This easy winter beanie from Donna Wolfe of Naztazia is a great first hat. If you can chain, slip stitch, single crochet, and half double crochet, you have every skill you need. The whole thing works flat as a rectangle, then you seam it and cinch the top.
A crochet beanie and a crochet hat are the same thing. Beanie is the name for the close-fitting cuffed style, so if you came here looking for how to crochet a hat, this is the pattern you wanted.
The texture comes from the crunch stitch (hdc, sl st, hdc, sl st). The ribbed brim is plain sc in back loops only, and that is what keeps it stretchy enough to pull on without going floppy.
What You Need
- One skein of worsted weight (size 4) yarn - Donna uses Red Heart Heat Wave
- A size H 5mm hook, plus one larger if your chain runs tight
- A blunt yarn needle, scissors and a tape measure
- A stitch marker or paperclip to mark where the brim ribbing ends
- A pompom if you want one
New to the hook? Run through crochet for beginners first, because the hat asks for single crochet and half double crochet and nothing harder.
How to Crochet a Hat in Any Size
Two numbers control the fit and they do not touch each other. The starting chain sets how tall the hat is, crown to brim. The row count sets how big around it is. Move the chain in multiples of two so the crunch stitch keeps pairing hdc with sl st.
| Size | Head | Chain | Rows |
|---|
| Baby 6-12 months | 16-18 in | 31 | about 50 |
| Toddler 1-3 years | 18-19 in | 35 | about 54 |
| Child 4-10 years | 19-20 in | 37 | about 57 |
| Teen or small adult | 20-21 in | 39 | about 60 |
| Adult woman | 21-23 in | 41 | 63 (as written) |
| Adult man | 23-24 in | 43 | about 68 |
Measure the head at the widest part, just above the ears, and aim for a finished hat 1 to 2 inches smaller. The ribbing stretches to close that gap, and that tension is what keeps the hat on.
Hat patterns elsewhere start at the crown with a magic ring and spiral out, which skips the seam but hands you increase rounds to count. Worth learning once you are comfortable working in the round. Knitters get to the same hat with needles.
How Much Yarn One Hat Takes
An adult hat in worsted weight eats 150 to 190 yards. A 5 ounce skein holds roughly 240, so one skein finishes the hat and covers the pompom. A child's hat lands nearer 110 yards. Buying for gifts, take both skeins from the same dye lot - lots drift and the line shows. A skein and a half covers a matching pair of mittens.
Folded Brims and Pompoms
A turned-up cuff steals 1.5 to 2 inches of height, so add 4 to 6 chains if you want a deep one. Back loop ribbing folds on its own, and a few stitches at the seam make the fold permanent. Knot the pompom tails on the inside of the crown, not the outside.
Hat Too Loose, Too Tight or Too Short
Try it on before you seam it. Wrap the rectangle around your head, ribbed edge across your forehead, and pull to a snug fit. Flat construction is forgiving - you can add rows or rip a few back. After the seam goes in, the same fix costs you the seam.
Too loose and it slides over your eyes. Frog back 3 or 4 rows and measure again. If the ribbed edge alone is wider than the head, the hat will never grip, because the ribbing does the gripping.
Too tight and it rides up off your ears. Add rows rather than changing hooks. A bigger hook loosens the fabric everywhere and you lose the crunch texture. Four rows buys about an inch.
Too short, sitting up on the crown. That is a chain problem and it cannot be fixed at the end. Start over with 4 more chains.
