Free Pattern: Erica Beanie

Erica is funky and fun. Worked in continuous spirals, then add a little cabling, some more spirals and a brim and viola! You have Erica!

If you have wanted to break into the world of cabling this pattern is perfect! I use a basic Celtic cabling for the motif that consists of front posting only. And not to worry I have tutorials in case you get hung up.

Erica got her name when my website designer fell in love with the demo shown below in mustard. It was a match meant to happen. Erica, the owner of Pixel Jam Digital, has short hair and a round face. The Erica hat is fantastic at accentuating these features! The beanie really molds to the head giving you that nice rounded look and adding just a hint of lift in the back where most of us need it most!

Miss Erica really wanted a fun and extra funky beanie to match her spunky and very sassy personality. So I went yarn shopping!

I love all the hand dyed yarn out there and have been itchin to try it. I instantly fell in love with Crystal Skyes Hand Dyed yarn in color way Mermaids! The result was perfect!

The story that made it happen

Erica began as a bottom up hat, but I just wasn't happy with the look of it! It is unique to be sure, but it lacked that Knottie Hooks character I look for in a finished product.

I really like the way a hat looks when worked top down. The nice smooth crown and dome shaped body. Along with a tapered brim to bring the bottom to a nice fitted feel... Just lovely.

I find that hats such as the Myra Slouch are more suited for a bottom up effect where the brim is relatively the same size as the body. There is little separation between the body and the brim giving it a nice flow for a piece that needs to flow.

I decided Erica needed to be worked top down. I felt that she needed more character than what the bottom up effect produced.

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What makes this pattern unique?

What makes Erica different is that she is worked inside out. While crocheting this hat you want the half double crochets to be facing you. This is technically the right side of the stitch, however, for this pattern it is considered the wrong side.

When you have finished the hat you will turn it right side out. The stitching will look very similar to what purling looks like in knitting.

You can certainly wear the hat wrong side out at well! Erica is very versatile and is cute either way.

What you will need

• Yarn:  1 skein Yarn Bee Soft and Sleek #4 worsted weight yarn (100% low pill acrylic, approximately 232 yds/ 213 m, 5 oz/ 142 g) in color “Spice”
• Hook(s): 4mm (Brim 2), 5mm (hat body and Brim 1)
• Yarn needle
• Scissors
• Faux fur (LG) pompom for the full beanie (optional for full beanie)
• Stitch marker:  If you wish to use a stitch marker to mark the beginning of each round feel free to do so.  (I prefer to count my stitches, so I do not include instructions for placing a marker in the pattern.)

Let's talk fiber!

For the hat pictured at the top of the page I used Soft and Sleek by Yarn Bee. Yarn Bee is a yarn by Hobby Lobby. Another yarn by Hobby Lobby is "I Love This Yarn". If you are familiar with this yarn then you are familiar with the dilemma that it is a very full bodied yarn that can sometimes throw off your gauge. Therefore when selecting a yarn for this hat be sure to compare your labels.

What you will look for between labels is,

• Is the weight the same?
• Are the fibers similar, such as Acrylic, wool, alpaca, nylon, etc.?
• Is the gauge similar or close enough to make it work?
• Are the recommended hook sizes the same?

Another piece of information you can look for is the number of wpi (wraps per inch). This information is not always available so me be more difficult to compare.

What I love about Hobby Lobby's yarns is the fullness. They are sort of like the beefsteak tomato of yarn. It is soft and smooth and glides through your fingers so nicely. It does not split like other yarns tend to, especially when using a smaller hook than is recommended.

Unfortunately Hobby Lobby is not alway available so some quick alternatives would be

• Caron Cakes
• Caron Jumbo
• Lion Brand Crayola Cake

You get the idea. In short you want a fat #4 worsted weight yarn.

Do you know these stitches and abbreviations?

Other things you should know before starting...

