© Photography by Kindred Photo & Design
Winter is coming! Even though I can still see bright red leaves on the tree in my front yard, I just know (especially living in Michigan) that any day now, I could wake up to a few inches of snow and single-digit temperatures. Snowdrifts are a common occurrence in my part of the country, and this hat reminds me of them.
This is a pretty simple slouchy hat pattern that’s worked in rows and cinched at the end. You might even learn a new stitch – the Double Crochet Cluster Stitch! (See pattern notes.)–
The Yarn
I used Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice in “White” for my sample. Vanna’s Choice is one of those yarns that I’ve been using since I first learned to crochet. Most craft stores stock it well, and the color choices are really nice. Click here to view the color options.
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This pattern is also available as an ad-free, printable PDF! And if you love PDFs, you might want to check out my All Access Pass. It’s an awesome deal! (Or, scroll down for the free version!)
THE SNOWDRIFT SLOUCH HAT
Level: Easy
Size:
One Size Fist Most (Preteen – Adult Woman).
Hat measures 10” across at band, and is 9.5” tall.
Materials:
- I hook (5.50mm)
- About 200 yards (<2 skeins) of Lion Brand Vanna’s Choice* (Sample color: White)
*About Vanna’s Choice:
Fiber Content: 100% Premium Acrylic
Weight/Yardage: 100 g / 170 yds
Crochet Gauge: 12 sc + 15 rows = 4″ (10 cm) on size J-10 (6 mm) hook - Yarn Needle
Gauge:
With I hook, 7 HDC = 2″ square
Abbreviations Used:
CH (chain)
ST/STS (stitch/stitches)
SL ST (slip stitch)
SK (skip)
SC (single crochet)
2DCCL (2 Double Crochet Cluster Stitch – see Special Stitch, below)
SC+2DCCL (this just means to put 1 SC and 1 2DCCL in the same stitch)
Special Stitch
2DCCL – 2 Double Crochet Cluster Stitch. To complete:
(YO, insert hook, draw up a loop, YO, pull through 2 loops) twice; YO, pull through remaining 3 loops.
Notes:
(1) This hat is worked in rows and cinched at the end.
(2) This pattern is written in American Standard terms.
(3) Starting chains do not count as stitches.
(4) The band of the hat is worked in seamless rounds. Do not join or turn at the end of rounds. Use a stitch marker if needed.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
To begin:
Using I Hook, and leaving a 12″ tail, CH23. Don’t weave in the tail until instructed (we’ll use it later to cinch the hat).
Row 1: In 3rd CH from hook, SC+2DCCL. (SK next ST, SC+2DCCL in next ST) across. (22)
Row 2: CH1, turn. SK first ST, SC+2DCCL in next ST. (SK next ST, SC+2DCCL in next ST) across. (22)
Rows 3-48: Repeat Row 2.
Next we’re going to seam the hat. Fasten off, leaving a 12″ tail. Lay the piece out flat, then fold the short sides in toward each other. Use the tail and a yarn needle to whip stitch the two short ends together, as shown.
Fasten off the tail you just used, and weave in its end.
Next, we’re going to cinch the top of the hat. Turn it inside out (whichever side has the most obvious seam should be exposed). Thread your starting tail through your yarn needle and weave it in and out around the very top of the hat. (The smaller your weave, the nicer finish the top of the hat will have.)
After cinching, it should look like this:
Pull the tail tight to draw the cinch closed, tie a couple of knots, and fasten off and weave in the end.
Band of the Hat
Now, we’re going to add a nice thick band to our slouch hat. Turn your hat right-side out and reattach your yarn at the base of the hat, at the seam. We’re doing this with the seamless method, which means we aren’t joining at the end of rounds. If you need to, you can use a stitch marker or bobby pin to mark the last SC of each round so you don’t get lost.
Round 1: CH1. SC evenly around, 3SC per ridge*. (Approx. 72, give or take a couple)
*We’re going to SC evenly around the hat, so let’s take a look at what we have to work with. The ridges on the hat will be how we keep track of our stitches. We want to put 3SC in each ridge. I chose to put the first SC in the “valley”, and the next 2 SC evenly spaced on the “hilltop”. Take a look at this photo for guidance on where your SCs should go:
Rounds 2-8: SC evenly around.
To finish, SL ST into the next 3 SCs to smooth out the round. Fasten off and weave in ends.
How long shod it be before bringing together to cinch
About 20-21 inches. Or for a more personalized fit you can measure your head and just make sure it’s about 1″ less than the circumference of your head.
Thank you so much. I love the pattern!!!
Hello, thank you for your free hat patterns. They are really nice . Regarding the Snowdrift Slouch pattern , I’m wondering if Red Heart Soft is relatively the same yarn as to thickness etc. I know they are both 4 ply but the one you did in Vanna’s Choice seems to look so much softer & not as thick.
The safest way to find that out is to do a gauge check. I would guess that Red Heart Soft is probably slightly thinner, but again, that’s a guess.
Thank you so much for your reply. I appreciate it. Finished scarf and ended up buying Vanna’s Choice in white & really liked the yarn. It was thinner than the other yarn I tried but was so nice to work with & size perfect. Thank you for your free pattern !
Would like to know the width of the hat before you stitch it together. My hat turned out way too small, so need to know approximately how many stitches to add. Thanks for the pattern, love it.
About 20″
Love this hat will have to make
Hi there! Thank you so much for this. I just made it for my wife. I guess I will find out in the morning now it fits but it looks great! Super easy to follow your instructions. ♥️♥️♥️
I just made this hat and loved how it turned out. I am new to crocheting and found this easy to make.
I just made this hat for my 16 year old daughter. She loves it. I would like to cut the size down for my 11 year old. How much would you reccomend decreasing?
I just found a comment answer to my question
Thank you
I think your chain number is off by 20 stitches.
If I were to make this for a ten year girl, 48 rows is too big. What do you suggest in making it smaller?
I would just measure the girl’s head and make it about an inch less in length to account for stretch. If you can’t measure her head, there are lots of size charts available on the internet. 🙂
This is probably the easiest pattern I have ever followed!! I enjoyed working up this hat that a friend of mine had asked me to make for her. It was so much fun that I’m ready to make another one!!! (Better complete the projects committed first though…)
Thank you for the wonderful compliment!
What scarf pattern do you recommend pairing this with?
I don’t have a matching scarf at this time, sorry!
To make a matching scarf, you just keep going after the 48th row until it’s the length you want and then add the band on at each end. You could add the band on the long sides as well but I like it with it only on the two ends. Doing the band on both the hat and scarf in a different colour from the main body looks very nice.
I just finished making this hat; it it the first hat I have ever made and I love it! It’s so pretty! I cinched the hat by weaving in every ridge and the hole is bigger than I’d expected. If I weave wider, will the top of the hat pull together tighter? (I tried weaving tighter and could not pull the tail well. It felt as though it was going to break.) Thank you for this pattern!
The more times you weave it in and out, the more yarn you’re bunching into the circle (which is why it’s harder to close). Try doing every other ridge. If you get too loose, you’ll have holes at the top of the hat. So you just have to experiment. If you’re using a stiffer yarn, that’s going to affect it too.
Thank you Rebecca! I’m using Lion Brand Pound of Love. I will experiment with it. Thanks again for your quick response and helpful tip.
I’m excited to do this, thank you for sharing! I’m confused on one of the instructions (I’m pretty new). For the 2DCCL, what do you mean when you say “work up a loop?”
“Draw up a loop” means to grab the yarn with your hook and pull it through.