Jellybean Earflap Crochet Hat Free Pattern: A Y2K Candy-Stripe Tube Hat

Jellybean Earflap Crochet Hat: A Candy-Stripe Tube Hat for Total Beginners

This bright, Y2K-inspired earflap hat is the perfect first real project for someone who has just learned to hold a hook. It is worked as one simple tube of single crochet in candy stripes of jellybean pink, lime green, and bright orange, so you never have to learn a complicated stitch — just one stitch, repeated, with color changes that do all the work. The finished hat is a snug, stretchy beanie with a deep contrast brim, two little triangular earflaps, and chunky braided ties that hang down like a favorite childhood hat. It feels soft and slightly fuzzy against the skin, with visible V-shaped stitches and gentle horizontal ridges that make the stripes pop. If you can make a chain and a single crochet, you can absolutely make this hat.

Materials Needed

• Yarn: DK weight (category 3) yarn, approx. 220–250 yds total:
  • Color A — hot jellybean pink: approx. 80 yds
  • Color B — lime green: approx. 60 yds
  • Color C — bright orange: approx. 60 yds
  • Color D — chunky contrast brim (deep magenta or bubblegum pink): approx. 40 yds
• Crochet hook: 5.0 mm (US H/8) for the hat body and earflaps, plus a 4.5 mm (US G/7) for the brim (the smaller hook makes a tighter, snugger brim).
• Stitch marker (or a scrap of contrasting yarn) to mark the beginning of each round.
• Tapestry needle (also called a yarn needle — a big needle with a blunt tip and a large eye) for sewing the earflaps and weaving in ends.
• Scissors for cutting yarn.
• Finished size: To fit an average adult head of 21–23 in (53–58 cm) circumference. Finished hat circumference approx. 20 in (51 cm) unstretched, height approx. 8.5 in (21.5 cm) from brim to crown. Earflaps approx. 3 in (7.5 cm) tall. Ties approx. 8 in (20 cm) long.

Abbreviations and Beginner Glossary

Every abbreviation used in this pattern is listed here in plain English. Read this once before you start — you will not need to guess anything later.

• ch — chain. Make a loop with the yarn, then pull a new loop through it. Each loop you pull through is one chain. Chains form your starting edge.
• sl st — slip stitch. Insert your hook into the stitch, yarn over, and pull the loop straight through both the stitch and the loop on your hook. It makes a nearly invisible joining stitch.
• sc — single crochet. Insert your hook into the stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (you now have 2 loops on the hook), yarn over again, and pull through both loops. You are left with 1 loop. This is the only stitch the whole hat uses.
• sc2tog — single crochet 2 together (a decrease). Insert your hook into the first stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (2 loops on hook). Insert your hook into the next stitch, yarn over, pull up a loop (3 loops on hook). Yarn over and pull through all 3 loops. Two stitches become one.
• BLO — back loop only. Every stitch has two loops at its top, a front one and a back one. Working in the back loop only means you insert your hook under just the loop farther from you. (This pattern does not use BLO, but it is listed so you recognize it if you see it elsewhere.)
• st / sts — stitch / stitches.
• rnd — round. One complete trip around the hat in a circle.
• rep from * — repeat the instructions between the asterisks as many times as stated.
• turn — flip your work over so you work back the other way (used only for the flat earflaps).
• fasten off — cut the yarn a few inches from your work and pull the tail all the way through the last loop to lock it.
• yarn over — wrap the working yarn over your hook from back to front.

Gauge

Hat body gauge: 16 sc x 18 rounds = 4 inches (10 cm) in single crochet worked in the round with the 5.0 mm hook.
Brim gauge: 14 sc x 16 rounds = 4 inches with the 4.5 mm hook.

Why gauge matters: Gauge is how many stitches and rounds fit into 4 inches. If your stitches are bigger than the pattern's, your hat will be too loose and floppy; if they are smaller, the hat may not fit over your head. Checking first saves you hours.

How to make a gauge swatch: With the 5.0 mm hook, chain 21. Work 1 sc in the second chain from the hook and in each chain across (20 sc). Work 20 rows of sc, turning at the end of each row. Lay the swatch flat and measure across the middle 4 inches with a ruler — count how many stitches and rows fit. If you have more than 16 stitches in 4 inches, try a larger hook; if fewer, try a smaller hook. The brim swatch is made the same way with the 4.5 mm hook, aiming for 14 stitches per 4 inches.

Beginner Tips Before You Start

• Use your stitch marker every single round. Because the hat is a spiral, there is no seam to tell you where a round begins. Place the marker in the first stitch of each round and move it up as you go.
• Do not pull your yarn too tight. Beginners often crochet tightly, which makes a stiff hat that will not stretch over your head. Keep your loops relaxed and even.
• Change colors on the last yarn-over of the last stitch of a round. Pull the new color through to finish that stitch, so the new color begins the next round cleanly.
• Carry your unused colors loosely up the inside of the hat rather than cutting the yarn every time, or fasten off and rejoin if the carried strand feels tight. Never let a carried strand pull the hat in.
• Count your stitches at the end of each stripe. You should always have 64 stitches until the crown shaping begins. Catching a mistake early is much easier than fixing it later.
• Keep your starting chain untwisted. Before joining the ring, run a finger along the chain to make sure it lies flat like a bracelet, not spiraled like a telephone cord.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Hat Body (Brim and Candy Stripes)

The hat body is worked as a continuous spiral tube from the brim upward. Do not join rounds unless instructed; use your stitch marker to track the beginning of each round.

