Beginner
What the pattern's own author called it. Nothing here is graded again.
Hats 16 Laid out for paper No account, no download
Easy crochet bucket hat pattern for beginners
Crochet bucket hat, 22 rounds, 5 mm H8 hook, worked top-down in double crochet.
- Skill
- Beginner
- Time
- 4-6 hours
- Yarn weight
- Worsted
- Hook
- 5 mm
- Rounds
- 16
Worsted
What the sample was worked in. Any weight works; the size moves with it.
16
Each one is typed out whole and gets its own line.
This bucket hat builds from a flat circular crown, down through a straight body, and out into a folded brim, all in double crochet with a single 5 mm H8 hook. The crown grows through a run of increase rounds until it reaches 60 stitches for a medium fit, then the body rises without shaping before the brim flares open through another set of increases. Have four medium weight yarn, a darning needle for the ends, and scissors on hand before starting the first ring.
Common mistakes and their fixes
- Losing count during crown increases
- Place a stitch marker at the start of each repeat within Rounds 2 through 5, since a single missed increase there throws off every stitch count that follows.
- Working both loops on the ridge rounds
- Slow down on Round 8 and Round 17 and check that the hook enters only the back loop or only the front loop, since these are the only two rounds that call for it.
- Stopping the brim on a plain round
- Count back to the last increase round before fastening off; ending on anything else lets the edge curl instead of lying flat.
The materials list
- Four medium weight yarn
- 5 mm H8 crochet hook
- Scissors
- Darning needle (for weaving in ends)
- Stitch marker and row counter (optional)
Listed by the pattern's own author, in their words.
Key to this pattern, 10 short forms
Top of the Hat
Round 1
Chain 4, slip stitch to form a ring, chain 2 (does not count as a stitch), and make 12 double crochet stitches into the ring. Slip stitch to join.
Round 2
Chain 2, place 2 double crochet stitches in the top of each double crochet stitch from the previous round (24 stitches total). Slip stitch to join.
Round 3
Chain 2, double crochet in the first stitch, then 2 double crochet stitches in the next stitch. Repeat this pattern (1 double crochet, then 2 double crochet) around (36 stitches total). Slip stitch to join.
Round 4
Chain 2, place 1 double crochet in the next two stitches, then 2 double crochet stitches in the third stitch. Repeat around (48 stitches total). Slip stitch to join.
Round 5
Chain 2, place 1 double crochet in the next three stitches, then 2 double crochet stitches in the fourth stitch. Repeat around (60 stitches total). Slip stitch to join.
Round 6
Chain 2, place 1 double crochet in the next four stitches, then 2 double crochet stitches in the fifth stitch. Repeat around (72 stitches total). Slip stitch to join.
Round 7
Chain 2, place 1 double crochet in the next five stitches, then 2 double crochet stitches in the sixth stitch. Repeat around (84 stitches total).
Body of the Hat
Round 8
Chain 2, work 1 double crochet in the back loop only of each stitch around (84 stitches). Slip stitch to join.
Rounds 9–15
Chain 2, work 1 double crochet in each stitch around (84 stitches). Slip stitch to join at the end of each round.
Round 16
Chain 1, work 1 single crochet in each stitch around (84 stitches). Slip stitch to join.
Brim of the Hat
Round 17
Chain 2, work 1 double crochet in the front loop only of each stitch around (84 stitches). Slip stitch to join.
Round 18
Chain 2, work 1 double crochet in the next six stitches, then 2 double crochet stitches in the seventh stitch. Repeat around (96 stitches total). Slip stitch to join.
Round 19
Chain 2, work 1 double crochet in each stitch around (96 stitches). Slip stitch to join.
Round 20
Chain 2, work 1 double crochet in the next seven stitches, then 2 double crochet stitches in the eighth stitch. Repeat around (108 stitches total). Slip stitch to join.
Round 21
Chain 2, work 1 double crochet in each stitch around (108 stitches). Slip stitch to join.
Round 22
Chain 2, work 1 double crochet in the next eight stitches, then 2 double crochet stitches in the ninth stitch. Repeat around (120 stitches total). Slip stitch to join, fasten off, and weave in ends.
Check these before you start
- Work Round 8 into the back loop only and Round 17 into the front loop only; these two rounds mark the crown-to-body and body-to-brim transitions and are easy to miss if worked into both loops like the rounds around them.
- Chain 2 at the start of double crochet rounds counts as the turning chain but not as a stitch, so keep stitch counts against the numbers given rather than against the chain.
- Always end brim shaping on an increase round; stopping on a plain round leaves the edge unstable and prone to curling.
- a smaller version of this hat, work only 3 rounds for the top and 4 rounds of 36 stitches for the body, then increase on every third stitch in the brim so the last increase round reaches 60 stitches total; this smaller version was made with a 9 mm hook instead of the pattern's recommended hook.
On one line
| Rounds | 16 |
|---|---|
| Parts | 3 |
| Level | Beginner |
| Time | 4-6 hours |
| Hook | 5 mm |
| Yarn | Worsted |
Set-up
- Check gauge on a small circle of double crochet before starting the crown, since a tight or loose tension changes the finished hat diameter more than head size adjustments do.
- Decide on head size now: stop the crown increases at round 5 for a medium fit, or read ahead to see where the pattern allows a smaller or larger stopping point.
- Set out a stitch marker for the start of each round, since every round joins with a slip stitch and losing the start point makes the join hard to find.
- Confirm yarn amount for a full hat, not just a swatch, since the crown, body, and brim together use more yardage than the crown alone suggests.
Finishing
- Fasten off after the final brim round and weave the tail through several stitches with a darning needle to secure it.
- Weave in the starting tail from the chain-4 ring at the crown center, working it flat against the wrong side of the fabric.
- Steam or lightly block the brim flat so the increase rounds sit open and even rather than cupped.
Construction
The crown increases occur in a widening rhythm, from doubling every stitch in Round 2 to spacing increases across four plain stitches by Round 5, which is what keeps the circle flat instead of cupping as it grows.
The back-loop round at the start of the body and the front-loop round at the start of the brim each leave a visible ridge on the right side, marking a deliberate fold line rather than a mistake in the stitch pattern.
Time per section
| Top of the Hat | about 45-60 minutes because it holds 7 rounds of shaping that must be counted carefully to stay flat |
|---|---|
| Body of the Hat | about 1-1.5 hours because 8 straight rounds at 84 stitches each take steady repetition |
| Brim of the Hat | about 1-1.5 hours because 6 rounds alternate increases with plain rounds up to 108 stitches |
Photographs of this one
Every one was taken by whoever published the pattern, in the order the source listed them.
Common questions
These answers came from whoever first published the pattern, kept word for word.