• The number before the stitch abbreviation represents the number of stitches you will work into the stitch from the previous round.
• The number after the stitch abbreviation represents the number of consecutive stitches to be worked in each stitch from the previous round.
• The hat is worked in continuous rounds creating a spiral, do not slip stitch at the end of a round unless instructed to do so.
• Cables are worked in two rounds.

Gauge and measurements.

• your crown should measure 6.5 in after round 7 
• W- 9.25” at the top of the Celtic weave cabling.  For me this was the widest point and was measured after the hat was completed.
• H- 8.25” from the top center to brim edge, also measured when the hat was completed.

Okay let's go!

Using a 5mm hook, begin by making a mc.

• Holding the tail of the yarn between your thumb and index finger, wrap the yarn clockwise around two fingers one and a half times crisscrossing the yarn, then hold the tail with your pinky. Insert hook under the first wrap around. Using the hook, grab the second wrap around. Pull the second wrap under the first wrap and twist your hook. Yarn over pull through. You now have what looks like a large slip knot on your hook. (when working into the magic circle be sure to work over your tail also. Leave enough tail to pull at the end of round 1.

Rnd 1 Hdc12 into mc, pull mc tail to tighten. (12)

Rnd 2 2Hdc3lo in each st around. (24)

Rnd 3 hdc3lo, 2hdc3lo in next, rep from * to * around. (36)

Rnd 4 hdc3lo2, 2hdc3lo in next, rep from * to * around.  (48)

Rnd 5 hdc3lo3, 2hdc3lo in next, rep from * to * around.  (60)

Rnd 6 hdc3lo4, 2hdc3lo in next, rep from * to * around.  (72)

Rnd 7-11 hdc3lo, rep from * to * around. 

Rnd 12 hdc the back loop and 3 rd loop together, rep from * to * around (72), slst2, turn.

Rnd 13 (Begin working your cables)

• Ch2, sk2, fptc2, go back 3 sts, (working behind the fptc just made, you may need to pull the 2 fptc just made forward to see behind them) fptc2.  sk4, fptc2, go back 3, fptc2, rep from * to * around, slst to the first cable.

Rnd 14

• Ch2, sk4, fptc2, go back 3sts, fptc2 (you will have to lift them from under the 2 fptc that lay on top of them).  *sk2 fptc2, go back 3, fptc2*, rep from * to *around, slst to first cable, turn. 

Rnd 15 ch2, hdc in each st around

Rnd 16-18 hdc3lo in each st around (72), at the end of rnd 18, slst1

Put on those finishing touches...

Brim

Row 1: Ch 9.  Sc in the 2nd ch from the hook and across.  Slst to the next unworked stitch of the hat body.  Slst the next, turn. (8)

Row 2: Skip the two slst’s.  Scblo into the last sc from the previous row.  Scblo across, ch1 turn. (8)

Row 3: Scblo across, Slst to the next unworked stitch of the hat body.  Slst the next, turn. (8)

Repeat rows 2 & 3 around.  To seam the band together, slst the front loops of the last row to the beginning chain row.  Fasten off, weave in ends

Wear the hat with the side that matches your mood.  They are both fun!

I would love to see what you made!  Share your finished Erica hat on Facebook and tag @KnottieHooks, or use #ericabeanie on Instagram! 

Add a huge fluffy pom pom for extra sassiness. You can pick up an extra large pom pom just about anywhere you can buy yarn, but if you really like to support small biz check out No Hooks Given on Etsy. She hand makes them, and has quite a few to choose from .

Want even more?

Visit my store to purchase the downloadable version of this pattern complete with photo tutorials and an additional instructions on how to add a brim that looks like knit!

Download Disclaimer

This pattern and its pictures are the property of Knottie Hooks. You are welcome to sell your finished items from this pattern in any manner you choose. However, do not copy, share, or redistribute the pattern itself in any way. Please provide a link if you sell your finished items online back to the original pattern source. Use #knottiehooks and tag me @knottiehooks. (If you change the name when you sell your item, please mention the pattern name in the link so other people can find the pattern.)

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