Calavera Marigold Sun Hat Free Crochet Pattern

Calavera Marigold Sun Hat: A Free Beginner Crochet Pattern

Introduction

If you have ever wanted to make something you can actually wear out in the world, this is the project for you. The Calavera Marigold Sun Hat is a wide-brim sun hat worked entirely in simple single crochet rounds, which means the only stitch you truly need to know is the one every crocheter learns first. It is perfect for complete beginners, for anyone who wants a quick satisfying finish, and for makers who love a little folk-art charm. The finished hat is a warm marigold orange with a single ring of raised white popcorn stitches circling the crown and two tiny flat flowers tucked at the band, inspired by sugar-skull folk art. It feels soft and light in an alpaca blend, holds its shape beautifully, and looks far more complicated than it actually is.

Materials Needed

• Yarn (main color, MC): Worsted-weight alpaca blend (approximately 50% alpaca, 50% wool; 200 yd / 183 m per 100 g skein). You need 1 skein marigold orange. This is enough for the entire hat with a little to spare.
• Yarn (contrast color, CC): A small amount of white worsted-weight yarn for the popcorn ring (about 10 yd / 9 m).
• Yarn (flowers): A small amount of deep rust and a small amount of golden yellow worsted-weight yarn for the two flower appliqués.
• Crochet hook: US H-8 / 5.0 mm (or whatever size you need to meet gauge).
• Stitch markers: At least 1, ideally 2 or 3, to mark the beginning of each round.
• Tapestry needle: A blunt-tipped yarn needle for weaving in ends and sewing on the flowers.
• Scissors: Any sharp pair for cutting yarn.
• Optional: A round form (a bowl, a balloon, or a hat block) for blocking the brim.

Finished size: Fits an adult head circumference of 21–23 in / 53–58 cm. Crown height is approximately 6 in / 15 cm. Brim diameter is approximately 14 in / 35.5 cm.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

Every abbreviation used in this pattern is listed here in plain English. You do not need to know anything before you start.

• ch – chain. Make a loop of yarn on your hook and pull a new loop through it. Each chain looks like a tiny "V."
• sl st – slip stitch. Insert your hook into the stitch, yarn over, and pull the loop straight through both the stitch and the loop on your hook. It makes an almost invisible join.
• sc – single crochet. Insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook), yarn over again, pull through both loops. One loop remains. This is the main stitch of the whole hat.
• hdc – half double crochet. Yarn over first, insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through all 3 loops at once.
• dc – double crochet. Yarn over, insert hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook), yarn over, pull through 2 loops, yarn over, pull through the last 2 loops.
• sc2tog – single crochet 2 together. A decrease: insert hook into the first stitch, pull up a loop, insert hook into the next stitch, pull up a loop, yarn over, pull through all 3 loops. (Listed for completeness; this pattern does not use it.)
• popcorn – Work 5 dc into the same stitch. Remove your hook from the working loop, insert it into the first dc of those 5, then pull the dropped loop through. This makes one raised bumpy cluster.
• st / sts – stitch / stitches.
• rnd – round. One complete circle of stitches worked around.
• MC – main color (marigold orange).
• CC – contrast color (white).
• magic ring – An adjustable loop of yarn you crochet into, then pull tight to close the center hole. If you prefer, chain 4 and join with a sl st to form a ring instead.
• 2 sc in next st – an increase: work two single crochets into the same stitch, which adds one stitch.
• working even – working one stitch into each stitch with no increases or decreases, so the piece grows straight up.
• fasten off – cut the yarn, pull the tail through the last loop, and tighten.

Gauge

Gauge: 14 sc x 16 rounds = 4 in / 10 cm in single crochet worked in the round.

Why gauge matters: Gauge is simply how big your stitches come out. If your stitches are larger than the pattern's, the hat will be too big; if smaller, it will be too tight. Because this hat is worked in the round, the stitch count per round controls the circumference, so matching gauge keeps the finished size correct.

How to make a gauge swatch: With your MC and hook, make a magic ring and work 6 sc into it. Work 4 rounds of increases (2 sc in each st, then follow the increase pattern in Rnds 3–4 below) and then work even until your swatch is at least 4 in / 10 cm wide. Lay it flat without stretching and measure across the middle. Count the single crochet stitches across 4 in / 10 cm; you want 14. Count the rounds down 4 in / 10 cm; you want 16. If you have more stitches than 14, go up a hook size; if fewer, go down a hook size. Then begin the hat.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use a stitch marker. Because the crown is worked in a continuous spiral, place a marker in the first stitch of each round. When you reach the marker, move it up to the new first stitch. This stops you losing your place.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Keep your tension relaxed and even. Tight stitches make a stiff, small hat and make the popcorn stitches hard to work.
• Count every round. After each increase round, count your stitches and check them against the number in parentheses. Fixing a mistake now is far easier than later.
• Carry the white yarn loosely. Only for the popcorn round, let the white yarn rest loosely across the inside of the hat. Do not pull it tight or the hat will pucker.
• Work the popcorn with confidence. The 5 dc go into the same stitch, and the "pop" happens when you pull the loop through the first dc. It will feel odd the first time and easy by the third.
• Try the hat on as you go. After Rnd 22, slip it on your head. The crown should sit comfortably; the brim rounds come next.

