Crochet Cat Ear Hat Pattern (for the absolute beginner)

When I was just getting started with crochet, I wanted so badly to make a hat. Not just any hat, but a cute little hat with animal ears, most specifically of the feline persuasion. I tried. Oh, believe me, I tried. But I just could not figure out for the life of me what those patterns were saying to do. I'll type up an article explaining just that in a way I would have understood at the time, but for now, here's a hat that's worked flat in very basic half double crochet and then seamed together! I included a very simple pattern for kitty ears that you can sew onto the hat, as well as instructions for how to sewing and seaming.

You can do this hat in any stitch that tickles your fancy, so if you don't feel ready to learn a new stitch just yet (or you already know half double crochet) just skip this part. I just like half double because of the ribbing effect it creates. You can also just single (or double) crochet in the back loops of your stitches (that's the loop at the top closest to you) if you want the same effect in another stitch. Here are some tutorials for single crochet, double, and treble if you'd prefer to not use half double.

Okay, you ready?

Here we go.

Take out your hook and make a chain of, oh, say...fifteen. Fifteen's a good number. I usually start with it if I'm learning a new stitch that doesn't need a specific number of chains.

Insert your hook into the third chain from the hook, yarn over, and draw through the loop(s) you just inserted through. It'll either be two or one depending on how you prefer to stick your hook into your chain. For me it's one, because I go into the humps on the back of the chain.

Now you should have three loops left on your hook. Yarn over and draw through ALL THREE of those loops.

There! You have done one half double crochet. Repeat in all of the other chains across your hook, chain two (that's how many you'll be chaining for a row of half double) and then continue practicing for as long as you like.

You can recognize one half double crochet because it looks like a little pi symbol. It's like a single crochet that wanted to be a double crochet, but just couldn't quite get up there.

• Some yarn (about one skein of one color, or several colors if you want to change them throughout your crocheting)
• A hook in a size of your choice
• A yarn needle
• Some scissors

Ch 30 (or enough for however TALL you want your hat to be. In this pattern, you're going to be crocheting up and down the length of the hat)

Row 1: hdc in 3rd chain from hook and each chain across.

Row 2: Ch 2, hdc in 3rd chain from hook and in each chain across.

Rows 3-infinity: Repeat Row 2 until you can wrap the hat around your head (or the recipient's head). Fasten off.

Now it's time to seam!

Take a yarn needle and some of the yarn you used. Fold the rectangle over and sew those two ends together until you reach the top. From now on you'll only be stitching into ONE side of the rectangle, not two sides together.

Weave the yarn in and out of the top of the little tube you've made until you've gone all the way around. Get any ends you may have from changing colors (if you decided to) out of the way, and pull the yarn tight like a drawstring. The top of tube should close up, leaving you with a complete hat. Be sure to pull VERY TIGHT. Tightness is key here, not neatness, since you won't be able to see your stitches from the sewing anyway.

Run the needle and yarn through the very top of the hat a few times just to make sure it's all sewn together very well, and then cut the yarn. You can tie it and one of your little bits sticking out (if you have any) together if you want to ensure extra tightness.

Flip the hat inside out and weave in the end...if you finished with it on the opposite side, that is.

You're done!

In order to make the ears, you're going to need to know how to decrease in single crochet so you can make the triangles.

Let's practice :D

Make a chain of about ten.

Insert your hook into the second chain from the hook and make a row of single crochets all the way across. Chain one.

Insert your hook in the first stitch, yarn over, and drawn through the first two loops on the hook. Insert the hook through the top of the NEXT stitch, and draw the yarn through those loops. Now yarn over and draw up all of the loops on the hook. There you go! You've done it. Finish single crocheting all the way across and decrease the last two loops, too, if you feel like it. Keep practicing as long as you need!

Ch 6 (or enough for however big you want your ears to be. The chain is how wide the bottom of the triangle will be)

Row 1: sc in 2nd chain from hook and each chain across

Row 2: Ch 1, sc2tog in first two stitches. Sc in each stitch across, stopping at the last two stitches. Sc2tog in last two stitches.

Rows 3 and on: Repeat row 2 until your triangle is finished. Fasten off.

Make four of these and sew two together to make an ear that's nice and thick. I've made hats with just one ear instead of two sewn together, and believe me, it makes a world of difference.

Now sew your ears to the top of your hat. It's easiest to do this, in my opinion, if you lay the hat flat. Hide the remaining yarn inside the hat.