Crochet

Design Your Own Crochet Hat — By Tossing a Coin?? The Wildcat Hat

Wanda

The Wildcat Hat

How many times have you been shopping and seen something in the store that you just KNEW you could recreate in your own way? Well…. that happened to me a couple of winters ago and I snapped a photo of a hat that I thought was so cute and just knew I could create something similar of my own.

While scrolling through my photos on my phone the other day, I came across the photo I had taken of said hat and decided it was time to pull out the yarn and hooks and get one made!

And do you think I had the yarn I needed in my very large stash??? Of course not! So off to the yarn store I went!

Though I didn’t really find the type of variegated yarn I had in mind…. I found some that I liked along with some coordinating yarn that I thought would make a lovely combination for my hat.

I found it interesting that the color way name of the variegated yarn was Community! After I finished designing the hat…. the yarn spoke to me. It ended up being the inspiration for the name of the hat. I knew for sure there had to be an athletic team somewhere that used those colors so I went on a search and low and behold, it was a college team right in my area! So the Wild Cat Hat was born!

The hat came together quite easily once I started. You’ll find that this is an easy repeat pattern that can be mixed up in different yarn weights, because it’s worked from the bottom up. (You just have to determine the stitch count by measuring your foundation row. See video tutorial for more info)

Wild Cat Hat 2.0 -- Made with slightly thicker yarn — Wild Cat Hat 2.0

You can follow along on my YouTube video below to see how I created it using a thinner yarn weight than the written patttern below. It was a fun to create that new version as I filmed it! The process of making decisions on how to design it was really fun. I treat it as if you’re right there helping me. (Maybe someday I will do a live and do just that!) It even came down to a coin toss for color choice! I hope you’ll check out the video and make your own version right along with me using the yarn of your choice by following the instructions I give in the video.

Below I have written up the version using the lighter weight Bulky 5 weight yarn in gray, white and purple. You’ll see in the video that I show you the difference of making it with another Bulky 5 weight yarn that had a completely different starting stitch count because the yarn was just a little thicker. That’s where the measuring comes in! Then together, we figure out the stitch count for a #4 medium weight yarn. I hope you have fun making this hat.

Enjoy!

The Wild Cat Hat

Gauge:

Using K – 6.5mm Hook with Big Twist Gentle Bulky Weight 5 yarn
Starting with a FDHDC row, make a swatch using HDC stitches
4″ square Gauge = 8 rows high x 11 stitch wide

Materials Used:

K – 6.5 mm hook
L – 8 mm hook
Big Twist Gentle (Charcoal)
Big Twist Gentle (White)
Big Twist Living (Community)
Large Pom Pom maker
Scissors
Stitch Markers
Tapestry Needle for Yarn
Retractable Measuring Tape
Large Buttons for attaching Pom Pom

Stitches Used:

Foundation Half Double Crochet (FHDC)
Front Post Half Double Crochet (FPHDC)
Back Post Half Double Crochet (BPHDC)
FPHDC Decrease 2 tg
Slip Stitch

Note: The slip stitch join at the beginning of each row will be done in the TOP of the first FPHDC stitch. The first FPHDC stitch of each row will include stitching around the chain two stitch as well as the first FPHDC, treating it as one stitch. This eliminates an unsightly row of chain stitches up the back of the hat.

This pattern is worked from the bottom up and in the round. Pattern written for Adult size hat.

