crochet hat patterns

There’s nothing better than a handmade gift. It’s personalized, thoughtful and often cheaper than buying from a store. Christmas is the perfect time to delve into your stash and whip up a gift–or two!–for the special people in your life.

I picked these six projects because they’re great last-minute gifts. Some work up in less than an hour and none take longer than a few hours to knit or crochet. Most are also one-skein projects.

Free Patterns clockwise, starting from top left corner:

Canvas Crochet Hat + Flower – Works up in just 10 rounds, single skein project. I make this one on repeat all year.
Infinity Knit Cowl – Knit on big needles, textured and works up quickly. 1.5 skein project, only knitted project in the group.
Snowbird Crochet Hat Pattern – Warm and textured with a ribbed crochet brim and finished with a pom-pom. (Learn how to make your own DIY pom!) I crochet this hat for close friends – the pom makes it a crowd favorite and my most requested style.
Simple Men’s Crochet Hat Pattern with Roll-Up Brim – Perfect for men, though unisex. Squishy, textured and worked vertically, then sewn together at the side.
Baby Crochet Hats – Great for beginners! Uses 50 yards and works up in less than an hour. Can be made with or without a rolled brim. Play around with colors and stripes to make hats for boy or girls.
Short Crocheted Infinity Cowl – Wraps once around your neck for all the warmth without the bulk. One skein project and easy for beginners, would be great for a teacher or coworker.

Each project (except the baby hats) use Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick. If you read my blog, you know it’s some of my favvvorite yarn. Squishy, thick and comes in rich hues. Every Black Friday, my sister and I trek to Michael’s and buy no fewer than 50 skeins – enough to last the winter… and then some.

If you don’t have Super Bulky (6 weight) yarn, you could always use two strands of worsted weight held together and see if that gives you the right thickness. Then again, it’s Christmas so it’s ok to splurge on nice yarn. You’re investing lots of time into making hand-knit or hand-crocheted gifts and your friends and family deserve the best!

Do you have go-to projects when you need a quick gift? Share your last-minute crochet and knit gift patterns in the comments. I’d love to see what you’re working up this year.

Cheers, Warm Hugs & Merry Christmas!

<3 Jayna

My mom periodically (no pun intended) gives me pictures of crocheted items from magazines, “Just for inspiration,” she claims. This time, she was onto something. That something became the basis for JJCrochet’s newest hat pattern: the Jenny Lee.

The magazine clipping my mom gave me was a Macy’s ad that featured this crocheted hat by Fossil: Cute, right? I liked the hat’s textured detail, button, and flower – what’s not to like?

Over Christmas break, I decided to experiment. I got out the crochet hook and after much squinting at the tiny magazine pic, I came up with the perfect pattern. And I’m not just saying that because I wrote it. It’s quite addicting. The mathematical element works out evenly which causes the hat to fit perfectly. I especially like this crocheted hat because it doesn’t look like your typical double crochet; the puff stitch adds something a little special, don’t you think?

I named this Jenny Lee crochet hat pattern after one of my current college roommates who is sweet and subtle and everything fashionable, just like this hat.

You can purchase this PDF crochet hat pattern for $5 in my Etsy Store or instantly download it from Ravelry. As a special intro, I’m giving away two copies of the crochet pattern via random drawing (woo woo!). To enter the Jenny Lee crochet hat pattern giveaway, leave a comment on this post and let me know what you think about this new pattern. On January 24th, I’ll randomly select two winners. Happy Free Pattern Giveaway!

Easy Crochet & Knit Christmas Gifts

The Jenny Lee – New Crochet Hat Pattern