It’s a blustery 65 degrees in Atlanta this week, and my only two WIPs are a fingering weight colorwork sweater and my old nemesis, the Sock-A-Long socks. So it’s really no surprise that my mind is wandering to hats, hats, and more hats, and, like the world is sending me a little sign, suddenly there a dozen great new hat patterns I want to knit for every member of the family.

Madelinetosh’s new Honey Hat uses just one measly skein of Tosh DK. It’s fun, it’s slouchy, it’s an easy knit, and it would complement my Honey Cowl oh-so-nicely. And a matching cowl-and-hat set could be a great holiday gift!

Themisto. So, what you’re telling me is that I get stripes and color and cables all in one. This hat is pretty stellar. Plus, an awesome colorwork hat without really having to do colorwork? Sign me up. And if red and black aren’t your thing, check out how great this looks in some of the subtler color combinations on the projects page. I’m thinking something bright and fun paired with a nice neutral cream or brown!

It really doesn’t get much more basic than Halldora J’s Simple Moss Stitch Hat, a great new free pattern. This is the kind of hat I love because it’s an easy knit, it doesn’t take a huge amount of time, but at the end, you have a really classic, classY hat to wear or gift to a chic friend/family member. One skein of sportweight yarn is all you need, and you’re set for hours of relaxing knitting.

Autumn Whirlpool says it’s for little girls, but I have to tell you that I want one of these hats, and I want one for my little boy, too (he can even have pink, if he wants!). Cables, pom poms, earflaps and those great tassels – this hat really does have it all, and with sizing up to 22″ I can definitely get my noggin into this!

This last pattern is not a hat at all, but it’s too fun not to post – Hexagon Mitts! Love these. I’m a sucker for a fun construction technique, and you can knit these with just one variegated yarn or two complementary ones. It would also probably be a great project for using up those extra 1/3 balls of sock yarn you always end up with, or even mini-skeins if you’re feeling adventurous.

For those of you who want to stitch a little something festive for next week’s holiday, I also found these cute, free, quickie patterns in my Ravelry travels!