Foundation Row – Leaving a long tail on the slip knot, Begin with a Foundation Half Double Crochet (FHDC) row of 56 st. The First 3 chains made in the FHDC count as first HDC. (56 st)

(Foundation row should measure approximately 20″)

Rd 1 – Slip stitch into top of chain 3 stitch. Ch 2. FPHDC around the chain three stitch, BPHDC around next FHDC stitch. *FPHDC around next FHDC stitch. BPHDC around next FHDC stitch*, Repeat from * to * around. Join with a Slip stitch into top of first FPHDC stitch. (56 st. (—28 FPHDC, 28 BPHDC))

Rd 2 – Ch 2. FPHDC around the first FPHDC AND the chain 2 stitch, treating it as one stitch. BPHDC around the next BPHDC. *FPHDC around next FPHDC. BPHDC around next BPHDC* Repeat from * to * around. Join with a slip stitch into top of the first FPHDC. (56 st)

Rd 3 – 4 Repeat Rd 2. (56 st)

Rd 5 – Repeat Rd 2 until join, then change to color B on last draw through for the Slip stitch

Rd 6 – 15 (Switch to a 8mm hook if using a thinner #4 weight yarn as I did) With color B, repeat Rd 2, pulling up color C on the last pull through of the Sl stitch join

Rd 16 – 19 Switching back to the 6.5 mm hook, and using color C, repeat Rd 2

(Hat should now measure approximately 7″ tall)

Rd 20 – Ch 2. *FPHDC 2 tg decrease around the first FPHDC AND the next BPHDC. (Be sure to include the ch 2 on first stitch) *FPHDC 2 tg around next FPHDC and the next BPHDC stitches* Repeat from * to * around. Join with a slip stitch into top of the first FPHDC. (28 FPHDC st) (1st decrease round)

Rd 21 – Ch 2. FPHDC around the first FPHDC decrease stitch, *FPHDC around next FPHDC decrease stitch.* Repeat from * to * around. Join with a slip stitch into top of the first FPHDC. (28 FPHDC sts) (No decrease)

Rd 22 – Ch 2. FPHDC 2 tg decrease around the first two FPHDC stitches. *FPHDC 2 tg decrease around next 2 FPHDC stitches.* Repeat from * to * around. Join with a slip stitch into top of the first FPHDC. (14 FPHDC st) (2nd decrease round)

Rd 23 – Ch 2. FPHDC around first FPHDC. *FPHDC around next FPHDC.* Repeat from * to * around. Join with a slip stitch into the top of the first FPHDC and tie off leaving a long tail for cinching in the top of the hat. (14 FPHDC st) (No decrease)

Using tapestry needle weave in and out of the top of the FPHDC stitches around and pull tightly to cinch in. Push needle to the inside of the hat working from the wrong side, continue to weave around the area you’ve just cinched in to keep the stitches tight. Tie off and weave in ends.

Take the long tail from the beginning slip knot stitch and sew bottom of hat together. Weave in ends and tie off. This should complete the bottom of the hat.

When completed, Hat should measure about 9” from bottom to top.

Make a large Pom Pom using Pom Pom maker and attach to top of hat. Watch video below if you want to know how to make the Pom Pom removable

I would love for you to show me the hats you have created by posting them in the comments!

Spoiler Alert: If you haven’t watched the video yet and want a surprise of how the third hat turns out ….. maybe don’t scroll any further till after you’ve seen it. 🙂

Design your own Wild Cat Hat while following along with the video tutorial. Free Crochet Hat Pattern — The Wild Cat Hat

And here is the result of designing the hat after looking at all of the choices of how we could make it. My grand daughter couldn’t decide what she liked best. We ended up tossing a coin for color choice on the top of the hat since we just couldn’t decide our own. And we are happy with the results! It would have been fun with either yarn discussed in the video…. but this is the final result!

Wild Cat Hat 3.0 -- The Coin Toss Version — Wild Cat Hat 3.0 — The Coin Toss Version

I really love how it turned out and love that variegated yarn! It’s so fun! There are so many variegated yarns on the market…. it can be hard to choose — Then again, if you’re not a fan of variegated yarn, the design could be done all in solid colors to create stripes. So many possibilities!

Here is the side by side view of all my versions: On the Left; the original Wild Cat Hat in a thinner Bulky Weight 5 yarn, Center: made with Medium Weight Worsted yarn, Right; Make with fatter Bulky Weight 5 yarn. All different yarns and stitch counts, but using the same basic pattern to create.