Master Your Style: The Quick & Easy Crochet Bucket Hat – Free Pattern & Video Tutorial!

Ready to dive into your next favorite project? The trendy crochet bucket hat is not just a fashion statement; it’s a super fun and satisfying make! This pattern is designed to be quick, use minimal yarn, and be perfectly suited for beginners looking to create their very own stylish accessory. With our step-by-step guidance and a detailed video tutorial, you’ll be rocking your handmade crochet bucket hat in no time!

Heads Up! This is an updated and improved version of our popular previous crochet bucket hat tutorial, offering slight differences for an even better result. Scroll down to discover the complete free pattern and video tutorial. Prefer to work offline or just want a clean copy? You can also purchase an ad-free, printable PDF version of this pattern!

Why This Crochet Bucket Hat Stands Out

This isn’t just any ordinary crochet bucket hat. We’ve incorporated thoughtful design elements to give it a unique and polished finish.

Straight Brim for a Modern Look

While many opt for a wavy brim, this crochet bucket hat pattern features a sleek, straight brim. This modern aesthetic is personally a favorite and offers a cleaner silhouette. However, if you love the wavy look, feel free to add more increases in the brim portion to achieve that desirable ripple!

Structured Shape with Clever Techniques

Achieving that perfect, structured shape for your crochet bucket hat involves a clever trick: working in the front or back loops. This simple adjustment helps the fabric bend cleanly at 90 degrees, creating a distinct, less rounded bucket hat shape. It’s a minor detail that makes a significant difference in the final look and is great practice for beginners learning new crochet techniques.

Your Blank Canvas: Customizing Your Crochet Bucket Hat

The beauty of this simple crochet bucket hat pattern lies in its incredible versatility. It’s truly a blank canvas awaiting your personal touch!

• Appliqués & Embellishments: Want to make it uniquely yours? Add fun appliqués like stars, hearts, or even 3-D flowers. Remember the popular Appa bucket hat? We added a brown arrow inspired by the sky bison from Avatar: The Last Airbender. While there isn’t a written pattern for the arrow, you can find a dedicated Appa bucket hat video tutorial on our YouTube channel that walks you through crocheting and applying the arrow.
• Colorwork Creations: This pattern is incredibly adaptable for various color designs. Easily incorporate stripes, color blocks, or even a bold checkered pattern. For those intrigued by the latter, our checkered bucket hat video tutorial uses the same core techniques as this pattern, just with added colorwork and a wavy brim.

Step-by-Step Video Tutorial

A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video is worth a million! Follow along with our comprehensive YouTube video tutorial to crochet your very own crochet bucket hat. We’ve included handy timestamps to help you jump directly to any section you need.

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Materials You’ll Need

Gauge

8.5 rows of 15 double crochets (dc) makes a 10 x 10 centimeter square.

Important Notes and Tips

Abbreviations

• blo = back loop only
• ch = chain
• dc = double crochet
• flo = front loop only
• inc = increase
• rep = repeat
• sl st = slip stitch
• st = stitch

The Free Crochet Bucket Hat Pattern

Top

This section determines the overall size of your crochet bucket hat. The circumference of the circle you create here should match your head circumference (or the intended wearer’s). Ensure your gauge matches ours for accurate sizing.

Round 1: Make a magic ring, ch2, dc10 into the magic ring, sl st (10)
Round 2: ch2, inc in each st around, sl st (20)
Round 3: ch2, rep [dc in the first st, inc in the next] around, sl st (30)
Round 4: ch 2, rep [dc in the first 2 st, inc in the next] around, sl st (40)
Round 5: ch 2, rep [dc in the first 3 st, inc in the next] around, sl st (50)
Round 6: ch 2, rep [dc in the first 4 st, inc in the next] around, sl st (60)

Stop here for a small sized hat (if your gauge matches ours).

Round 7: ch 2, rep [dc in the first 5 st, inc in the next] around, sl st (70)

Stop here for a small sized hat (if your gauge matches ours).

Round 8: ch2, repeat [dc in the first 6 st, inc in the next] around, sl st (80)

Stop here for a medium sized hat (if your gauge matches ours).

Round 9: ch2, repeat [dc in the first 7 st, inc in the next] around, sl st (90)

Stop here for a large sized hat (if your gauge matches ours).

Pro Tip: For a smaller crochet bucket hat, simply complete fewer rounds for the top. For a larger size, continue adding more rounds, always increasing after one additional stitch than the round before.

Middle

This section forms the body of your crochet bucket hat. Continue with regular double crochet rounds until you achieve your desired length. Fewer rounds will result in a shorter middle, while more rounds will create a longer one.

Round 1: ch2, dc in the blo of each st around, sl st (70, 80, 90)
Round 2-7: ch2, dc in each st around, sl st (70, 80, 90)

Brim

This pattern is specifically designed for a flat, downward-angled brim. To achieve this, we only increase in every other round. If you were to increase every round, the brim would stick out straight. Without any increases, it would simply drop straight down, similar to the middle section.

Round 1: ch2, rep [dc in the flo of the first (6, 7, 8) st, inc in the flo of the next] around, sl st (80, 90, 100)
Round 2: ch2, dc in each st around, sl st
Round 3: ch 2, rep [dc in the first (7, 8, 9) st, inc in the next] around, sl st (90, 100, 110)
Round 4: ch 2, dc in each st around, sl st
Round 5: ch 2, rep [dc in the first (8, 9, 10) st, inc in the next] around, sl st (100, 110, 120)

Fasten off and weave in all loose ends. Congratulations on your new crochet bucket hat!

FAQs and Common Issues for Your Crochet Bucket Hat

We’ve gathered the most frequent questions and challenges from our community to help you troubleshoot. If your question isn’t answered here, please feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of this post!

Sizing Your Crochet Bucket Hat

For reference, our head circumference is approximately 53 cm, and the medium size fits loosely. To ensure a perfect fit, continue increasing the top portion until its circumference is roughly the same as your head circumference. Then, proceed to the middle section.

Trouble with the Magic Ring?

If the magic ring isn’t cooperating, try these alternatives:

• Make a slip knot, chain 4, then slip stitch into the 1st chain (4th chain from the hook) to form a small circle to work into.
• Make a slip knot, chain 3, then double crochet 10 into the 1st chain (3rd chain from the hook).

Issues with the “Top” Section?

• Curling into a bowl: You might have missed some increases, or your tension could be too tight.
• Getting wavy: You might have added too many increases, or your tension could be too loose.

No Increases in the “Middle” Section?

That’s right! There are no increases in the middle portion of the crochet bucket hat. Your stitch count should remain consistent (70, 80, or 90 stitches) throughout this section.

Understanding the “Brim” Increases

The brim construction is specific:

• In the first brim round, you will increase 10 times evenly.
• The second brim round is all double crochets with no increases.
• In the third brim round, you increase 10 times evenly again.

Repeat the sequence of the second and third rounds until your brim reaches your desired length and angle.