How to Knit a Hood

Co-authored by Blythe Nudelman

Last Updated: August 19, 2025 References

Knitting a hood is an easy, fun knitting project appropriate for knitters of all levels! You can attach a hood to a sweater or knit a hood to wear as a hat. Start by knitting a rectangular piece attached to a sweater or on its own. Then, all you have to do is sew up one of the edges to form the hood!

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Adding a Hood to a Sweater

1
Use a pair of knitting needles one size down to gather the neckline. Start off knitting your hood with a pair of knitting needles that are one size smaller than the ones you used to knit the sweater. This will help to ensure that the base of the hood will be gathered.^{[1]
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- For example, if you used a pair of US size 9 (5.5 mm) knitting needles to knit the sweater, then use a pair of US size 8 (5.0 mm) knitting needles to start the hood.
- If you do not want to gather the base of the hood, then use the same size knitting needles that you used for the body of the sweater.
- If you are not sure what size needles were used to knit the sweater, knit a test swatch with a pair of US size 8 (5.0 mm) needles (a very common size for knitting sweaters). If the stitches look a little larger than the sweater, go down 2 needle sizes. If the stitches look slightly smaller than the sweater, use these needles to knit your hood.
2
Pick up half of the stitches around the edge of the neckline. Insert the right-hand needle into the first stitch you want to pick up. Begin picking up stitches right around the collarbone area of your neckline near your shoulder. Then, loop the yarn over the end of the needle and pull this loop through the stitch. This counts as 1 picked up stitch.^{[2]
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- Continue to insert, loop the yarn over the needle, and pull through all the way around the back and sides of the neckline.^{[3]
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3
Work the neckline in the rib stitch for 2 inches (5.1 cm). Use the same type of yarn that you used to knit the sweater. When you have picked up all the stitches, begin working across the row in the rib stitch. This is when you alternate between knitting 1 stitch and purling 1 stitch.^{[4]
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Research source} Keep working rows in this stitch until the ribbed section measures 2 inches (5.1 cm) wide.
- The rib stitch will help to make the neckline of the hood slightly gathered. If you don’t want a gathered neckline, you can skip the rib stitch and knit all of the stitches instead.
4
Switch to the next knitting needle size up. Once you have completed the neckline area of the hood, you can return to the knitting needle size you used for the sweater. This will give the hood the same stitch appearance as the sweater.^{[5]
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- For example, if you switched down to a US size 8 (5.00 mm) knitting needle, go up to a US size 9 (5.5 mm) knitting needle.
5
Work the body of the hood in the knit stitch. Insert the right-hand knitting needle into the first stitch on the left-hand knitting needle, loop the yarn over the end of the right-hand knitting needle and pull this yarn through. Let the old stitch slide off as the new stitch replaces it.^{[6]
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- Keep knitting across all rows until the hood is the desired height, which will be about 9 to 12 inches (23 to 30 cm).
- You can knit the hood in any stitch you like, but the knit stitch is the most common one for sweaters. Even if your sweater is in a different, more intricate stitch, the knit stitch will create a simple hood that will go well with the sweater.
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Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Knitting a Hood Hat

To make this quick and simple hood hat, you will need a pair of US size 10 (6.0 mm) knitting needles and 1 skein (128 yards or 100 grams) of bulky yarn. You can choose any color or texture of yarn that you would like to use.
2
Make a slipknot. Wrap the yarn around your index and ring finger 2 times, and then pull the first loop through the second loop. Tug on the tail of the yarn to tighten the loop, and then slip it onto your knitting needle and tighten it around the needle.^{[7]
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- This counts as your first cast on stitch.
3
Cast on 65 more stitches for a child-sized hood hat. If you are making an adult-sized hood hat, cast on 75 more stitches. Wrap the working yarn around the end of your left-hand needle. Insert your right-hand knitting needle into the loop, and yarn over. Then, pull this yarn through the loop to create a new stitch on your right-hand needle.^{[8]
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- Keep casting on in this way until you have a total of 66 or 73 stitches.
4
Work the rows in the garter stitch for a basic hood hat. To work the garter stitch, simply knit all of the rows until the hat is the desired height, which should be between 9 to 12 inches (23 to 30 cm). Insert the right-hand needle into the first stitch on the left-hand needle, yarn over, and pull through. Do this all the way across the row, and then repeat for the second row, and so on.
- The garter stitch will create a rippled texture.
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Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Finishing a Sweater Hood or a Hood Hat

1
Knit until the piece is 9 to 12 inches (23 to 30 cm). Whether you are knitting a hood onto a sweater or knitting a hood hat, the height of the hood should be about 9 to 12 inches (23 to 30 cm). The hood will need to be closer to 9 inches (23 cm) for a child, or 12 inches (30 cm) for an adult.
- To determine when the hood is tall enough, check the height of the hood by holding it against your head or against the head of the person who will wear the hood. The hood should be long enough to bring the 2 edges together and cover the top of your head.
2
Bind off the last row. Knit the first 2 stitches in the row. Then, use the left-hand needle to lift the first stitch on the right-hand needle over the second stitch. Then, knit 1, and lift the first stitch over the second stitch again.^{[9]
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- Continue casting off to the end of the row.
3
Line up the top edges of the hood and sew them together. Fold the hood so that the top edges are lining up and the corners are even. Insert a threaded yarn needle into the first 2 stitches on the end of the hood. Pull the yarn through until only 3 inches (7.6 cm) are left on the other side of the stitches. Then, insert the needle through the next 2 stitches from the same side and pull the yarn taut.
- Continue sewing the top of the hood closed in this way until you reach the end of the row.
- Be careful not to pull the yarn all the way through, especially on the first few stitches.
4
Weave in the ends. Use a yarn needle to sew the ends into the edges of the hood. Sew in and out of the edges of the hood to secure and hide any excess threads. When you have sewn in most of the yarn, tie the end through a stitch. Then, cut the excess yarn 0.25 in (0.64 cm) from the stitch.
- Your hood is finished! Try it on and see how it looks!
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Expert Q&A

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Question

How do I shape the top of the hat when knitting?

Blythe Nudelman
Knitting Expert
Blythe Nudelman is a Knitting Expert based in Ponderay, Idaho. She is the owner and operator of Twilight Fibers, a knitting shop and business in Ponderay. Twilight Fibers' products are made of 100% all natural yarns & fibers. They sell a large variety of products for knitting, crochet, embroidery, and other craft hobbies.

Blythe Nudelman

Knitting Expert

Expert Answer

When knitting your hat and you're halfway across the body of the hat, start by steadily decreasing the number of stitches as you work towards the top of your hat. Continue decreasing until only a few stitches remain. Once you're done, pull these stitches together tightly to close the hole and form the top shape of your hat.

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