It’s Spring! Girl’s Sun Hat – Free Crochet Pattern

It’s Spring! Girl’s Sun Hat – Free Crochet Pattern

I have 2 beautiful Great Nieces, and their Mom bought them matching pink and white Easter dresses. I decided they also needed matching hats! Like the dresses, I wanted to use the same yarn and some basic design elements, but I wanted to make them different since they’re almost five years apart.

Here’s the first one. This is the big girl hat. It worked up very quickly, so there’s still time for Easter. However, this pattern is great for a summer beach hat as well! It’s made for a 5-year old, so it’s just a little small on my model, Lexi, who is 9. This hat should fit a girl who is 4-8 years old. If you want to make it for an older girl, use a larger hook.

Most hats crocheted in the round count the first chain as a stitch. I prefer this method where I don’t count it as a stitch. Then I join it to the first real stitch in the round so the chain slips behind the row. It makes the joining seam much less obvious! However, as you’ll see in the pattern below, I switch to the conventional method when I start the more open pattern of the shells.

Special thanks to my beautiful model, Lexi!

What You’ll Need:

• 135 yards of DK weight white yarn. I used Butterfly Mercerized Cotton
• Small amount of contrasting yarn. I used 40 yards of hot pink and 25 yards of paradise pink in the same Butterfly Mercerized Cotton
• A ¾” or 1” button for the flower
• 36 – 38” of Brimlock & Joiners or Hat Wire. I ordered from Judith M . It’s inexpensive, but you do pay shipping, so order enough for 3 or 4 hats. I’ve used it for many projects including my Mandala Clock
• Crochet Hook Size F (3.75 mm)
• Yarn Needle to weave in ends
• Needle and thread to sew on button

Gauge

• In HDC, 14 rows and 17 stitches = 4”
• Hat dimensions are:
  • Hat Circumference – 18”
  • Hat Length (Crown to last hot pink stripe before V-stitches) = 6 3/4”
  • Brim circumference = 36”

Abbreviations

• SS = slip stitch
• CH = chain
• HDC= half double crochet
• DC = double crochet
• SC = Single crochet
• ST = stitch
• SK = skip
• SP = space

Pattern

• Make a Magic Circle. You can always, chain 3, ss to join, and crochet into that circle instead.
• Round 1 – CH 1. 12 HDC into circle. SS to 1^st HDC to join.
• Round 2 – CH 2. (Does count as a HDC) 2 HDC in each ST around. SS to 1^st HDC allowing CH-2 to fall behind the round. (24 HDC)
• Round 3 – CH 2. *2 HDC in same ST. 1 HDC in next.* Repeat around. SS to 1^st HDC to join. (36 HDC)
• Round 4 – CH 2. *2 HDC in same ST. 1 HDC in next 2 ST.* Repeat around. SS to 1^st HDC to join. (48 HDC)
• Round 5 – CH 2. 2 HDC in same ST. 1 HDC in next 3 ST.* Repeat around. SS to 1^st HDC to join (60 HDC)
• Round 6 – CH 2. 2 HDC in same ST. 1 HDC in next 4 ST.* Repeat around. SS to 1^st HDC to join (72 HDC)
• Rounds 7- 15 – CH 3. (For this section of the hat, the CH-3 DOES count as a DC) 2 DC into same ST. SK 2 ST. *3 DC in next ST. SK 2 ST.* Repeat around. SS to top of CH-3 to join. (24 shells). Once you’ve completed round 7, you’ll be putting your shell in the first DC of each shell in the previous row.
• Round 16 – CH 1. SC in each ST around. SS to first SC to join. (72 SC)
• Round 17 – Change color. Repeat round 16.
• Rounds 18-19 – Change color. Repeat round 17 two times.
• Round 20 – Change back to same color as row 17. Repeat round 16.
• Round 21 – Join white yarn. CH 4 (Counts as 1 DC and CH-1). DC in same ST. *SK 2, (DC, CH 1, DC) in next ST. SK 1, (DC, CH 1, DC) in next ST* Repeat around. SS to 3^rd CH of CH-4. (29 V-stitches)
• Round 22 – SS to center of V-stitch. CH 4. DC in same SP. *(DC, CH 1, DC) in center of each V.* Repeat around. SS to 3^rd CH of CH-4.
• Round 23 – SS to center of V-stitch. CH 4. DC in same SP. *(DC, CH 2, DC) in middle of next V. (DC, CH 1, DC) in middle of next V.* Repeat around. SS to 3^rd CH of CH 4.
• Round 24 – SS to center of V-stitch. CH 5. (Counts as DC and CH-2). DC in same SP. *(DC, CH 2, DC) in middle of next V.* Repeat around. SS to 3^rd CH of CH-5.
• Round 25 – CH 1. SC in same ST. 2 SC in middle of V, SC in next ST. *SC in next, 2 SC in middle of V, SC in next.* Repeat around. SS to 1^st (116 SC)
• Round 26 – CH 1. SC in each ST around. SS to 1^st SC
• Round 27 – Change color. *SC in next 3 ST, 2 SC in next ST.* Repeat around. SS to to 1^st (145 SC)
• Round 28 – Change color. SC in each ST around. SS to 1^st
• Round 29 – CH 1. SC in each ST around. SS to 1^st
• Round 30 – Change back to color used in round 27.   SC in each ST around. SS to 1^st
• Round 31 – Change back to white. SC in each ST around. SS to 1^st
• Round 32 – SC in each ST and around Brimlock. I cut a 38” piece of Brimlock and crocheted around it, all the way around the hat. Then I cut it back 2” (until I felt like the brim was right), and unraveled some of my stitches to join it. You join it using a lighter, so I didn’t want that near my work! Once it was cool, I crocheted around to the end. Join with SS.
• Finish off. Weave in ends.

Flower

• For the flower, I used: #3 Colorful Flower on this site just completing 3 sets of petals.
• Sew the flower on the hat through the button.

Please post your projects on Ravelry and link to the pattern so I can see what you’ve done!