarn in the front part of the “x” up through the back of the loop made by your finger.

Then pull on the yarn to tighten it and hook it onto the anchor peg on the side of the loom to hold it in place.

Hold the loom in front of you, with the anchor peg facing toward you. You will now begin wrapping the yarn around the first peg to the left of the anchor peg. You can mark this peg with a sharpie so that you know that every row begins with wrapping around this peg. Be sure to start every row on the same peg. To wrap the yarn, you will work from the left side of the peg to the right side. Start with the yarn behind the back of the peg, facing the inside of the loom.

Pull the yarn up and around to the left of the peg, so it is in the front of the peg, facing the outside of the loom.

Crossing in front of the peg, pull the yarn to the right side of the peg and back inside the loom.

This creates a loop or stitch. The loop should be facing outward on the peg, while the yarn facing inward creates a row that looks like a line. The yarn should be wrapped tight enough around the peg so that the stitches are secure but not too tight that it is difficult to hook the yarn in Step 5. Work left to right around the loom, which turns the loom in a clockwise motion. As you wrap each peg, push the yarn down to the bottom of the peg. Be sure to hold your finger over each loop as you wrap so the yarn does not unravel before you knit, or hook, the yarn.

When you reach the last peg to the right of the anchor peg, you have created one row.

Now you can wrap the yarn around the first peg to the left again, so there are now two loops on this peg. Continue wrapping around the loom from left to right so that every peg now has two loops.

Once all pegs have two loops, take the knitting hook and place it under the bottom loop on the peg to the right of the anchor peg.

Pull the yarn up and over the peg, pushing the top loop down to the bottom.

This creates a knit stitch. You can also pull on the yarn after knitting the loops to tighten the stitches. Continue to hook each peg, working from right to left so that the loom now rotates counterclockwise. Continue this process until every peg only has one loop, ending on the peg to the left of the anchor peg.

Repeat Steps 5 and 6 until the hat is long enough to make the brim. You can determine the average length, in inches and yarn rows, for the brim based on loom size in the chart pictured above. With bulky yarn, typically 4 rows equals 1 inch. For example, if you make a brim for an extra large hat, you need a length of about 5 inches on the loom, which equals about 20 rows. However, this chart is only a guide, so you can also add or remove rows to make the brim longer or shorter. 

To measure the yarn, take your tape measure and line up the 0 inches mark with the bottom of the hat that faces inside the loom. Pull the tape measure up along the inside of the hat until you reach the row that is still on the pegs. You can then see where the last row lines up with the tape measure. In this example, the hat is slightly longer than 5 inches. 

Note: Once the hat begins to grow, after about 8 rows, you can remove the slip knot from the anchor peg and untie it by pulling on the tail. This will allow the hat to grow without being pulled up to the loom. 

The two major issues that can occur when knitting on a loom often happen while wrapping and hooking the yarn. The first issue is accidentally skipping a peg while wrapping.

If you notice while hooking around the loom that you accidentally skipped a peg while wrapping, there is a simple fix for this.

Using your knitting hook, remove the loop that is on the peg that you skipped.

Then, you can use the hook to grab the yarn behind the peg, which would have been wrapped around it originally.

Pull this yarn through the loop on your hook, creating a new loop. Slide the old loop off the hook.

Then use your fingers or the hook to slide the new loop back onto the peg. This new loop will be a bit tight.

This new loop is what would have resulted if you had wrapped and hooked the peg normally. You can now continue hooking around the loom as usual.

If a peg pops out of the loom while hooking, you can simply pop it back into its hole with a hammer or by hitting it on a hard surface. If an unhooked loop comes undone when the peg pops out, this can be fixed using the knitting hook.

First, grab the yarn with the hook and pull it to the left side of the peg.

As if you were wrapping the yarn around the peg, pull the hook and yarn in front of the peg and to the right.

This creates a loop that you can then use your fingers or the hook to place back on the peg. Once you have two rows on the peg again, you can hook the bottom loop as normal. 

Once you’ve reached the number of rows needed for the brim, stop wrapping and knitting. You should have 1 row of loops on the loom pegs.

Reach inside the loom, grab the bottom loop of the hat, and fold it back up to the pegs. Make sure the loop from the bottom row is placed on its corresponding peg so that they line up.

Continue grabbing the loops and placing them on the pegs until every peg now has two rows of loops. This folds the knitted portion into the brim of the hat.

Knit this row by pulling the bottom loops over the top of each peg as if knitting a normal row. Once the brim is complete, you can continue wrapping pegs to make loops and knitting with the hook as normal. 

After finishing the brim, you need to determine the length you need to add to the hat to complete it. In the chart pictured above, the total hat length includes the brim. The length needed to complete the hat can be calculated by subtracting the length of the brim from the total length of the hat. It is important to remember that the completed brim is half of the length shown in the Step 7 chart because you folded that length in half. For instance, if you are making a hat on the extra large loom, the new complete brim is about 2 ½ inches long because you folded the 5 inches you knitted in half. This means that you need about 6 ½ inches, or 26 rows, to complete the hat.

Once your hat has reached its desired length, you are ready to finish the hat. You can test the hat length by placing it on its wearer’s head, or someone with a similar-sized head. Make sure the hat covers the ears, and there are about two inches above the head that leave room for finishing the hat. To finish the hat, be sure there is only one row on the pegs.

Begin removing the hat from the loom, or casting off, by first taking the yarn and wrapping it around the loom twice. This makes sure you have plenty of yarn to remove the hat with so that you don’t run out.

Cut both strands of yarn with your scissors and unwrap them from around the loom.

Then, thread both strands through the yarn needle. If you have difficulty getting the yarn through the needle, you can try putting them through the needle eye one at a time or taping the end of the yarn so it is easier to pull through the eye.

Similar to hooking the yarn, pull the yarn needle up through the bottom of the loop on the first peg to the right of the anchor peg. Pull the needle up through the loop and then pull the yarn so all of it is through the loop.

After all the yarn is through the loop, you can pull the loop off the peg using the knitting hook or your fingers.

Continue this process until every loop is off the loom. 

After the hat is completely removed from the loom, you can pull on the remaining yarn to close the hat hole.

Then, flip the hat inside-out and pull the needle and yarn through the hole so it is now on the same side.

Start to sew the hole closed by pulling the needle through one side of the hole and out through the opposite side of the hole. Pull on the yarn to close the hole. Continue sewing the hole until all the edges of the hole are closed.

You can tie off the yarn by pulling the yarn through the loop created as you close the hole.

Then you can cut off the excess yarn, leaving about five inches that you can tie a standard knot. Then cut off the excess.

Go to the brim where the yarn tail was attached to the anchor peg and tie this off as well. Flip the hat back out.

Congrats! 

You have completed your hat and mastered the basics of loom knitting.

Although these instructions demonstrate how to make an adult-sized hat on the extra large knitting loom, the same process can be used to make different-sized hats on the other circular looms. After some practice, you will be able to make a variety of different projects on a knitting loom. Now it's time to enjoy your new hobby!