Crochet Pumpkin Beanie Pattern (Easy Halloween Hat)

This crochet pumpkin beanie is a warm, wearable Halloween hat that works up in an evening. It is worked from the top down, in the round, with plain single crochet, finished with a ribbed brim, and then given its pumpkin shape with six lines of surface slip stitches, a small stuffed stem and a leaf.

It suits confident beginners, because you only need single crochet, increases and post stitches for the brim. The pattern gives two sizes, child/teen and adult, so the whole family can match. Wear it to a costume party, to the pumpkin patch, or all through October.

What you need

• Worsted weight (size 4) yarn in orange: about 100 g for the child/teen size and about 120 g for the adult size (estimates)
• A small amount of brown yarn (about 5 g) for the stem and green yarn (about 5 g) for the leaf
• 5.0 mm (H-8) crochet hook
• Yarn needle and a stitch marker
• A little fiberfill or scrap yarn to stuff the stem

Abbreviations

This pattern is written in US terms.

• MR: magic ring
• sc: single crochet
• inc: increase (2 sc in the same stitch)
• sl st: slip stitch
• st(s): stitch(es)
• ( ) at the end of a round: your stitch count
• ch: chain
• hdc / dc: half double crochet / double crochet
• FPdc / BPdc: front post / back post double crochet (work around the post of the stitch below, from the front or the back)

Size, gauge and notes

• Child/teen fits a head of about 19–21 in (48–53 cm) and is about 7.5 in (19 cm) tall.
• Adult fits a head of about 21–23 in (53–58 cm) and is about 8 in (20 cm) tall.
• Gauge is about 14 sc in 4 in (10 cm) with a 5.0 mm hook. This is an estimate, so make a swatch.
• Size check: after the last increase round, the flat circle should measure about 5.5 in (14 cm) across for the child size and about 6 in (15 cm) for the adult size. If yours is smaller, use a bigger hook; if larger, a smaller one.
• Work in a continuous spiral and move the stitch marker up at the start of every round, except for the ribbing rounds, which are joined.

How to crochet the pumpkin beanie

Step 1: crochet the crown (both sizes)

Start with a magic ring and work these rounds. The child/teen size stops increasing at Round 10.

• Round 1: MR, 6 sc in ring (6)
• Round 2: inc around (12)
• Round 3: (1 sc, inc) around (18)
• Round 4: (2 sc, inc) around (24)
• Round 5: (3 sc, inc) around (30)
• Round 6: (4 sc, inc) around (36)
• Round 7: (5 sc, inc) around (42)
• Round 8: (6 sc, inc) around (48)
• Round 9: (7 sc, inc) around (54)
• Round 10: (8 sc, inc) around (60)

Step 2: crochet the body

Child/teen size: keep going without increasing.

• Rounds 11–23: sc around (60)

Adult size: work one more increase round, then work straight.

• Round 11: (9 sc, inc) around (66)
• Rounds 12–26: sc around (66)

Step 3: crochet the ribbed brim

The ribbing adds stretch so the hat stays put. Do not turn your work.

Child/teen size:

• Round 24: ch 2 (does not count as a stitch), *FPdc around the next stitch, BPdc around the next stitch*, repeat from * around, join with a sl st to the first FPdc (60)
• Rounds 25–26: ch 2, then FPdc around each FPdc and BPdc around each BPdc of the previous round, join (60)

Adult size:

• Round 27: ch 2 (does not count as a stitch), *FPdc around the next stitch, BPdc around the next stitch*, repeat from * around, join with a sl st to the first FPdc (66)
• Rounds 28–29: ch 2, then FPdc around each FPdc and BPdc around each BPdc of the previous round, join (66)

Fasten off and weave in the end.

Step 4: add the pumpkin ridges

1. Turn the hat right side out. On the last plain round above the ribbing, mark 6 evenly spaced stitches: every 10th stitch for the child size, every 11th stitch for the adult size.
2. Join orange yarn (or a slightly darker orange) at a marked stitch. Hold the yarn at the back and insert the hook from the front.
3. Work slip stitches straight up through that column of stitches, one per round, until you reach the first plain round after the last increase round (Round 11 for the child size, Round 12 for the adult size).
4. Fasten off on the inside and repeat for the other five lines. Work the slip stitches loosely, because tight ridges make the hat narrower.

Step 5: crochet the stem and leaf

Use brown yarn for the stem.

• Round 1: MR, 6 sc in ring (6)
• Round 2: (1 sc, inc) around (9)
• Rounds 3–7: sc around (9)

Fasten off, leaving a long tail. Stuff the stem lightly and sew it to the middle of the crown.

For the leaf, use green yarn: ch 8, sl st in the 2nd ch from the hook, sc, hdc, dc, hdc, sc, sl st in the last chain. Fasten off and sew the leaf next to the stem. It will curl slightly, and that looks natural.

Conclusion

You now have a soft, stretchy crochet pumpkin beanie that is instantly recognisable as a Halloween hat. Because the ridges are surface stitches, you can add or leave out as many as you like: six gives a classic pumpkin, and four gives a rounder, simpler look.

To keep the ridges crisp, follow the care instructions on your yarn label and dry the hat flat. For an everyday winter hat in the same style, try the chunky ribbed beanie. If a baby is joining the fun, the baby beanie works well in orange too, and the crochet pumpkin makes a matching decoration. To finish a costume, see the witch costume hat and the fingerless gloves.