Free Crochet Pattern: Newborn Baby Hat
By Rachel Choi – 114 Comments| Here is another hat/beanie that is great to make and donate to charities, hospitals or someone in need. It is designed to fit an average newborn head, and although baby heads may vary in size, there is extra length at the bottom of this hat to fold up and should stretch depending on the yarn you use. Feel free to change colors and get creative with this basic hat! |  |
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Finished Size: 5 1/2″ (14 cm) tall, 6″ (15 cm) wide when flat
Note: hat is meant to stretch
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Materials: Medium Weight Yarn (small amount) Crochet Hook I (5.50 mm) |
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Gauge: Rounds 1 – 3 in pattern creates a circle that is 3 3/4″ in diameter
Crochet Pattern: Newborn Baby Hat
Round 1: ch 4, 12 dc in forth ch from hook, sl st in top of beg ch: 12 dc
Round 2: ch 3, 2 dc in each dc around, sl st in top of beg ch-3: 24 dc
Round 3: ch 3, (2 dc in next dc, dc in next dc) around, sl st in top of beg ch-3: 36 dc
Round 4 – 10: ch 3, dc in each dc around, sl st in top of beg ch-3: 36 dc
Finish off.
| You may also like to check out the Crochet Pattern: Family Beanie Set – 6 sizes. This pattern set has various beanies for you to crochet!
Be sure to check out the Crochet Spot Store for more hat and baby patterns! |
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Aww, perfect for all the new babies I’m going to meet this year. Thanks so much!
Rachel,
I like the babies hat pattern,but after the 10th round,do you finish it off and how do you?
Thank you,
Claire
Yup, you finish off after the last round. I normally just slip stitch in the next st, then cut the yarn and pull it through the slip stitch, then weave in the loose end.
I added a reverse single stitch to complete an ‘edge’. Gonna make a bunch! Thanks!
Okay… I think I’m having newby stitch counting failure. 🙂 For Round 1 – how does this add up to 12 stitches? I chained 4 – double crocheted in the first chain stitch and then did my slip stitch, when I count back I’m not finding 12. I must be missing something – any help would be great!
Hey Sara,
There should be 12 dc, because it says “12 dc in forth ch from hook”, those dc are one only dc that you’re counting. You don’t count the beginning chain as a stitch.
Oh! Duh! haha – thank you – knew I had to be missing something! 🙂
I stumbled across your pattern, and I’m really happy with the result! I’m expecting my baby in just a couple of weeks, and I think this will be perfect for coming home from the hospital–just what i was hoping for. Thanks!!
Hi Rachel,
I’d like to make this for my daughter who is 10 months old. How would I make it a bit bigger? I read somewhere else that you can use a larger hook size to increase the size of a hat pattern. Would that work in this case?
Thanks!
Hi Aubrey, yes you can use a bigger hook. Make sure that the circle created by round 1 – 3 is the circumference of your daughter’s head so that it will fit.
Hi, I am doing this pattern right now, and so far, it looks normal, unlike my usual projects, so I think I am mostly doing it right. But I decided to start counting with my 4th row, and I just finished the 4th row, and have 39 dc’s instead of 36. Do you happen to know why? Thanks.
Hi Courtney, I would suggest starting to count at round 1. It’s easier to determine where you messed up if you count every round.
Thanks, yeah, I just started it over, and so far the 1st and 2nd rounds have the right count. I’m just starting to try and get the hang of following patterns….Ty 🙂
This pattern looks great with Bernat Baby Coordinates. It stretches enough to fit any newborn’s head and the yarn is gorgeous. Great pattern. Made it for my 3-week old daughter in all pastel baby colors. She looks great.
Thanks for the pattern. Simple and perfect!!
i dont understand you just keep going around and never turning.
Yes, that is right Kerry.
