Crochet Bucket Hat – A Free Pattern & Tutorial

A Crochet Bucket Hat

The promise of summer is here! To celebrate, how about a crochet hat pattern!? Using just one roll of raffia, you can make a straw hat that’s perfect for protecting yourself from summer sun.

An impulse purchase has led to me having a roll of Wool and the Gang’s Ra Ra Raffia sat in my stash for about two years. I thought that one day inspiration might strike for it to become a cute clutch or little tote. Nope, it was a hat that won out in the end. This was due to some fine weather that was forecast for last weekend. A beachy time in Cornwall beckoned and I needed a hat! Alas, the hat wasn’t finished in time for Cornwall; such a shame because photos against a backdrop of sandy beaches would have looked awesome (although I did get some fab photos of my Perfect Cardigan)! Actually one version of the hat did get finished in time but I ended up frogging it half way down the A30. It was too big.

The tangled ball of papery yarn did not look quite so fancy anymore. Thankfully, it worked just as well after being ripped back. With some tweaks and adjustments, the second hat was completed yesterday and it fits like a dream!

Seeing as I’m off work this week I have found some time to film a crochet hat tutorial and write up the crochet pattern. It’s called the Bucket hat because that is exactly what it is! Other name suggestions were “Kick the Bucket” and “Bargain Bucket.” Not sure either of those are the best names though…. What about the Blossom Bucket? Did you watch Blossom on telly back in the 90’s?! That’s a blast from the past!

Yesterday was a beautifully sunny day so me and the boys took a stroll down to the river for a few snap shots. The eldest was paid a few quid to be a photographer for me. Unfortunately, there aren’t many river pics included here because the river’s beaches were busy with loads of people. There was lots of joyous laughter and cheerful frolics going on. Those guys were definitely making the most of the first day of June.

The boy did a great job as chief photographer; he didn’t seem to mind when more shots and more angles were demanded. But I guess you don’t want a massively long story and to be honest, it doesn’t need one. So here follows the pattern….

To make a bucket hat, you need:

• 1 roll of Ra Ra Raffia in Desert Palm (affiliate link).
• 4mm hook
• Stitch marker or 2.

Notes & tips

• The pattern is written in UK terms but, honestly, it’s dead easy to convert: UK htr stitch = US hdc. UK dc = US sc.
• My head measures 57cm – about average I guess…
• Every two stitches measures approx 1cm.
• You can make a hat smaller by missing out the last increase round, this will reduce the size by 4 sts.
• You can make your hat bigger by working an extra (4 st) increase round.
• Raffia has a bit of stretch to it. If it feels slightly tight at first, worry not, it will give after wear.
• Made top down, the hat is worked as a spiral, increasing as you go.
• Use the stitch marker to note the first st of each round, move after each round.
• Watch the YouTube tutorial HERE.

Crochet Bucket Hat Pattern

• Rnd 1: 8htr into a magic ring.
• Rnd 2: inc around – 16 sts.
• Rnd 3: *1 inc, 1htr; work from * 8 times – 24 sts.
• Rnd 4: *1 inc, 2htr; work from * 8 times – 32 sts.
• Rnd 5: *1 inc, 3htr; work from * 8 times – 40 sts.
• Rnd 6: *1 inc, 4htr; work from * 8 times – 48 sts.
• Rnd 7: *1 inc, 5htr; work from * 8 times – 56 sts.
• Rnd 8: *1 inc, 6htr; work from * 8 times – 64 sts.
• Rnd 9: *1 inc, 15htr; work from * 4 times – 68 sts.
• Rnd 10: *1 inc, 16htr; work from * 4 times – 72 sts.
• Rnd 11: *1 inc, 17htr; work from * 4 times – 76 sts.
• Rnd 12: *1 inc, 18htr; work from * 4 times – 80 sts.
• Rnd 13 – 22: htr around with no increases.
• Rnd 23: Repeat rnd 3 – 120 sts.
• Rnd 24- 27: htr around with no increases. (Any more rounds than this and the brim will curl in on itself).
• Finish by making 3dc stitches followed by 3 slip stitches. Fasten off and weave in ends.

And That’s it!

Such a quick and easy hat to crochet! You can wear it with the brim turned up or turned down. I added four rounds to the brim in the end. However, it did look good with just three rounds. Try playing around with different rounds to see which you prefer. This sort of hat is very forgiving (I am a big fan of forgiving crochet, it hides a multitude of sins!).

OK, I think that’s it for now. I will let the photographs below do the talking. But before you scroll on, if you enjoyed this fabulous pattern, please support my crochet work by buying me a Ko-fi or, check out my Free Patterns page. Cheers x

Don’t forget to share your makes on Instagram #zeensandroger

Made it this far? Haha, well done!! But also, thank you. xxx