Introduction: Crocheting a Basic Beanie

Need a hat to keep your ears warm during the winter? Or a handmade gift for a friend?Just want to look cool?  Crochet your own solid-colored beanie with this step-by-step guide.

Take note: this guide is for crocheters who already know crocheting terms like "chain" and "round" and know how to do the slip stitch and the double crochet stitch. These are the two stitches you will use to make your beanie. If you want reminding on how to do a double crochet stitch, I recommend visiting this website:

http://www.crochetspot.com/how-to-crochet-double-crochet-stitches-dc/


The crochet whiz who doesn't need a breakdown of each step but just wants the pattern can skip to step 9 to see it. Happy crocheting!

Step 1: Gathering Materials

This project only requires three things:

--a pair of scissors
--an F crochet hook (which you can find at any crafts store like Hobby Lobby)
--the yarn of your choice, but I recommend medium-weight yarn because it's the easiest to work with. The weight is marked on the yarn when you buy it.

Step 2: Understanding the Overall Process

Before I go into detail about each step, I want to provide a basic rundown of the steps -- a table of contents for the steps, if you will.

--Start crocheting at the top of the beanie. The stitches you make will form a circle (steps 4-7)
--Keep stitching around the circle (step 8)
--When the beanie is as wide as you want it, crochet to increase the height without also increasing the width (step 9)

The picture I've included here shows what the beanie will look like at about the beginning of step 9. At that step, feel free to refer to this picture.

Step 3: Figuring Out the Height of the Beanie

Before crocheting, first figure out what height your beanie will be, which is based on the head circumference of the person you are making the beanie for. Here's a size chart for some of the head circumferences:

1 year of age :
Head circumference = 16-19 inches
Hat height = 7.5 inches

2-3 years of age:
Head circumference = 18-20 inches
Hat height = 8 inches

3-10 years of age:
Head circumference = 19-20.5 inches
Hat height = 8.5 inches

11-19 years of age:
Head circumference = 20.5-22 inches
Hat height = 9-10 inches

Adult woman:
Head circumference = 21.5-22.5 inches
Hat height = 11 inches

Adult man:
Head circumference = 23-24 inches
Hat height = 11-11.5 inches

Figuring out the head circumference of the person who will wear your beanie helps you know how high to make it and how many rounds it will take. But don't worry too much about getting it wrong -- beanies stretch.

The beanie shown in the pictures of this Instructable is for a 1-year-old.

Step 4: Getting Started With a Loop

To start, you are going to create a loop. After pulling some yarn free from the yarn ball, wrap the yarn around your finger to create a circle. Then  pull the attached yarn through it so that you now have a loop. Once you pull it through, it will look like the loop in the fourth picture.

This loop starts the crocheting process.


Step 5: Creating the First 5 Chains

Now that you have a loop, insert the crochet hook through the loop. Then create 5 chains by pulling the yarn over the hook and through the loop repeatedly.

The second picture shows what the first 4 chains will look like.

Step 6: Making a Slip Stitch

Once you have 5 chains created, make a slip stitch into the first chain.

To make a slip stitch:
--insert the hook through the first chain
--wrap the yarn around the hook
--pull the yarn into the loop that the hook is currently in.

The first picture shows the yarn being wrapped around the hook. The second picture shows the yarn being pulled into the loop.

Step 7: Finishing the First Round, Beginning the Second

After you have made a slip stitch, you will make 10 double crochets. These 10 d.c.'s mark the end of the first round.

For the second round, stitch 3 d.c.'s in each d.c. around. The picture shows what the beanie looks like with these 3 d.c.'s.

Quick tip: To keep track of when a round ends and another begins, I recommend using some kind of marker. When I was first learning to crochet beanies, the friend who taught me told me to insert a small piece of yarn into the loop on my hook. Whenever I reach the end of a round, I move my marker and place it into the new loop on my hook. The marker is not the same color as the yarn making the beanie (if it is, it's not very effective).

Step 8: Making 2 Double Crochet Rounds

The next four rounds (rounds 3-6) will all have 2 double crochets in each d.c. around.

The picture is an example of what the beanie looks like with these 2 d.c.'s.

Step 9: Making 1 D.c. Rounds and Finishing

The last 8 rounds (7-15, or however many you decide to do based on the beanie's desired height) will all have single d.c.'s in each d.c. around.

When you have reached your desired length, cut off the remaining yarn with a pair of scissors.

 Now try it on for size. If it's too small, you can keep on crocheting. If it it's too big, you can (carefully) undo some of the stitching. But hopefully it fits -- you now have your very own crocheted beanie!

The picture shows what my beanie (which was for a 1-year-old) ended up looking like.


Step 10: The Pattern

Here's the pattern I broke down into steps during this Instructable.

Round 1: chain 5, slip stitch in 5th from hook, 10 d.c. in loop, place marker
Round 2: 3 d.c. in each d.c. around
Round 3: 2 d.c. in next d.c., d.c. in next d.c. around
Round 4: 2 d.c. in next d.c., d.c. in next 2 d.c. around
Round 5: 2 d.c. in next d.c., d.c. in next 3 d.c. around
Round 6: 2 d.c. in next d.c., d.c. in next 4 d.c. around
Round 7 – 15: d.c. in each d.c. around
Finish off.

I found this pattern from the Crochet Spot website, which I found extremely helpful when I was first learning to crochet. The website is still very helpful.