Earlier this week, a couple of different people showed me a photo of a hat with the top open so that a messy bun or ponytail could be worn with the hat. I’m a fairly new runner, and the weather is getting colder, so this seemed like a pretty awesome idea. I poked around Ravelry a bit, but wasn’t seeing what I wanted to do right off. I just wanted a simple double crochet hat, with ribbing at the bottom, just with the first couple of rows open. I started this hat by crocheting around a hair elastic, to give the opening some stretch. It worked perfectly with my pony tail! I don’t have enough hair for a bun, but I think you should be able to stretch the opening over one of those as well.
Materials:
Worsted Weight yarn.
Size 5 mm and 4.5 mm crochet hooks.
No metal hair elastic. I used the thick, ouchless ones made by Goody (affiliate link).
Notes:
For a cleaner look, use the chainless starting double crochet method for each new round. Moogly Blog has an excellent photo and video tutorial.
I used the measurements from Annie’s Picture Perfect as a guide for sizing the Adult and Teen sizes shown here. This chart is great for anyone wanting to come up with their own hat designs. For the hat height measurement (crown to bottom of ear), I compensated for the hole in the top by subtracting about an inch from the measurements in the linked chart. These hats are pretty stretchy, so there is a bit of flexibility in the circumference measurement.
Adult Woman hat instructions (22″ head circumference)
Slip stitch (ss) into the hair elastic using the larger hook.
Round 1: Double crochet (dc) 30 times around the elastic and join to the top of the first stitch with a ss . (30 dc)
Round 2: 2 dc in the joining stitch. dc in next two stitches. *2 dc in next stitch, dc in next two stitches* repeat around. Join to first dc. (40 dc)
Round 3: 2 dc in the joining stitch. Dc in the next three stitches. *2 dc in next stitch, dc in next three stitches. *repeat around. Join to first dc. (50 dc)
Round 4: 2 dc in the joining stitch. Dc in the next four stitches. *2 dc in next stitch, dc in next four stitches. *repeat around. Join to first dc. (60 dc)
Round 5: 2 dc in the joining stitch. Dc in the next five stitches. *2 dc in next stitch, dc in next five stitches. *repeat around. Join to first dc. (70 dc) circle should be 7-7.5 inch diameter. Adjust number of increase rows to get a 7-7.5″ diameter circle, if needed.
Rounds 6-10: dc in each stitch around. Join to first dc. (70 dc)
Rounds 11-17: switch to the smaller hook. Make a chain less starting dc in the joining stitch. *Front post dc (Fpdc) in next stitch and Back post dc (bpdc) in the one after that. *Repeat around. Join to first stitch. Once hat reaches 7.5-8″ from the top to bottom, fasten off and weave in ends.
Teen hat instructions (20-21″ head circumference)
Rounds 1-4 same as Adult size. Hat should measure between 6.25-6.75″ diameter. (60 dc at end of round 4).
Rounds 5-10: dc in each stitch around. Join to first dc. (60 dc)
Rounds 11-15: switch to smaller hook. Make a chainless starting dc in the joining stitch stitch. *Fpdc in next stitch, bpdc in the one after that. *Repeat around. Join to first stitch. Once the hat reaches 7-7.5″ from the top to bottom, fasten off and weave in ends.
I love your twist on this idea! Thanks for sharing your pattern! I will be making this for my daughter!
Thanks! And you’re very welcome. Good luck, and share photos!
Love this hat. I love the elastic band as the start. Made on for my daughter. I was wondering if this could be done in hdc or even single crochet or even using the pebble stitch to help make it a little warmer. Thanks for the great pattern. Will most definitely be making more.
Hi Diane! I’m do glad you enjoyed this pattern. You could use any stitch pattern to make this hat. Just use the measurements at Annie’s picture perfect to help get it sized correctly (http://anniespictureperfect.blogspot.ca/2013/01/how-to-properly-size-crochet-hats-chart.html?m=1). The possibilities are limitless! Good luck!
Do you do the chainless DC at the beginning of each round, or do you go straight to the fpdc into the fpdc?
I do the chainless dc, then fpdc in the next stitch. Good luck!
Thank you. I did get it figured out like that. Also would like to say that, this beanie works up very nice. I thought the adult size was going to be to big until the fpdc/bpdc section was being added. Thank you so much for sharing your pattern.
I’m glad! It does seem huge when working it, I agree. Thankfully it all works out in the end. 🙂
Thank you for this truly easy pattern as I have three to make today and four tomorrow as it’s the eve of Christmas eve, yikes!
You are so welcome! I enjoyed putting together this pattern/tutorial. I’m sure the recipients of your hard work will all love it! Merry Christmas!
Thank you for sharing this pattern is the only one I could crochet I just wish I wld of found it before Christmas
You are so welcome! I’m glad it was useful!
I love this pattern! Thanks for introducing me to the chainless starting D.C. It makes such a difference!
You’re welcome! Glad you enjoyed it!
I want to make a guage swatch before I start. How many DC and rows per inch or ? should I be trying for?
Hi Penny,
Sorry, but I did not measure a gauge when writing this tutorial, because I just went in rounds until the diameter of my circle was the size I needed (7.-7.5 in. for adult or 6.25 -6.75 in. for the teen size). This way I can use this same formula for a variety of yarn and/or hook sizes. As long as the circumference is in the range, you should be good! If your circumference is too small, add a row or two, and if it is too big, subtract a row and re-measure. I hope that was helpful. If not, let me know and I will see what I can come up with. Thanks!
I would like to make this hat for my 4 year old granddaughter. Any idea on how I could make it smaller?
I would follow the same steps, but using the measurements in http://anniespictureperfect.blogspot.ca/2013/01/how-to-properly-size-crochet-hats-chart.html. According to the chart on that webpage, the head circumference for 2-5 years olds is 19-20 in. Following that, you would increase until your hat circle is 6-6.25 in. Then you would stop increasing and continue making rounds until the hat height measures 6.25-6.5 inches from the edge of the hole to the bottom of the hat (the linked chart has 7.25-7.5, but I subtracted an inch from my measurements to compensate for the hole in the top). I hope that helped!