Hexagon Hat
The very first thing I learned to crochet was a Hexagon Hat and for years it was almost the only thing I made. I recently dug up an email I sent to a friend back in 2008 with the instructions for making it and to be honest, it’s still a solid base pattern for a simple hat.
If you’re new or new-ish to crochet and want to try making this hat, I recommend a couple of things:
Use light-colored yarn, preferably a solid color. Darker colors or variegated yarn can make it hard to see where to put the next stitch or to count how many stitches you’ve done (if you need to)
Put a stitch marker either in the last stitch of each row or the first stitch of each row so you’ll know you’ve completed the row when you come back around to it.
When I started making this hat, I always used Red Heart Super Saver worsted weight yarn and an I-sized hook. This hat is all single crochets (sc) and increases (inc). An increase is 2 sc in the same stitch. It is worked in a continuous spiral, so there’s no joining at the end of each round and therefore no seam.
It’s called a Hexagon Hat because the pattern works on a multiple of six. The top should look like a hexagon when you’re making it. Once you get past the increasing rounds (in other words, once you’ve completed the top of the hat), you just do single crochets all the way to the end and the hexagonal shape won’t be terribly noticeable.
Without further ado, I shall share the pattern with you.
Start by chaining 2 and in the back loop make 6 sc OR make 6 sc in a magic ring.
Inc in each of the six stitches. (Round total 12.)
Inc every other/every 2nd stitch - sc, inc, sc, inc… up to 12. (Round total 18.)
Inc every 3rd stitch - sc, sc, inc… up to 18. (Round total 24.)
Inc every 4th stitch - sc, sc, sc, inc… up to 24. (Round total 30.)
Inc every 5th stitch - sc, sc, sc, sc, inc… up to 30. (Round total 36.)
Inc every 6th stitch - sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, inc… up to 36. (Round total 42.)
Inc every 7th stitch - sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, inc… up to 42. (Round total 48.)
Inc every 8th stitch - sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, inc… up 48. (Round total 54.)
Inc every 9th stitch - sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, sc, inc… up to 54. (Round total 60.)
I usually continue the pattern up to round 10 or 11, depending on the yarn, hook size, and the size of the person's head. Once the top of the hat is complete (I like it to be about as big as my hand), just sc in every stitch until you get the length you want.
Then fasten off, tie a knot, and weave in the tail. Or, nowadays I would be more likely to fasten off, do an invisible join, make a knot, and weave in the tail. Either way will work just fine, but an invisible join will be… wait for it… invisible.
I’ll be honest, this pattern lives in my head in numerical form. If you visualize patters in numbers too, here’s a snapshot of my mind’s eye (the 1’s are sc and the 2’s are inc):
6: 2 2 2 2 2 2
12: 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
18:1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 2
24: 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 2
30: 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 2
36: 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 2…
42: 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 2…
48: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2…
54: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2…
60: 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 2…