For our main project, we'll create a striped crocheted hat with soft Malabrigo Chunky yarn. This is a tried-and-true pattern by a very accomplished crochet designer, Tracy St. John, and I am happy that she has given us free access to this great pattern.

Crocheted Hat Pattern and Materials

To get started, download the free crochet hat pattern here. You’ll add the free pattern to your cart and check out, and it will be immediately emailed to you.

You can also shop for Malabrigo Chunky yarn while you’re on Stix’ website, if you like. This hat requires 1 skein (100 yds) of Malabrigo Chunky or any bulky yarn.

Read over the pattern instructions to understand how they’ve separated out the striped hat from the single color (spiral) hat instructions.

I’ll be showing you how to do the striped version in this class, but the spiral version is easy and similar, and you can do it by watching the same video but following the spiral pattern instructions exactly.

Check Your Gauge

Before you start crocheting your hat, you’ll need to make sure it’s going to fit. To do this, we are going to make a swatch and check your gauge.

If you like, you can use the single crochet swatch you made earlier in this class, but you might want to make a new one now that you are feeling more confident with your single crochet.

Follow the video below to learn how to check your gauge for this hat.

Swatch Directions

With the yarn and hook you plan to use to make your hat, ch 14.
SC into 2nd ch from hook, sc into each of remaining ch sts. 13 sc.
Next row: Ch 1, sc in each sc across.
Repeat for 8 rows.

To measure your gauge, lay a ruler or gauge checker across the stitches and count the horizontal ridges. If you get 6.5 stitches in 2 inches, you’re getting gauge. Next, lay the ruler vertically and count the ridges and dents. You should get 6 rows in 2 inches, although this (the row gauge) is not as important as getting the stitch gauge (above) correct.

If your gauge is too small (more than 6.5 sts in 2 inches), get a crochet hook one size bigger, make another swatch, and measure again. If your gauge is too big (fewer than 6.5 sts in 2 inches), get a crochet hook one size smaller, make another swatch, and measure again.

Crochet Your Hat

To create the striped hat, read over the instructions on page 6 of your pattern, then follow along with the video below while looking at the example rounds 1-3 on page 7 of your pattern.

Next, flip back to the spiral hat instructions on page 4 and keep following them, making sure to do a slip stitch at the end of every round and a chain 1 at the beginning. Also, make sure to work the first single crochet stitch into the same stitch where you did your turning chain.

To change colors, work the last yarnover of the last stitch of the round in the new color, and work the slip stitch, turning chain, and next round in the new color.

To finish the hat, follow the instructions for your desired size, making sure to count your stitches on the increase rounds to make sure you have increased correctly.

Wear and be fabulous!

Note: If you used Malabrigo Chunky for the hat, be careful when washing it as Malabrigo Chunky is not machine-washable and will shrink dramatically in the wash. Cold water, hand wash only! Ok now wear and be fabulous. :)