Thank you to Lion Brand Yarn for providing the yarn for this sample.
It’s official… the Fall ’17/Winter ’18 season has begun and I am sooooooooo excited! Granted I’m a little behind on life being that I spent my summer cuddling an adorable little baby boy instead of prepping my upcoming collection, but whatev. I’m ready to dive in now, and let’s all hope and pray that Henry will start taking longer naps so I can get some things done.
I’m debuting the season with a hat pattern that I just love. This season I’m experimenting with different shapes of slouch, and this pattern has a rounder, more “droopy” look to it than my patterns from previous seasons. It’s worked from the top-down but uses the faux-cinched method I tend to favor, but amped up a bit. We’re cramming so many stitches into those first few rounds that you might be thinking “yeah right, Rebecca” as you’re getting started, but trust me, just get through those first rounds and it will get easier and the finished look will be so worth it.
For this pattern I used Lion Brand Yarn’s Vanna’s Style, a #3 weight (not to be confused with Vanna’s Choice, which is a #4 aran). It has beautiful stitch definition and drape which is perfect for this hat.
My model is rocking this hat with her natural waves, but it would also look gorgeous over cascading curls or even a loose braid.
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BARISTA SLOUCH HAT
Difficulty: Easyish
Finished Size: 9.5″ tall x 9″ wide at bottom of hat (when laid flat) and 14″ wide at widest point (when laid flat).
Hook: G (4.0 mm)
Yarn: Approximately 290 yards of Vanna’s Style, a #3 light weight yarn by Lion Brand. Sample shown in “Silver”.
Gauge: 6 increase rounds (beginning with 10 HDC) = 3.75″.
Pattern for Gauge:
Round 1: 10HDC in MC; join. (10)
Round 2: CH1, 2HDC in each ST around, join. (20)
Round 3: CH1, (2HDC, HDC) around, join. (30)
Round 4: CH1, (2HDC, HDC, HDC) around, join. (40)
Round 5: CH1, (2HDC, HDC, HDC, HDC) around, join. (50)
Round 6: CH1, (2HDC, HDC, HDC, HDC, HDC) around, join. (60)
You’ll also need: Yarn needle, stitch marker
Abbreviations Used:
MC (magic circle – view tutorial here)
ST/STS (stitch/stitches)
SL ST (slip stitch)
SK (skip)
CH (chain)
SC (single crochet)
BLO (back loop only)
MBS (mini bean stitch – see “Special Stitch”)
Special Stitch – Mini Bean Stitch (MBS): Insert hook into stitch, yarn over, pull through (2 loops on hook), yarn over, insert hook into same stitch, yarn over, pull through (4 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through all 4 loops, chain 1 to close stitch. (Please note that this CH1 does count as a stitch in the final stitch counts of each round; so each MBS you complete will count for 2 stitches.)
Notes:
(1) This pattern is written in American Standard Terms.
(2) Pattern is worked in a continuous, seamless round until the band. Use a stitch marker to mark the beginning of rounds and do not join or turn unless instructed to do so.
(3) Any CH1s at the beginning of rounds do not count as stitches and are not included in the stitch count.
(4) Because of the “chain 1 to close stitch” at the end of the instructions for the MBS, each MBS will count as 2 stitches in the final stitch counts for each round – one for the bean, and one for the CH1.)
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THE PATTERN
To begin: Make a magic circle; CH1 (does not count as a stitch).
Round 1: 16 HDC in MC. (16)
Round 2: 2 HDC in each ST around. (32)
Round 3: 2 HDC in each ST around. (64)
Round 4: MBS in each ST around. (128)
Rounds 5-32: (MBS in next ST, SK next ST) around. (128)
Round 33: (MBS in next ST, SK next ST) around. Join with a SL ST to 1st ST of round. (128)
Round 34: CH1. SC2TOG, SC in each of the next 2 STS. (SC2TOG in next ST, SC in each of the next 2 STS) around. Join with a SL ST to the top of the first ST. (96)
Round 35-36: CH1. SC in each ST around. Join with a SL ST to the top of the first ST. (96)
Next we’re going to make the band of the hat, and we will be working in vertical rows, attaching it to the final round of the hat (Round 36) with SL STS as we go. If you need a little extra help, click here for a video tutorial on how to add ribbing at the end of a project.
CH9.
Row 1: SC in 2nd chain from hook and in each of the remaining 7 chains. SL ST into the first SC from Round 36, the stitch on which your CH9 was built. SL ST into the next SC from Round 36. (8, plus the two slip stitches along Round 36)
The section we just created, built on the CH9, will hereafter be referred to as the “ribbing.”
Row 2: CH1, turn. Skipping over the 2 SL STS you put in Round 36, SC in BLO of each of the first 7 STS of the ribbing. SC in both loops of the last ST. (8)
Row 3: CH1, turn. SC in 1st ST. SC in BLO of each of the remaining 7 STS of the ribbing. SL ST in each of the next 2 STS of Round 36. (8, plus the 2 SL STS along Round 36)
Row 4: CH1, turn. Skipping over the 2 SL STS you put in Round 36, SC in BLO of each of the first 7 STS of the ribbing. SC in both loops of the last ST. (8)
Rows 5-96: Repeat Rows 3-4 all the way along Round 36.
Fasten off and use your tail to sew together the first and last rows of the ribbing, then weave in your ends.
I’d love some help with the ribbing! The hat fitted my head before I started the ribbing but when the ribbing was finished it had ‘flared’ outwards away from my head so that it stood out almost like a frill (or a brim?). I checked my stitch count all the way through and have good, even stitches/tension. I can’t fathom why this has gone wrong. Can anyone help?
