This adorable smiling Santa hat knitting pattern is so cute, your little one will be delighted! From his fluffy white beard to his red stocking cap with pom pom, Santa is ready for winter!
I have quite a few Christmas Santa Hat knitting patterns on my site. I have a classic Santa hat for babies, I have an adult Santa Hat, a fun buffalo plaid Santa hat, a Santa pixie bonnet…I even have a hat with more Santa Hats on it! Ha! But I have never actually tried to knit Santa himself before and I’m delighted with how my new Smiling Santa Hat knitting pattern came out.
Your little one will LOVE to pretend to be Santa and no one will you believe that you knit this adorable Santa pattern on your own. But I promise, it’s easy. All you need to grab is some worsted weight yarn in red, white, pink and the skin color of your choice because Santa is definitely for everyone.
Then you knit this cute Christmas hat pattern in the round and add the pink nose, pom pom and adorable little smile at the end. It couldn’t be easier and your little one can be Santa for the holiday season.
And hey, if you want to wear your Santa hat all the way into January, February or even March, go for it! The joy of Santa is for anyone and any time, don’t you think? I’m pretty my littlest one is going to wear her Smiling Santa Hat when we ride the Santa train this year and I think it’s going to make for some incredibly adorable photos. I cannot wait!
Are you ready to knit a Smiling Santa Hat? Ho Ho Ho, Merry Christmas!
Smiling Santa Hat Knitting Pattern Details
(includes Sizes 0-3 months, 6 months, 12 months, 2T+)
Gauge: 20 stitches = 4 inches
- Worsted weight yarn in white, red, pink, black, and the skin color of your choice
- US 7 16″ circular knitting needles
- US 7 double pointed needles
- Yarn needle
(If you need help, my favorite knitting reference book for everyone from beginners to advanced knitters is THIS ONE!)
Looking for the pattern? Here’s how it works: This pattern is available for FREE in one size right here on my site (keep scrolling down). Or for just a few dollars, you can choose to purchase an upgraded PDF pattern that is nicely formatted and easy to print. Besides being easy to print, the PDF pattern also contains MORE SIZES with instructions for additional sizing including 0-3 months, 6 months, 12 months and 2T+! Thank you for supporting Little Red Window!
Smiling Santa Hat Knitting Pattern Instructions
12 month size, see pdf for additional sizes
Using long-tail cast on, cast on 72 stitches onto your circular needles with the white yarn. Join to knit in the round and k1, p1, in a rib stitch for
2 inches. Next, switch to the skin color yarn of your choice and knit all stitches for 14 rounds.
Switch back to white yarn, and knit all stitches for 1 round, then purl all stitches for 6 more rounds to make the brim of Santa’s hat. Finally, switch to red yarn and knit all stitches until the hat is 5 inches (if it is not already). If it has already reached that
measurement, continue on to the decrease.
Decrease (divide your stitches between 3 double pointed needles or use magic loop):
Round 1: (k6, k2tog) repeat to the end of the round
Rounds 2-5: knit all stitches
Round 6: (k5, k2tog) repeat to the end of the round
Rounds 7-10: knit all stitches
Round 11: (k4, k2tog) repeat to the end of the round
Rounds 12-15: knit all stitches
Round 16: (k3, k2tog) repeat to the end of the round
Rounds 17-20: knit all stitches
Round 21: (k2, k2tog) repeat to the end of the round
Rounds 22-25: knit all stitches
Round 26: (k1, k2tog) repeat to the end of the round
Rounds 27-30: knit all stitches
Round 31: k2tog and repeat to the end of the round
Rounds 32-35: knit all stitches
Cut yarn, thread through loops and pull to close. Weave in ends.
Nose:
Using double pointed needles as straight needles, cast on 4 stitches with pink yarn. Leave a long cast on tail to stitch the nose to the hat.
Row 1 (WS): pfb, p2, pfb
Row 2 (RS): kfb, k4, kfb
Row 3: purl all stitches
Row 4: knit all stitches
Row 5: k2tog, p4, p2tog
Row 6: ssk, k2tog, k2tog
Bind off knitwise and weave in this end on the wrong side.
Thread the long cast on tail on your yarn needle and use it to sew the nose to the front of Santa’s face just above his beard as shown (Photo A).
Finishing:
Thread some black yarn on a yarn needle and use it to stitch two angled stitches for the eyes and then use a backstitch to stitch a shy smile as shown
Finally, make a white yarn pom pom with a pom pom maker or other method of your choice and sew it securely to the top of Santa’s hat!
Happy Knitting!
If you liked this, you may also like some of my other posts…
- Free Printable Watercolor Valentines - January 23, 2025
- Valentine Heart Swirl Hat Knitting Pattern - January 22, 2025
- Retro Rainbow Heart Hat Knitting Pattern - January 21, 2025
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