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| Photo above © DROPS Design |
Lamb Dance Hat / DROPS Children 34-2 is a playful free children's hat knitting pattern featuring a flock of little sheep worked in stranded colorwork.
Designed for children approximately 3 to 12 years old, the hat is worked from the bottom up in the round and finished with a pompom. It coordinates beautifully with the other Lamb Dance children's designs from DROPS.
The complete pattern remains free from DROPS Design.
✓ Free Pattern Availability
Lamb Dance Hat / DROPS Children 34-2 is currently available as a free official knitting pattern from DROPS Design. Use the official DROPS link below for the complete current instructions, chart and supporting information.
Lamb Dance Hat at a Glance
Pattern: Lamb Dance Hat / DROPS Children 34-2
Designer: DROPS Design
Pattern Number: me-053-bn
Published: March 2019
Category: Children's Hat / Beanie
Sizes: 3/4, 5/6, 7/8, 9/10 and 11/12 years
Yarn Weight: DK / Yarn Group B
Suggested Yarn: DROPS Merino Extra Fine or DROPS Lima
Main Needles: 3 mm / US 2½
Rib Needles: 2.5 mm / US 1½
Gauge: 23 stitches × 32 rows = 4 in / 10 cm
Construction: Bottom up, worked in the round
Features: Sheep colorwork, ribbing, pompom
Availability: Free official DROPS pattern
About the Lamb Dance Hat
Lamb Dance Hat is a children's colorwork hat designed by DROPS Design.
The most distinctive feature is the cheerful band of sheep worked around the hat using stranded colorwork.
Ribbing creates a comfortable lower edge, while the crown is shaped above the decorative section and finished with a pompom.
It is a particularly fun project if you want to practice stranded knitting on something smaller than a sweater or cardigan.
Five Children's Sizes
The official pattern includes five sizes:
- 3/4 years
- 5/6 years
- 7/8 years
- 9/10 years
- 11/12 years
The corresponding published head circumferences are approximately:
50/53 – 50/53 – 53/54 – 54/56 – 54/56 cm
That's approximately 19¾–22 inches across the size range.
Age is only a general guide. If you are knitting for a specific child, measuring the head circumference is preferable.
Finished Hat Height
DROPS gives approximate finished heights of:
19 – 20 – 21 – 22 – 23 cm
That's approximately:
7½ – 8 – 8¼ – 8¾ – 9 inches
Yarn Choices
DROPS provides two suggested yarn options:
- DROPS Merino Extra Fine
- DROPS Lima
Both belong to DROPS Yarn Group B and work at the required DK-weight gauge, but their fiber compositions and finished feel differ.
Merino Extra Fine is a merino wool yarn, while Lima combines wool and alpaca.
Five Colors Create the Sheep Design
The original version uses five colors.
For DROPS Merino Extra Fine, the published color combination is:
- Pistachio
- Light Grey Blue
- Off White
- Black
- Cerise
DROPS specifies 50 grams of each color for every published size.
A corresponding five-color palette is also provided for DROPS Lima.
Can You Choose Different Colors?
Absolutely. One of the enjoyable features of stranded colorwork is the opportunity to create your own palette.
The most important consideration is contrast.
The sheep and other chart details need enough contrast with the background to remain visible.
Before casting on, place your chosen colors next to each other and make sure the important motifs will not disappear into the background.
Gauge
The official gauge is:
23 stitches × 32 rows = 4 × 4 inches / 10 × 10 cm
This is measured in stockinette stitch using the larger needles.
Gauge matters for hats because the finished circumference must be comfortable without being excessively tight or loose.
Check Your Colorwork Gauge
Stranded knitting can sometimes produce a tighter gauge than ordinary one-color stockinette.
This usually happens when the floats carried behind the work are too tight.
If you are new to stranded knitting, consider making a small colorwork swatch in addition to checking your normal stockinette gauge.
Needles
DROPS recommends:
- 3 mm / US 2½ circular needle, 40 cm / 16 in
- 3 mm / US 2½ double-pointed needles
- 2.5 mm / US 1½ circular needle, 40 cm / 16 in for ribbing
The published sizes are recommendations. Adjust your needles if necessary to obtain the required gauge.
Bottom-Up Construction
Lamb Dance Hat is knitted from the bottom up.