Super cute! I used lion mandala ombré in cool! I think the ombres, sparkle, tweed and cotton are all 3weight. Another soft and delicious option is TRUBOO which is a cotton bamboo blend-also weight 3. But it’s pricey for the tiny skein size when compared to the lion skeins and cakes.
I am so glad you added a comment about thinking yeah right. Because my first few rows of the bean stitch looked something akin to a bath scrubbie lol 😂
I’m only on row 3 of the 5-32 rows (so row 8). But sticking with it. I’m taking your word for it lol
I’ve made this hat a few times over the years, (it’s my go to for a quick hat whenever I need something quick and cute and different from the hundreds of knit styles always available) it definitely becomes more ‘hat’s shaped as you continue. And I’m always getting asked where I got them. Keep at it 🙂
Finding Vanna’s Style yarn is limited now…I guess it is discontinued. Do you know what would be a good substitute yarn for the Barista Slouch hat? I like the pattern and would like to make it but the only way to get Vanna’s Style yarn is bulk from Amazon and Walmart (and not available in a variety of colors or colors that I want) and although it says Michaels it is sold out at Michaels. Please help with a Substitute.
Hi Kem, any #3 yarn should be fine; just be sure to do a gauge check. Here’s the yarn’s page on Yarn Sub: https://yarnsub.com/yarns/lion_brand/vannas_style
Would this work with a #4 weight yarn? Has anyone tried? Any adjustments that would need to be made?
Hi Alina! (Love your name.) Any time you make a pattern with a larger weight yarn than it recommends, it’s going to come out larger. You can *try* a thin #4 on the gauge check, but I’m guessing it would make the fabric too stiff. Adjusting this particular pattern’s stitch counts for a #4 yarn wouldn’t be a quick task, so I would recommend sticking with the recommended yarn 🙂
i am fairly new to crochet and love your patterns. however, i live in the UK and was wondering if I’d be able to properly substitute yarns. You seem to quote the name of the yarn etc, which may not be available here, and then quote , for instance, #3. What does #3 mean please?
All yarns are classified by a number system according to their thickness. This chart might help 🙂 https://www.craftyarncouncil.com/standards/yarn-weight-system
Do you have an estimate of the range of head sizes this would fit? Thanks.
I would say 19-21″. It’s designed for a teen or adult.
Just want to know if I should stop right now and start over. I’m on row 4, and I thought I was following all directions correctly – but it definitely is not laying flat.
It shouldn’t lay flat 🙂 If you look at the photo of the model from behind, you’ll see that the back of the hat is cinched; that’s how we get that look. 🙂
Okay, great, thank you!:)
On round 34, do we SC2TOG on the CH 1 and the mini bean stitch? OR SC2TOG on the 2 of the CH1 together? I hope that made sense.
Hi I was wanting to make this hat for my niece who is only 5. What would be your recommendation for sizing the hat smaller?
Unfortunately I can’t give instructions for sizes not offered in the pattern. With this particular hat because it gets larger and then smaller, it’s a little more complicated, but normally my advice would be to figure out how wide you want the brim to be and then measure how many ribbing rows you would need to subtract in order to get that; however many are remaining are the number of stitches you want to be in your final round. So you’d want the initial increases to go a little over that number, so that you can decrease them at the end. You’d also want to make fewer rounds to account for a smaller head.
Does it matter if I work the mbs into the tops of the mbs in previous rounds or into the ch1 space? I must have done my mbs pretty tight because I am having a hard time working into them. I want it to look right, though! Will it be ok if I work into the ch1 and skip the mbs? Hope that makes sense. Thanks!
Hi Laura, the CH1 part of the bean stitch is actually the one that ends up super tight (it sits right on top of the bean). It’s the set of loops created by the actual bean that are easier to get into, and luckily, those are the ones you are supposed to go into 🙂
That makes sense, thanks!
I absolutely love this pattern and made a hat the other day for myself! But now somebody at work asked if I could make one for their kid, but they’re 7. What would you recommend to make a kid’s size?
That’s awesome! Unfortunately I don’t offer much support for recreating patterns in sizes that I don’t already offer (only because I get so many requests that I wouldn’t ever have time for anything else, lol), but my best advice is to find one of those crochet hat size charts on Pinterest and figure out what the measurements should be. So let’s say (I’m making this up) that a 7 year old’s hat should be 4″ LESS wide than an adult’s, you would want to measure your hat at the bottom and find out how many ribs are in 4″. Let’s say it’s… 20. So, you’d want to go back to the final decrease round and subtract 20 stitches from that. You’d have to figure out the best way to get to that number. Then, just crochet around until it’s about 1.5″ shorter than it’s supposed to be for a 7 year old, then finish up with the ribbing. I hope that wasn’t way too confusing 🙂
go back to the final *increase* round, not decrease. Sorry 🙂
I am concerned about my gauge. Should the 3 rounds of the band fit the head prior to the ribbing? Mine is a little loose and I am not sure if the ribbing tightens it up to fit. I don’t want to do all of the ribbing if I need to adjust the band first. Thank you!
It does bring it in a bit more, but not much – maybe an inch. If it’s feeling too loose, I would go back and decrease a bit more, or you could also switch to a smaller hook for the ribbing.
Thank you! I am going to rework my band in a hook size smaller! My hat without the ribbing laid flat is 12 inches. I think a size down would be a better fit. Thank you for your quick response and all of your help! Thank you especially for this beautiful pattern! I have already made the spring bean cowl and this slouch is going to make a set for a gift for my cousin!
I used an F hook for my band and it worked out perfectly! It looks great! I used the Mandala yarn in Spirit! Thank you!!