Today, we’re learning how to use our simple Granny stripe, in the round, for a simple and easy, beginner friendly crochet hat! If you haven’t, scroll down to the bottom of the page and get our beginner hat pattern and tutorial! It includes a bunch of different styles of hat bodies, like we’re doing today. Also, if you saw our posts about granny stripe blankets, here and here, then you’ll be familiar with the clusters we’re using for our hat.
In the previous post, we discussed how to crochet a hat from the top, working in circles. Today, we’re adding our granny stripes to that crown, for the body. Now, keep in mind this is a super simple and easy option for creating the body of your hat. And, we’re working on a series that you can use, step-by-step, to create a beautiful hat that you love and can be proud of! So, begin with the previous post, or, if you’d like we also did a slip stitch crochet ribbing, here, as well. With the slip stitch ribbing, you’ll work your hat in the bottom-up fashion, instead of top-down, like I’m doing here. The tutorial works the same way, so choose your starting point and let’s get to it!
Granny Stripes
So, as we discussed in the previous posts, granny clusters are made up of 3 dc into 1 stitch. Skip 2 stitches and then work the next cluster into the third stitch. We’re transitioning from the crown here, where we were doing increases. Now, we’re working on the body, where we don’t want to increase any more. So, we want to crochet the same number of stitches for each row, as the row before. To begin the first row of our hat body, we begin with a chain 2, then add 2 dc to the base of our chains.
Skip 2 stitches (shown at my left thumb in the picture), and work our cluster, 3dc, into the third stitch.
Continue skipping and working 3dc into each third stitch, all the way around. And if you get to the end and you don’t have the right number of stitches to keep your spacing, you can adjust your last 2 clusters to be closer together. This will even things out. It’ll work out fine for the rest of your rows.
Row 2: ch2, skip to space between next 2 clusters, 3dc, continue skipping to your next cluster spaces, and repeat. At the end of the row, you’ll need to dc 2 over the slip st from the previous row, and slip st to the top of your chains.
I like to alternate between row 1 and row 2, for the beginning and end of my row. I think it makes the seam less visible along the back of your beanie, but you can follow either one, or alternate like I do.
Finishing off the Lower Edge
Now, if your following the hat that we’re doing in the pictures, we’re going to finish off with a simple single crochet edge, for a few rows. I usually stop my body about 1″ or so from the full needed length so I can add my edge. In our next crochet post, I’ll show you how to add ear flaps, to any size hat. But for now, let’s finish this one as a cute beanie!
When you get to about 1″ from your desired length, we’re going to switch to single crochet for several rows.
Now, when I first began crocheting hats, I noticed that the single crochet rows are really tight around the bottom. Double crochet is really stretchy, especially in the granny stripe style. So we need to add some give to our hat, around the bottom. This will work in any size. I add some extra single crochets, about every 10 stitches or so.
Row 1: ch1, *2sc in next st, sc in next 10 stitches,* repeat * to * around and slip stitch to chain at the beginning of the row.
Remaining rows: ch1, sc into each st, slip st to chain.
Fasten off and weave in ends.
Next time, we’re creating ear flaps! Below, is a few of the different versions of this hat I’ve created over the years all in different styles of striping the granny clusters. I love these hats, which is why they’re the first one I had to introduce here on the blog. Ha, I just realized they’re all beanie style! That’s a funny coincidence. I did a bunch with ear flaps too, I guess I’ll have to show those on the next post. 😉
I would love to see what you do with it. As always, please tag us in anything you make from our videos or here on the blog on Instagram. I would love to share your creations to our stories!
Thanks for hanging out with me!
Much love,
