Best Crochet Duck Hat Pattern

Get The Best Crochet Duck Hat Pattern with this free pattern. Whether just learning to crochet or looking for the perfect shower gift, this free crochet duck hat pattern is ideal. This easy-to-follow pattern is great for beginners and only uses basic stitches. The finished product is an adorable baby hat perfect for summer or Easter.

The duck hat is shown here in cotton but works up perfectly using worsted-weight yarn so choose whichever you feel will be more comfortable for your baby. The best part of the hat pattern is that it can be easily adjusted for all head sizes!

Spring is pretty great; the flowers are in bloom, there is a fresh breeze in the air, and cute baby animals. I love animals so much that I love crocheting them, as seen with my crochet giraffe, and even turning food into animals like my crochet concha bunnies.

A crochet duck hat, specifically a crochet duck bucket hat. I typically make crochet beanie patterns like my crochet polar bear hat and crochet frog hat pattern, but with the weather warming up, I thought it would be fun to create a bucket hat for my 5-year-old.

Things To Note:

Yarn Choice: Select a soft, durable yarn in appropriate colors (yellow for the body, orange for the beak, and any additional colors for accents)

Stitch Count: Keep a touch of your stitch count in each round to maintain the correct shape and size of the hat.

Hook Size: I used a 4.5mm hook to keep the stitches tighter, which helps the hat retain its iconic bucket shape. Feel free to adjust the hook size based on your tension or if you prefer the hat to be stiffer or looser.

Materials Needed:

• Lily sugar n cream yellow cotton yarn
• A little bit of black yarn for eyes
• A little bit of orange yarn for the mouth
• 4.5mm hook
• Tapestry needle
• Soft tape measure

Abbreviations to Remember (US terms):

• Magic ring – mr
• Single crochet – sc
• Increase – inc
• Back loop only – blo

Variations:

You can easily change the sizing of the hat to fit your needs, as well as change the color and character entirely. This is a basic bucket hat and can be used as a basis for many designs.

Instructions for Best Crochet Duck Hat Pattern:

The crochet duck hat pattern is fairly simple to construct, primarily using regular single crochet stitches. I chose single crochets because they hold their shape better than double crochets, ensuring the hat retains its classic bucket hat form.

How to crochet a bucket hat:

This is for a hat that can fit a 5 year old (about 20.5 inches in circumference), adjust the size if you need it bigger or smaller. I tend to crochet pretty tightly. 

Of course, things like hair can affect the size needed so keep that in mind as well as you make them.

If making your own hat:

My suggestion is to measure your head’s circumference, write down those measurements, and then build your hat based on those measurements before you start the back loop only around. This will make it the most accurate with little frustration and ripping stitches out.

If making a hat for an adult that is not yourself or someone you can measure their head:

Make your last round before the back loop row only 22-23 inches long. Depending on your tension and yarn thickness, this would be nearly 90 stitches in the round (more or less).

Now that we got that out of the way, onto the duck bucket hat crochet pattern.

Round 1: Using the yellow cotton yarn, make a mr and then sc x6 into the mr. (6)

Round 2: Inc in every sc. (12)

Round 3: Inc, sc. Then repeat until end of round (18)

Round 4: Inc, sc x2. Then repeat until end of round (24)

Round 5: Inc, sc x3. Then repeat until end of round (30)

Round 6: Inc, sc x4. Then repeat until end of round (36)

Round 7: Inc, sc x5. Then repeat until end of round (42)

Round 8: Inc, sc x6. Then repeat until end of round (48)

Round 9: Inc, sc x7. Then repeat until end of round (54)

Round 10: Inc, sc x8. Then repeat until end of round (60)

Round 11: Inc, sc x9. Then repeat until end of round (66)

Round 12: Inc, sc x10. Then repeat until end of round (72)

Round 13: Blo sc in every sc. (72).

Round 14-28: Sc in every stitch (72). (For adult hats add 2-3 more rounds)

 I made an increase with one of the stitches and then normally sc for the other 5 stitches. Yours might be inc, sc x6, or 7 – that’s okay and if you have extra stitches just fudge it a little. This is a very forgiving hat.

Round 29: Now we are starting on the rim. Inc, sc x5. Then repeat for the rest of the round (84).

If you changed the hat size, that’s fine, it just requires a bit of math.

You are to make 12 increases total in this round so divide the number of stitches you currently have by 12. Like so 72 / 6 = 12.

Round 30: Sc in every stitch (84).

Round 31: Inc, then sc x6. Then repeat until the end of the round. (96). We increased by 12 so if you have a different hat size use the same method above for this round.

Round 32: The next couple of rounds is where the hat rim gets frilly, if you prefer to have zero frills – just continue to repeat an increase row of 12 with a sc row with no increases after it. 

Inc, sc x2. Then repeat until the end of the round. (128). 

We increased by 32 on this round. You increase more or less depending on frill preferences.  Having more increases will create a more frilly edge, less but more than 12 increases will create a wavy edge.

Round 33: Inc, sc x2. Then repeat for the rest of the round. (170). Add more rows if you want a larger wavier rim, otherwise fasten off and weave in the tails.

Embroidery:

With the tapestry needle, embroider a small lined mouth in the middle of the hat roughly an inch to two inches long with orange yarn. I made 3 passes for my hat’s mouth.

Then when that is done make eyes with the black yarn north of the sides of the mouth. I made those about ¾ of an inch long. 

Once that’s done your crochet duck hat is all done!

Expert Tips:

Right Yarn: Soft, durable yarns suitable for hats, such as acrylic or cotton blends.

Follow the Pattern Carefully: Read through the entire pattern before starting.

Add Texture: Incorporate different stitches, like bobbles or puff stitches.

Finishing Touches: A contrasting color for the beak can also make the design pop.

Be Creative: Don’t hesitate to customize the hat’s design! Change colors, add embellishments, or adjust the size to make it truly unique.

Pattern FAQs: