My niece is a golfer for my alma mater and she is out on the course year round. However, the school she golfs for does not have golf weather year round! So, she asked me to whip up a hat for her and her friends that she could wear out on the driving range. She has long hair, so it needed to be a messy bun with an opening for her bun to stick out and not get in her face when she swings her club. So, the herringbone messy bun beanie was born! This crochet messy bun hat pattern is very simple and works up really quickly with just one skein of yarn.
You can also work it in two colors like I did this one for her friend who requested pink. My niece did not want a stretchy brim and wanted more of a beanie style, so I worked three rows of the half double height stitch and then finished in a double height stitch. You can see that it looks great to use two colors. Just make sure to keep the yarn the same weight so that you don’t have different stitch numbers to work.
This crochet hat is a great pattern for beginner crocheters who are ready to try a new stitch. It is adjustable to any size. My main recommendation is to try it on after every row…seriously! That is probably the biggest issue when making hats, especially when using bulky yarn! It can get huge in just two rows! So, try it on after every row and make sure that it is maintaining its shape and that it isn’t getting too big. Remember that crochet stretches…and bulky yarns stretch a lot! So, you want to keep it tight and try it on to maintain the right sizing.
For the bulky yarns, I would also recommend that you go down one size from the recommended hook on the yarn packaging. This will also help contain the stretchiness of the yarn and make the hat fit better and tighter to the head. It is a beanie, so it should be fitted to the head.
Materials
- Buttercream Luxe Craft Alpaca
- M Hook – 9.00 mm
Abbreviations
- ch – chain
- sl st – slip stitch
- hdhb – half-double herringbone stitch – yarn over, insert hook into next ch, yarn over and pul through chain and first loop on the hook, yarn over and draw through both loops on hook
- dchb – double crochet herringbone stitch – yarn over, insert hook into next ch, yarn over and pull through the chain and the first loop on the hook, yarn over and draw through 1 loop on the hook, then yarn over and draw through both loops on hook
- dchb2tog – double crochet herringbone two together stitch – yarn over, insert hook into next st, yarn over and pull through the chain and the first loop on the hook, with two loops on the hook, yarn over and insert hook into the next st, yarn over and draw through stitch and first loop on the hook, yarn over and pull through two loops, yarn over and pull through the last two loops
Crochet Herringbone Messy Bun Beanie Pattern
Measure head to get an initial measurement.
Without measurement, size to these standards:
- small – 20 inches
- medium – 21 inches
- large – 22 inches
*Tip – try on hat after EVERY round to get the best fit. Fix any fit issues in that round to avoid having to take out everything and start over.
Ch to head measurement, sl st to join, (try on head to make sure chain fits when stretched to head – if it is too big now, remove some chains and then try on again until it fits properly when stretched on head)
Round 1 – Ch 2 (counts as first st) work 1 hdhb st into each ch, sl st to join to ch 2 from beginning of row.
Round 2 – 3 – Repeat round 1
Round 4- ch 3 (counts as first st), work 1 dchb st into each st, sl st to join
Round 5 – repeat round 4
Round 6 and up – ch 3 (counts as one) work 1 dchb into next stitch and then work a dchb2tog, *work 1 dchb into next two sts, then work 1 dchb2tog into next two stitches, repeat from * to end of row, sl st into ch 3 from start of row to join.
Repeat Round 6 until you are left with a 3 inch diameter hole at the top.
Work 1 sl st into the front loop of each stitch around the top hole to provide a finished look.
Finish and weave in ends.
Tips and Other Ideas
- You can size this down for smaller heads too! So, if you want to make a cute hat to show off that toddler ponytail, this is a great option. Just measure and follow the pattern using the smaller measurement.
- This can be worked in a smaller weight yarn, you just want to pay attention to the measurements and understand you will work more stitches and more rows to achieve the same shape and sizing. You will probably need to double the hdhb rows to get the same height.
- This is also a great pattern to add a motif, flower, or button to the side to add a little more style to the hat. You could clip on a quick bow or crochet a little flower accent to match. Whatever your wearer wants to add!