Rachel, I am in love with this pattern!!! Thank you so much for sharing. I am a volunteer at our local hospital and I am making these for the babies in the nurcery. My only problem is the pattern is great for the smaller babies but for the 8 lb and bigger I need to make some bigger ones. I was wondering if you have made this to be bigger. I bought the pattern for the Family beanies for the different sizes but with the single crochet they come out not as soft for the babies. I am hoping I am making sence here…lol. I tried adding some stitches to this pattern but I must be doing something wrong. Any ideas on how to make it alittle bigger? Thanks so much for your help.
Hi Kimberly, just use a bigger hook. It will make the stitches looser. Also, if you want a softer hat, you can use a softer yarn, like simply soft yarns or the brands that are made just for babies.
Hello, I just thought this was the cutest hat to make for my upcoming niece but was a little confused about row one. Do you twelve dc in one chain? Thank you
Yes Jessica.
On the rounds, do we just count the dc, or do we include the chain too to get for example 36 on round 3?
Chains are not counted as double crochets. Only the double crochets are counted as double crochets.
Okay thank you :), just got confused b/c some patterns in the books I have says to count the chain as the first dc, thanks for the help 🙂
[…] Crochet Pattern: Newborn Baby Hat Crochet Pattern: Basic Preemie Hat Crochet Pattern: Shell Stitch Blanket […]
, I have had so much trouble with hats, but with this pattern it’s so easy! I’m putting my touch on it by making earlaps! thank you so much!
Hi Rachel , i make 2 hats for my friend as she is expecting her baby boy in next week …. thanks for easy simple pattern,,, i like your site …. now i am planning to make hip pouch for my niece thanku….
Diya
Hi Rachel, Ilove these hats and have made bunches of them . Some for friends and some for donation. I am looking for a cocoon pattern with an attached hood.Any suggestions would be appreciated.TY
Hi Sally, I don’t have a cocoon pattern with a hood at the moment, perhaps that is something I can add to the to-do list!
Hi Rachel,
This is such a cute little hat. I’m trying to make one for my little grandbaby to be but am fairly new to crocheting and not sure about a few things:
Round 1: The first 12 dc actually end up being in the first chain that was made?
Hi Kim, yes that is right. You are making 12 dc in the first chain that was made. That will create a small circle.
Oops — didn’t mean to send the above. I wasn’t finished!
How do you make a sl st that isn’t at the beginning of the project?
Round 2: How do I start with 3 ch — off the top of the last dc? but that leaves a hole when I start doing the dc’s after that.
Thanks for your help!
Kim, for your second question, to ch 3 you make a chain like you normally would. It does look like it is sticking out of the last dc. As you continue to crochet around, the double crochets will fill in the rest of the round. There shouldn’t be a hole, if there is make sure you didn’t skip a dc by accident.
Hi Rachel,
I love this pattern and am crocheting hats to donate to a local hospital. I wanted to try to be a little ‘fancy’ and do front and back post double crochet stitches (I think that’s what they’re called?) and the hat is coming out too small even though it has the proper number of stitches for each row.
Am I doing something wrong?
Thanks!
Erin
Hi Erin, often times front and back post stitches come out smaller than regular double crochet stitches because you’re making the stitch around the post instead in the front and back loops that are on top of the stitch. You can try and use a larger hook to make sure you get the same gauge using the front and back post stitches.
Please provide the types of yarn that can be used to crochet the beanie. Is it the basic baby yarn? I am not too clear on the #4 medium weight on the pattern. Thank you.
Hi Pat, the #4 medium weight is the symbol you will see on your yarn package. For more info on it check out this post: Types of Yarn
Hi: Thank you for the information on the #4 medium weight. I checked my yarn inventory and noticed I have a lot of #3 light weight yarn specifically for babies. Can I use this baby yarn to make the beanie to donate to an organization that sends the beanies to other countries. Do I use a bigger hook or add stitches to meet the pattern measurements?
Pat, you can use a bigger crochet hook. To make sure it turns out to be the correct size, check the gauge that is written in the pattern, before completing the entire pattern. The gauge will tell you whether your stitches are the correct size.