Step-by-Step Instructions

All stitches are US terms. The crown is worked in continuous rounds (a spiral) — do not join unless the pattern says so. Place a stitch marker in the first stitch of each round.

Crown

With MC, make a magic ring.

• Rnd 1: 6 sc in ring. (6 sc)
• Rnd 2: 2 sc in each st around. (12 sc)
• Rnd 3: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in next st] around. (18 sc)
• Rnd 4: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 2 sts] around. (24 sc)
• Rnd 5: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 3 sts] around. (30 sc)
• Rnd 6: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 4 sts] around. (36 sc)
• Rnd 7: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 5 sts] around. (42 sc)
• Rnd 8: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 6 sts] around. (48 sc)
• Rnd 9: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 7 sts] around. (54 sc)
• Rnd 10: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 8 sts] around. (60 sc)
• Rnd 11: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 9 sts] around. (66 sc)
• Rnd 12: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 10 sts] around. (72 sc)
• Rnds 13–22: Sc in each st around, working even. (72 sc)

The flat crown circle now measures about 6.5 in / 16.5 cm across. Rnds 13–22 add about 2.5 in / 6.4 cm of straight side, giving a total crown height from the top of about 6 in / 15 cm.

Popcorn Ring

Work this single round in CC (white), carrying the white yarn loosely across the inside only for this round. Then continue with MC.

• Rnd 23 (CC): Sc in each of first 3 sts, then [popcorn in next st, sc in each of next 5 sts] 11 times, popcorn in next st, sc in each of last 2 sts. (12 popcorns, 60 sc)

Fasten off CC. Rejoin MC.

• Rnd 24 (MC): Sc in each st around, working 1 sc into the top of each popcorn and 1 sc in each sc. (72 sc)
• Rnds 25–26: Sc in each st around. (72 sc)

Brim

Continue in MC, working in continuous rounds. Each increase round is followed by a plain round so the brim stays flat.

• Rnd 27: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 5 sts] around. (84 sc)
• Rnd 28: Sc in each st around. (84 sc)
• Rnd 29: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 6 sts] around. (96 sc)
• Rnd 30: Sc in each st around. (96 sc)
• Rnd 31: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 7 sts] around. (108 sc)
• Rnd 32: Sc in each st around. (108 sc)
• Rnd 33: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 8 sts] around. (120 sc)
• Rnd 34: Sc in each st around. (120 sc)
• Rnd 35: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 9 sts] around. (132 sc)
• Rnd 36: Sc in each st around. (132 sc)
• Rnd 37: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 10 sts] around. (144 sc)
• Rnd 38: Sc in each st around. (144 sc)
• Rnd 39: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 11 sts] around. (156 sc)
• Rnd 40: Sc in each st around. (156 sc)
• Rnd 41: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 12 sts] around. (168 sc)
• Rnd 42: Sc in each st around. (168 sc)
• Rnd 43: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 13 sts] around. (180 sc)
• Rnd 44: Sc in each st around. (180 sc)
• Rnd 45 (edging): Sc in each st around, then sl st to first sc. Fasten off and weave in ends. (180 sc)

The brim measures about 12.9 in / 32.7 cm across the flat circle, and with the natural flare of the last rounds the finished brim is about 14 in / 35.5 cm. For a firmer brim, work Rnd 44 in hdc instead of sc.

Flower Appliqués (make 2)

With deep rust, make a magic ring.

• Rnd 1: Ch 1, [sc, ch 2] 5 times in ring, sl st to first sc. (5 petals)
• Rnd 2: [Sc in next ch-2 sp, ch 1, dc, ch 1, sc] in each ch-2 sp around, sl st to first sc. Fasten off, leaving a 6 in / 15 cm tail.

With golden yellow, embroider a small center dot or 3 tiny straight stitches in the middle of each flower. Make the second flower the same way.

Assembly and Finishing

• Weave in ends: Thread each yarn tail onto your tapestry needle and run it through the inside of several stitches (about 1 in / 2.5 cm), then back through a few stitches in the opposite direction to lock it. Trim close to the fabric.
• Block the hat: Dampen the hat lightly with water (a spray bottle works well). Slip it over a round form such as a bowl or balloon that matches the head size, gently smooth the brim flat, and let it dry completely. This sets the brim's shape and evens out the stitches.
• Sew on the flowers: Thread a flower's tail onto the tapestry needle. Pin one flower at the right side of the band just below the popcorn ring and one at the left side. Sew each flower securely through the hat fabric with a few small stitches, then weave in the tails on the inside.
• Final check: Wear the hat with the popcorn ring centered on the crown. Give the brim a gentle press with your hands.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the colors: Swap the marigold for any color you love, and try a contrasting popcorn ring in black, cream, or deep teal for a bolder folk-art look. Use up scrap yarn for the flowers.
• Adjust the size: For a smaller head, stop the crown increases at Rnd 11 (66 sc) and work the even rounds; for a larger head, add one more increase round (Rnd 13: [2 sc in next st, 1 sc in each of next 11 sts] around, 78 sc) before working even. Add or remove brim increase rounds to change the brim width.
• Substitute yarn: Any worsted-weight yarn works — cotton gives a crisper, cooler sun hat, while acrylic is easy to wash. Always swatch first, because a different fiber may change your gauge.
• Make a firmer brim: Work Rnd 44 in hdc as noted, or add a thin round of slip stitches around the final edge for extra structure.