You begin with the lower edge and ribbing, then progress into the main hat and sheep colorwork before shaping the crown.
This construction allows the decorative motif to form a continuous band around the hat.
Worked in the Round
Unlike a flat-knitted hat that requires a back seam, Lamb Dance Hat is worked in the round.
Ravelry classifies the design as one-piece and seamless.
A short circular needle can be used while enough stitches remain on the needle, with double-pointed needles or another suitable small-circumference method used as the crown becomes narrower.
The Sheep Colorwork
The little sheep are the signature feature of the Lamb Dance collection.
They are created using stranded colorwork according to the chart supplied by DROPS Design.
Amazing Knitting does not reproduce the copyrighted chart here. Use the current official DROPS pattern while knitting the motif.
Keep Your Floats Relaxed
When carrying an unused color behind the work, avoid pulling it too tightly.
Tight floats can reduce the circumference of the hat and cause the colorwork fabric to pucker.
Spread the recently worked stitches gently along the right needle before changing colors. This gives the carried yarn enough length to span the stitches comfortably.
Watch Color Dominance
When two colors are carried together, the way you consistently hold them can affect how prominent each color appears in the finished motif.
Try to maintain the same relationship between your background and motif colors throughout each section.
Consistency usually produces cleaner-looking stranded colorwork.
Managing Multiple Colors
Although several colors are used across the complete hat, you will not necessarily be actively knitting with every color at the same moment.
Follow the official chart carefully and organize the yarn so that strands do not become unnecessarily tangled.
Small balls or bobbins can sometimes make multiple contrast colors easier to manage.
Crown Shaping
After the main decorative portion is complete, decreases shape the top of the hat.
As the circumference becomes too small for the short circular needle, switch to double-pointed needles or your preferred small-circumference method while following the official instructions.
The Pompom
A pompom completes the original Lamb Dance Hat.
Take care to attach it securely, particularly when the hat is intended for a child.
As with any children's garment, periodically inspect attached decorations for wear or looseness.
Skills Used in Lamb Dance Hat
This project provides practice with:
- Knitting in the round
- Ribbing
- Stockinette stitch
- Reading a colorwork chart
- Stranded knitting
- Managing yarn floats
- Working with multiple colors
- Crown decreases
- Working a small circumference
- Making and attaching a pompom
A Good Small Colorwork Project
If you want to try stranded knitting but are not ready to commit to a full colorwork sweater, a hat can be an excellent intermediate step.
You still get experience reading a chart, controlling floats and maintaining colorwork tension, but on a much smaller project.
Part of the Lamb Dance Collection
The hat belongs to the same DROPS children's collection as the Lamb Dance Jacket already featured on Amazing Knitting.
Both designs use the playful sheep theme, making them natural coordinating projects.
See the Free Lamb Dance Jacket →
DROPS also published a matching Lamb Dance Sweater, giving knitters several ways to use the same cheerful colorwork theme.
Is Lamb Dance Hat Still Free?
Yes.
Lamb Dance Hat / DROPS Children 34-2 remains available as a complete free knitting pattern directly from DROPS Design.
The official page includes the current written instructions, diagram and supporting information.
Amazing Knitting provides this independent project guide rather than reproducing DROPS Design's complete copyrighted pattern or chart.
Get the Free Lamb Dance Hat Pattern
Visit DROPS Design for the complete free pattern:
Get the Free Lamb Dance Hat Pattern →
More Free Children's Knitting Patterns
Continue exploring free children's projects from the Amazing Knitting archive:
- Free Children's Hat Patterns
- Free Children's Sweater Patterns
- Free Colorwork Knitting Patterns
- DROPS Knitting Patterns
Before You Start
Measure the child's head if possible, choose a suitable Yarn Group B yarn and make sure you can obtain the required gauge.
If stranded knitting is new to you, practice carrying two colors before starting the sheep section and pay particular attention to keeping your floats relaxed.
Finally, work from the current official DROPS page so that you have the complete pattern, chart and supporting information beside you.
Pattern credit: Lamb Dance Hat / DROPS Children 34-2 was designed and published by DROPS Design. Amazing Knitting does not reproduce the designer's complete copyrighted knitting instructions or colorwork chart. Please preserve the existing photograph credit shown on this page.