With Color D (contrast brim) and the 4.5 mm hook:

Rnd 1: Ch 64, being careful not to twist the chain, sl st to the first ch to form a ring. Ch 1, sc in each ch around — (64 sc). Place marker in first st.

Rnds 2–6: Sc in each st around, working in a continuous spiral — (64 sc per rnd). The brim now measures approx. 1.5 in (4 cm) deep.

Change to the 5.0 mm hook and Color A (pink).

Rnd 7: Sc in each st around — (64 sc).

Rnds 8–10: Sc in each st around in Color A — (64 sc per rnd).

Change to Color B (lime).

Rnds 11–13: Sc in each st around — (64 sc per rnd).

Change to Color C (orange).

Rnds 14–16: Sc in each st around — (64 sc per rnd).

Change to Color A (pink).

Rnds 17–19: Sc in each st around — (64 sc per rnd).

Change to Color B (lime).

Rnds 20–22: Sc in each st around — (64 sc per rnd).

Change to Color C (orange).

Rnds 23–25: Sc in each st around — (64 sc per rnd).

Change to Color A (pink).

Rnds 26–28: Sc in each st around — (64 sc per rnd).

You now have 7 stripes of 3 rounds each above the brim, and the hat body measures approx. 7 in (18 cm) from the top of the brim.

Crown Shaping

Continue in Color A (pink). Each round below decreases the stitch count, closing the top of the hat.

Rnd 29: *Sc2tog, sc in next 6 sts; rep from * around — (56 sc).

Rnd 30: *Sc2tog, sc in next 5 sts; rep from * around — (48 sc).

Rnd 31: *Sc2tog, sc in next 4 sts; rep from * around — (40 sc).

Rnd 32: *Sc2tog, sc in next 3 sts; rep from * around — (32 sc).

Rnd 33: *Sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts; rep from * around — (24 sc).

Rnd 34: *Sc2tog, sc in next st; rep from * around — (16 sc).

Rnd 35: Sc2tog around — (8 sc).

Fasten off leaving a 10 in (25 cm) tail. Thread the tail through the remaining 8 sts with your tapestry needle, pull tight to close the crown, and weave in the end on the inside.

Earflaps (Make 2)

Worked in turned rows with the 5.0 mm hook and Color A (pink). The flap starts as one stitch and grows wider, then narrows to a point.

Row 1: Leaving a long 12 in (30 cm) tail for sewing, ch 2, sc in 2nd ch from hook — (1 sc).

Row 2: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in the same st — (2 sc).

Row 3: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, sc in next st — (3 sc).

Row 4: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across — (3 sc).

Row 5: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 2 sts — (4 sc).

Row 6: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across — (4 sc).

Row 7: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 3 sts — (5 sc).

Row 8: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across — (5 sc).

Row 9: Ch 1, turn, 2 sc in first st, sc in next 4 sts — (6 sc).

Row 10: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across — (6 sc).

Row 11: Ch 1, turn, sc in each st across — (6 sc).

Row 12: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog, sc in next 2 sts, sc2tog — (4 sc).

Row 13: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog twice — (2 sc).

Row 14: Ch 1, turn, sc2tog — (1 sc). Fasten off, leaving a 6 in (15 cm) tail to weave in.

Make a second earflap identically.

Braided Ties (Make 2)

For each tie, cut 6 strands of yarn (2 pink, 2 lime, 2 orange), each approx. 20 in (50 cm) long. Fold the bundle in half and pull the folded loop through the point of one earflap with your hook; pull the strand ends through the loop and tighten to secure. Divide the 12 strands into 3 groups of 4 and braid to approx. 8 in (20 cm). Knot the end firmly and trim the ends evenly to approx. 1 in (2.5 cm) below the knot. Repeat for the second earflap.

Assembly and Finishing

Position the earflaps: Fold the hat flat so the brim edge is even. Mark the center front and center back with a pin or a scrap of yarn. Position each earflap with its wide top edge against the lower edge of the brim, centered approx. 4.5 in (11.5 cm) to either side of the center back — that is, over each ear area — with the pointed tip facing down.

Sew them on: Thread the long 12 in (30 cm) starting tail of one earflap onto your tapestry needle. Working from the inside of the hat, whipstitch (small, even stitches that go over the edge and back through) the top edge of the earflap securely to the brim, going through both layers. Repeat for the second flap, then weave in the ends on the inside.

Weave in ends: Thread each remaining tail onto the tapestry needle and run it back and forth through the inside of the fabric for about 2 inches, changing direction once so it cannot work loose. Trim close to the fabric.

Block: Gently steam-block the brim and earflaps to settle the stitches — hold a steam iron an inch or two above the fabric (never press it down) and let the steam relax the yarn, then pat into shape and let it dry completely. Be careful not to flatten the texture.

Wear it: Wear with the brim folded up if you would like a closer fit.

Pro Tips and Variations

• Change the candy colors: Swap in any three bright DK colors you love — mint, lemon, and lilac make a softer pastel version, while red, white, and blue give a sporty look. Keep the same 3-round stripe rhythm and the hat will look just as good.
• Adjust the size: For a child's hat, start with a chain of 56 instead of 64 and work the same stripe sequence, then begin the crown shaping when the body measures about 6 in (15 cm). For a slouchier adult hat, add one or two extra 3-round stripes before the crown.
• Substitute yarn: Any DK (category 3) yarn will work — just check your gauge first, since fiber content changes how the fabric stretches. A wool-blend gives a springier hat; acrylic is easy to wash and very beginner-friendly.
• Make the ties your own: Try a single crochet chain tie instead of a braid, or add a small pom-pom to the crown for extra Y2K energy.