I love the pattern, but should it leave a space/hole when slip stitching in the top of the beginning of ch-3. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Rachel, you don’t need to leave a space. If you do have a space you can try chaining only 2 instead of 3.
Hi Rachel!
Thanks for that! Blogged about the result here:
http://thesouthafricankiwi.blogspot.com/2010/12/well-whaddaya-know.html
Have a fantastic 2011!
Renette
I made 2 of these and they are easy and cute, however, I noticed mine kind of bell out, even after the first 3 rounds, whereas the ones pictured look like a straight down tube after the 1st 3 rounds. Any idea what I am doing wrong and how I can fix it?
Hi Valorie, double check to make sure you’re not accidentally adding stitches after round 3. Rounds 4 – 10 you should have the same amount of stitches so the width of the hat doesn’t change.
I was looking for a pattern to do sooo simple sooo easy i love it thanks sooo much will look sooo cute on my lil boy 🙂
On round 3 It says 36. If you count 2dc and single dc should it not come out 26? I cannot figure out where the 36 comes from. Even if I put 2dc in each one dc it would be more.
Please clarify.
Thank you.
Hi Connie, in round 3 you’re repeating the instructions within the ( ) all the way around the hat. So you’re going to do “2 dc in next dc” then “dc in next dc”. So that’s a total of 3 dc on round 3 each time you repeat the instructions with in the ( ). Since there are 24 dc on the previous round, the instruction within the ( ) will be repeated 12 times because it uses 2 dc on the previous round each time it is repeated, 24 / 2 = 12. So then 3 * 12 = 36 total double crochet on round 3. Let me know if you need more help.
I make newborn hats for the hospital my husband works at and this pattern is great and easy. I now have 5 other ladies making them also since the hospital can never have too many. The nurses in peds said the first couple I made were too small, although they could use them a preme’s but they were too small otherwise. So what I did was use a bigger hook which didn’t really work. Ten I added two more stitches and followed the pattern including those two stitches and it gave me a hat the nurses love. I also added an 11th row of single crochet. The babies now are getting some really cool hats from us. Thanks for the pattern Rachel.
I love this hat! It’s just what what I was looking for. Simple but cute. For those wondering how to make it a little bigger, you can increase stitches in intervals. For example, on the 4th round, I did two double crochets every third double crochet. This increased this round 12 stitches (48). The next round I did two double crochets every 6th double crochet, which increased this round 8 stitches (56). From this point, I crocheted 1 double crochet in each stitch for each round. Hope this helps.
Hello, I LOVE this pattern, thank you for posting! I am finding that I am adding a stitch in each round, though, from Row 4 on. I’m a newbie and can’t figure out what I am doing wrong…is there an easy answer?
Thanks!
I was so glad to find an easy hat pattern since I am still new to crocheting. After chaining 3, do I skip a stitch or dc in very next stitch. I ended up with too many stitches around and can’t seem to figure out what I am doing wrong. If you an help great. Either way thanks for the great pattern!
Hi Capre, after your slip stitch you’ll make your double crochets in ever double crochet on the previous round. Be sure to skip the slip stitch though. You may be ending up with extra stitches in you put double crochets into the slip stitch as well.
When chaining 3 do it count as the first double crochet? My hat came out with a lot of space down the seam.
Hi Ann, the chain doesn’t count as a double crochet in this pattern (only if is said so in the pattern it would). If you have spaces, you can double check to make sure you had enough stitch on each row. If all looks good then you can try to make your beginning chain tighter or just put 2 chains instead of 3.
RACHEL, I WAS CROCHETING AN INFANT HAT WHEN I CAME ACROSS THE BRIM. IT SAID “BRIM RND 1: CH3, XDC2 OVER FIRST 2 DC, *Xdc3 over 3,Xdc2over 2dc: rep from * to last 2 dc, Xdc2over 2dc; join with a sl st in t hird ch of begch-3 turn-24 (26) Xdc”
What does X stand for and how do I crochet it? I am desperate.
