Making a Top-Down Hat Without a Pattern

Have you ever wanted to make a hat without using a pattern? Maybe you want to use some yarn from your stash and you are having trouble finding a pattern to go along with it. Or perhaps you just want to be able to stitch away without following someone else’s directions. Whatever the reason, this video will teach you how to make a simple half-double crochet beanie with yarn of any weight! You need a skein or two of yarn and any hook size that achieves a fabric that you like with the yarn that you are using, and 8 stitch markers (one of these markers must be different from the others).

Brenda begins with an adjustable loop and works 8 half double crochet (HDC) stitches into the loop. On the following round, she places 2 HDC into each stitch around. You will continue to make 8 increases in each round, making a flat circle. Brenda shows us how to use stitch markers to keep track of our stitches so that we do not need to count them. There are two different methods of increasing. In one method, increases are stacked right on top of each other, which creates visual lines along the increases. In the other method, the increases are placed in a different location in each round, which makes the increases blend in, so you don’t really see them.

After creating a flat circle that is about ²⁄₃ to ¾ the size of the desired hat circumference, you will need to add only 4 stitches per round (instead of 8) until the desired circumference is achieved. After finishing the increase section, you will work evenly until the hat is long enough (taking into account whatever length you will add for an edging).

When Brenda works the rolled brim edging, she switches to a hook that is a couple sizes larger than the hook she was using. This will help keep the slip stitches from getting too tight. She talks about why slip stitches are often made too tight and gives us some tips to keep them loose.

There are three basic steps to making this kind of hat: begin with a flat circle, then switch to a cone-shape (with half as many increases), then work even to the desired length. Now that you know how this works, have some fun designing your own hat!