What happens if I skip the slip stitch between ruffle rows?

The slip stitch and chain 3 turn are what keep each ruffle row distinct instead of spiraling into the next. Skipping it will blur the rows together and make the frill look uneven.

Do I need a contrast color, or can the edge match the ruffle?

The pattern calls for a contrast color on the ruffle edge specifically to define that last round. You can match it to the crown instead if you prefer a quieter, more unified look.

How many rows make up the ruffle itself?

The ruffle section is built from three rows worked back to back, each tripling into every stitch around. Together they create the layered, frilled brim that sits over the plain crown.

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Ruffled crown crochet hat with two yarn weights

Ruffled crown crochet hat with two yarn weights

Ruffle crochet hat pattern using two hook sizes and a contrast edge for a textured, playful finish anyone can wear.

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LevelIntermediate
Time4-6 hours
Hook4.5 mm
YarnWorsted

About This Pattern

This hat has a bit of a party trick built in. The crown goes together quiet and plain, round after round of double crochet in thin, doubled-up yarn. Then the ruffle shows up at the brim like someone turned the volume up for the chorus.

Your hands do two different jobs here, and that's the fun of it. The small hook and thin yarn ask for patience and even tension around the crown. The big hook and thick three-ply yarn ask for speed and a loose wrist as the ruffle rows bloom outward.

Set this hat on a shelf or a hook by the door and it reads as a little sculpture, not just outerwear. The plain dome and the frilled edge sit together like two different outfits sharing one hat. It catches the eye before anyone even tries it on.

Build the hat crown first, starting from a magic ring and increasing steadily round by round.
Keep working the crown rounds in thin, doubled yarn until the body reaches its final width.
Work the first ruffle row by tripling into every stitch around the hat's edge.
Slip stitch to close each ruffle row, chain up, and turn before starting the next one.
Repeat the tripling pattern for the remaining ruffle rows so the frill builds in layers.
Attach the contrast color yarn and work the final edge round with the smaller hook.

On the desk

4.5 mm crochet hook (for ruffles)
3.5 mm crochet hook (for hat body and edges)
Thin yarn (two strands held together) for hat body
Thick three-ply yarn for ruffles

Optional

contrast color yarn for ruffle edge

Stitch shorthand

ch — chain
st — stitch
sl st — slip stitch
sc — single crochet
dc — double crochet
mr — magic ring
rsc — reverse single crochet

Ruffled crown crochet hat with two yarn weights

Assembly

Step 1 Weave in all loose ends neatly to complete your hat

Easy to get wrong

Losing the chain 3 turning point

Mark the top of each chain 3 with a stitch marker before you slip stitch into it, since it's easy to miscount in a bulky ruffle row. This keeps your ruffle rows aligned instead of drifting sideways.

Mixing up the two hook sizes

Set the 4.5 mm hook aside with the thick yarn and the 3.5 mm hook aside with the thin yarn before you start the ruffle section. Swapping them even once will throw off your tension for the whole row.

Skipping the chain 1 before cutting yarn

Always chain 1 before you cut the yarn at the end of the ruffle section, as the pattern specifies, so the last stitch has somewhere to anchor. Leaving it off can let the final ruffle row unravel while you weave in ends.

Listener questions

What happens if I skip the slip stitch between ruffle rows?
The slip stitch and chain 3 turn are what keep each ruffle row distinct instead of spiraling into the next. Skipping it will blur the rows together and make the frill look uneven.
Do I need a contrast color, or can the edge match the ruffle?
The pattern calls for a contrast color on the ruffle edge specifically to define that last round. You can match it to the crown instead if you prefer a quieter, more unified look.
How many rows make up the ruffle itself?
The ruffle section is built from three rows worked back to back, each tripling into every stitch around. Together they create the layered, frilled brim that sits over the plain crown.

Original pattern: https://crocheteverything.com/gorgeous-crochet-ruffle-hat-pattern-with-just-yarn-and-hooks/

About the Author

Marisol QuinteroWho runs Crochet Obsessed, why a stitch count sits at the end of every round, how a pattern gets written here, and the things this site will never do.

Ruffled crown crochet hat with two yarn weights

About This Pattern