EMILY
Hi Emily, I believe the xdc stands for cross double crochet. But you may want to ask the designer of the pattern to be 100% sure. A cross double crochet is when you skip the first dc and dc in the next dc, then go back and dc in the dc you skipped.
Hi Rachel! I’m loving this pattern and just finished it. I did get confused at the end of each round though. When you say: (sl st in top of beg ch-3), can you explain exactly where I should put the sl st? A couple of times I put it in the top of the first dc of the last round, others I put in what looked like a double crochet before the chain from the previous round. My hat turned out okay but towards the end I had fewer than 36 stitches.
Thanks!
Hi Heidi, the top of the beginning chain 3, is the the third chain that you made at the beginning of the round. If you look at your 3 chains, it’ll look like the third one sits on top of the the other 2. So basically, you make your sl st my inserting your hook into the third chain since it’s the top chain.
I am also having the trouble with having gaps between my “chain 3” and the first DC of each row. I tried doing a “chain 2” and still the same gap. Mine also ended up a little small so definitely for a smaller baby, but super cute. Just not sure why I get this seam gap (that’s what it seems like to me). Any help from anyone?
Hi, thanks for the pattern. The base shows a little ball (doesn’t look bad) so there is a seam. Can I see the back of your design?
I made one of these not too long ago. The back looks just like the front, Kim. Also, for those having the gap where the seam is, try turning your work after each row. Rachel gave me this suggestion and it worked for me 🙂
I made a similar cap recently (my aunt taught me the pattern!) and had gaps too. She said my chain 3 was too ‘loose’. I tightened that up on the next hat and NO GAPS! Hope that helps!
I started the baby hats from above – and I did something wrong…it came out like a flat doily. what did I do wrong that it did not form into a cup/hat?? I can do some basic crocheting
I thought this would be easy enough to do and I can give back too. hmmm any tips??
Hi Charlotte, in rounds 4 – 10 you shouldn’t be increasing the number of stitches any more. The number of stitches on each of those rounds should be 36 double crochets. If the hat didn’t turn into the cup shape then that leads me to believe that more and more stitches were added when they shouldn’t be. If you try the hat again, make sure to count the stitches after each round to make sure there is the right amount. Let me know if you end up needing more help 🙂
I really like this pattern. I am making bunches of them for click for babies. I have even added some extra color in each of the caps. They are so cute. I suggest if you are a new crocheter don’t try that. Get some experience before you change colors. This is a simple enough pattern so it is easy to do that with. Happy crocheting? 🙂
Hi Rachel…. this is anu from India….
i am going to try this today for a new born….will finish it and post it for you….
thanks….
Thx for the pattern! I made a really cute hat to match some booties!
Hi! I’m just learning to crochet and I’m teaching myself. This is the pattern I’m using to teach myself how to read a pattern and I’m just a little bit confused on starting off. Am I suppose to already have my beginning circle made and then chain 4 and do the 12 dc in the middle of my circle? I would appreciate the help. Thanks!
Hi Nichole, you’re going to put all 12 double crochets into the forth ch from your hook (which is also the first chain of the ch 4 that you made). This will form a small circle, which is the very top of the hat. There’s nothing before the ch 4 that you need to do.
Love this pattern – so easy. Thanks!!
hi rachel,
I would like to know if i can use a H/8-5.00mm crochet hook or a usa H?also i am using
bernat softee baby yarn #3 light.is that ok? thank you.i am going to try and make this hat.
hope i succeed.
Hi Shirley, sorry for the hook confusion, there was a typo. It should say Crochet Hook I (5.50 mm). I just updated the pattern with the correction. The #3 yarn may be a bit too thin for this pattern. But if you can obtain the gauge that the pattern requires then you’re good to go.
Hi Rachel
Just wanted to thank you for the pattern. I find that I can interchange hook sizes and yarn types
as much as I want and it comes out perfect everytime. I have started making them in all different sizes and donating them to our local hospital and they are thrilled with them. I even have done double strand or used the baby clouds yarn and they turn out absolutely gorgeous!!! Thanks again 🙂