Harry Potter Holiday Hat
Looking to make a beautiful gift for the Harry Potter fan in your life?
These holiday hats are guaranteed to bring a little magic to any recipient or maybe even yourself.
The perfect winter’s hat…
If you make a winter scarf, you have to make a winter hat. Don’t you?
Well, I decided to try my hand at loom knitting hats this year and I wasn’t disappointed!
I’d even go as far as to say that loom knitting hats is far easier than loom knitting scarves! But I’ll leave that decision up to you. (You can find my matching scarf tutorial here).
For now, let me show you how I made these adorable hats!
I will share the images I used for the crests with you in the tutorial.
Let’s begin…
***If you have read any of my loom knitting tutorials, you can skip the next part!
What is loom knitting?
Loom knitting is a form of knitting where you use a tool to create a knitted garment or blanket. The tool contains a prearranged set of pegs for you to weave yarn in. Each peg counts as a single knit.
Looms come in a variety of shapes and sizes; each one has its own purpose. The most common shapes for loom knitting are:
Circular, Rectangular, Long and Narrow, X-shaped, Oval, and S-shaped.
Each shape offers different benefits for completing certain projects. Additionally, the number of pegs and their spacing determines the size of the project and the weight you should use. For this project, I used a circular loom that contained 36 pegs (insert Dudley birthday joke here).
I promise you, it is not that complicated! (Although it can be if you would like to dive into learning about different techniques)! If you would like to read more about loom knitting, check out this blog here.
But let’s get started on how I set up my projects!
This post contains affiliate links. Read my full disclosure for more info.
List of Supplies:
Makes: 1 hat ***Some yarns provide more yardage in their skeins (rolls) so you may be able to get two hats out of a single skein.
Estimated Time: between 1 - 2 1/2 hours depending on how fast you weave.
Sewing skills needed/used: Needlework at the end to secure the two ends of the hat, basic knots
Skill Level: Beginner
You can choose whichever kit, project, or instructions you would like. Here are some others that would make good starting kits:
Loom Kit for adults (multiple projects)
Loom Kit for kids (hat with pom-poms)
Loom Kit for kids/teens (beanie bun and fingerless gloves)
Just remember you need:
A loom
Yarn (your choice)
Gryffindor - 1 skein Lion Brand Wool Ease, color Cranberry, and 1 skein Big Twist Natural Blend, color mustard
Hufflepuff- 1 skein Big Twist Natural Blend, color mustard, and 1 skein Lion Brand Wool Ease, color black
Ravenclaw- 1 skein Big Twist Natural Blend, color medium grey, and 1 skein Big Twist Natural Blend, color navy
Slytherin- 1 skein Lion Brand Wool Ease, color black, and KC Premium yarn, color evergreen
Optional: Gold Vinyl
Optional: Vinyl Cutting Machine
Optional: Leather Sheet
How to make a Harry Potter-inspired hat
Step 1:
Gather your supplies.
I also recommend a good movie, podcast, audiobook, or another form of entertainment.
Familiarize yourself with the loom. Hold it in your hands, and find a comfortable way to grip it.
Step 2:
Anchor the project, leaving several inches of yarn as a tail (you will sew this in at the end).
The instructions for my kit called for a slip knot, however, I just tied a simple knot to the anchor peg.
*Some looms do not have an anchor peg and that is okay.
Step 3:
Wrap the first peg.
I like to look at the loom as a clock. So I am going to start weaving my yarn around the clock face.
I take my anchored yarn and wrap it around the TOP of the first peg (nearest to the anchor) in a counterclockwise motion.
Step 4:
Wrap the second peg.
After I wrapped my yarn around the first peg, I wrap it around the second peg's TOP in a counterclockwise motion.
The yarn that connects the two pegs should be on the inside (see below).
Like this.
Step 5:
Weave the yarn through the remainder of the loom.
You will end up back where you started.
Step 6:
Push the yarn down.
If you look at the loom, you will see that your current weave is at the top of each peg.
I took my finger and pushed this down so that the loops are at the bottom of their pegs.
(See below for more images)
Step 7:
Wrap the yarn around the first peg again, continuing to wrap in a counterclockwise motion.
This time, there will be two rows of stitches on the pegs. The one we just pushed down and the new one we are making.
Step 8:
Weave the yarn through the remainder of the loom.
You will end up back where you started with two rows.
Step 9:
Release the bottom loops to create the first row of stitches.
To do this, I grabbed my crochet hook, took the bottom loop, pulled it over the top of peg 1, and released it.
I continued releasing all the bottom stitches in the same manner.
Step 10:
Push the yarn down.
As you work, you will see your hat come out of the bottom of the loom.
Step 11:
Repeat steps 7-10 until you have completed 15-20 stitches.
