How to Make a Fleece Lining for a Knit Hat

Knit hats may be warm enough for fall, but come wintertime, cold air can seep between the stitches and chill your forehead and ears. You can solve this problem in less than an hour by adding a fleece lining to the inside of your hat. Fleece doesn't fray, so you don't have to hem the edges, and it stretches, so your measurements don't have to be perfect. A headband lining is enough to protect your forehead from scratchy wool or stray winter breezes; to keep the top of your head equally toasty, you can line the entire interior.

Check for the direction of stretch in a piece of fleece. Cut a 3-inch-wide strip of fleece along this direction, so it stretches when you pull the ends.

Wrap the strip of fleece wrong-side-out around your forehead. Pin the ends in place so the headband feels snug but not too tight. Leave it on for five minutes to make sure you are comfortable with the fit.

Sew the strip of fabric closed along the pins. Remove the pins and trim the excess fleece to 3/8 inch.

Turn the knit hat inside out and the fleece lining right-side out. Put the fleece lining onto the hat, with the seam against the hat's material. If the hat has a seam, align it with the fleece's seam.

Stretch the hat horizontally until it matches the size of the lining. Pin the hat and the lining together at opposite sides and check to make sure you have pinned it evenly. Rotate the hat 90 degrees, stretch it horizontally again, and pin the two new sides. You should now have divided the hat and lining into four quarters.

Insert more pins into each of the quarters, always being careful to pin evenly. If you end up with bunched material in any section, redistribute the pins so the material straightens out.

Stitch the bottom of the lining to the edge of the hat. Use a loose whip stitch to avoid distorting the shape of the hat. Bring the needle through the wrong side of the knit stitches without pushing it all the way through to the outside of the material.

Repeat the whip stitching on the top of the lining if desired. Sewing the top of the band makes it somewhat more secure but it also increases your risk of distorting the hat. Trim any loose threads and turn the hat right-side out.

Check for the direction of stretch in a piece of fleece. Cut a 10-inch-tall piece of fleece along this direction, so it stretches when you pull the ends.

Wrap the fleece wrong-side-out around your head. Pin the ends together in the back and leave the top open, forming a tube. Wear it five minutes to make sure you are comfortable with the fit.

Sew the fleece tube closed along the pins. Remove the pins and trim the excess fleece to 3/8 inch.

Turn the knit hat inside out. Put the fleece lining onto the hat and put a line of pins into the fleece to mark where the top of the hat lies. Remove the fleece from the hat.

Trim the excess fleece above the line of pins and then remove the pins. Sew a line of running stitches around the opening at the top of the fleece. Pull the thread tight, drawing the opening in the fleece closed, and tie the ends of the thread to secure the drawstring.

Put the fleece back onto the hat, with the fleece's seams against the hat's material. Align the fleece's seam with the hat's seam, if it has one. Stitch the top of the fleece and the top of the hat together, pulling the needle through the wrong side of the knit stitches so the thread does not show on the right side of the hat. Tie off the thread.

Stretch the hat to match the size of the lining. Pin them together, making sure to pin evenly. If you end up with bunched material in any section, redistribute the pins so the material straightens out.

Trim the bottom of the fleece to match the bottom of the hat, if necessary. Stitch the bottom of the lining to the edge of the hat. Use a loose whip stitch to avoid distorting the shape of the hat. Bring the needle through the wrong side of the knit stitches without pushing it all the way through to the outside of the material.

Tie off your thread and trim the excess. Turn the hat right-side out.