At this point, we will create a brim.
***Do not cut any yarn! We will continue using this yarn after we finish the brim.
Step 12:
Create a brim.
To do this, I grabbed the very first stitch I made and brought it up over the peg.
I repeated this process until all of the original first loops were back on the loom.
This will create the double loops we have created with each pass.
(See additional images below)
Step 13:
Release the bottom loops to create a row of stitches and press the row down.
To do this, I grabbed my crochet hook, took the bottom loop, pulled it over the top of peg 1, and released it.
I continued releasing all the bottom stitches in the same manner.
(See images below)
Step 14:
Change the yarn color to create a stipe.
To change the yarn, I tied the new color around the end of the yarn currently on the loom. I used a double knit to secure it. Then, I trimmed the tails.
Alternatively, you can weave the tails into the scarf at the end, but I find this way works just fine.
I made my scarves with 4 yarn changes, with each section 7 rows long.
Step 15:
Continue this process until the hat measures roughly 12”. Be sure to change the yarn every 7th row to achieve the even stripes!
Step 16:
Cast off the hat, making sure you leave roughly 20” of yarn as a tail to finish the hat.
This process is much easier than casting off a scarf. You still have to release the final loops into one another.
Use a yarn needle to thread the tail through.
Then, you start at the first peg and use the needle to grab the first loop. Keeping the loop on your needle, release it from the peg, and repeat this process until you have released all the loops onto the tail.
(See images below)
Step 17:
Gather the top of the hat.
To do this, I simply pulled the tail end that I released all the final loops onto.
I worked the loops to get them as close together as possible.
Once I had it pulled tightly together, I threaded my tail end through a yarn needle and began securing the tail into the top.
I worked my needle under some of the loops on the top of the hat and then I brought my needle down through to the inside of the hat and continued this process.
I placed a small knot at the end and cut the remaining yarn off.
(See images below)
Step 18:
Sew the anchor tail of the hat so the yarn is hidden within the top row of brim stitches.
To do this, I took the tail (20” at the end) of my hat and used a tapestry (yarn) needle to sew the tail into the top of the brim.
I tried to weave my needle in each loop so that the seam blended in as best as possible.
I also like to put a knot in the yarn halfway through stitching to help secure the tail.
Optional Steps:
To give the hat an added touch, I embellished it with a small leather tag that had the house crest on it. Here are the crests I used for the leather tag.
I used my Circut to cut out the crest on gold vinyl iron-on. Then, I used my sewing machine to stitch the tag into the scarf. This was a fiddly process, but I think it made the hat a touch more luxurious.
Additionally, I made pom-poms for the tops of my hats. You can find my pom-pom tutorial here.
That’s it!
The hat is complete!
Top Tips…
Each loom is built for different weights of yarn. Make sure you pick a weight that matches your loom.
Circular looks come in different sizes. I used a loom with pegs which I would consider a small/medium. The one with pegs would be for a medium/large.
This loom was made for a medium to bulky weight; however, If you want to use a lightweight yarn you will have to double up, meaning that I had two pieces of yarn I wove simultaneously.
I found that I needed roughly one skein of yarn to make one scarf. However, two skeins are needed to complete the project, so you can get two hats.
Here are the following yarns I used this past season:
Gryffindor - 1 skein Lion Brand Wool Ease, color Cranberry, and 1 skein Big Twist Natural Blend, color mustard
Hufflepuff- 1 skein Big Twist Natural Blend, color mustard, and 1 skein Lion Brand Wool Ease, color black
Ravenclaw- 1 skein Big Twist Natural Blend, color medium grey, and 1 skein Big Twist Natural Blend, color navy
Slytherin- 1 skein Lion Brand Wool Ease, color black, and KC Premium yarn, color evergreen
The fluffier the yarn, the less noticeable your stitches will be.
You don’t want to pull the yarn taut. You just want it lightly wrapped around each peg.
Final thoughts…
I enjoyed this process so much! I find loom knitting to be incredibly relaxing and therapeutic. It is a craft/skill I would recommend to anyone!
I love when I can make something that can be used for years to come. I made a small hat for my toddler and she loves it (probably because it means she gets to go out).
These hats make great gifts and can be made for any individual style or color palette. And the customization options are endless.
You can make it with a brim or without. Maybe you want a wide brim or maybe just a small one. You can have it with a pom-pom or a furball. You can add a tag or leave it blank. You could even put a patch on it.
Really, they can be made in so many different ways.
But anyway, I hope you try to make one for yourself or someone close to you. Learning a new skill is always scary, but so very rewarding!
I really hope you enjoyed this make! If you did please consider subscribing to my newsletter, so you never miss a new project!
Remember, if you make this project make sure to tag me with #darkkflurdesigns so I can see your creations!
Until next time…
